If you’re feeling sad during the fall and winter, you’re certainly not alone. An estimated 5% of American adults experience a form of depression called seasonal effective disorder, or SAD, which is common during chillier parts of the year.
Fortunately, light therapy can treat the symptoms of this disorder.
According to the American Psychiatric Association, symptoms of SAD usually crop up during the fall and winter, when there’s less sunlight. The toughest months for SAD sufferers tend to be January and February.
The association describes the following symptoms of SAD:
- Feeling sad.
- Being in a depressed mood.
- Losing interest or pleasure in once-enjoyable activities.
- Eating more.
- Craving carbohydrates.
- Oversleeping.
- Losing energy or feeling more fatigued.
- Engaging in activity such as pacing, handwringing or being unable to sit still.
- Feeling worthless or guilty.
- Encountering difficulty with thinking, concentrating or decision-making.
- Thinking about death or suicide.
If you’re coping with symptoms of SAD, the psychiatric association recommends seeking help from a trained medical professional. And if you’re a severe case of SAD or you’re having suicidal thoughts, immediately reach out to a doctor or visit an emergency room.
One of the tools for treatment of SAD is light therapy, which might be coupled with antidepressants or talk therapy (or both).
“While symptoms will generally improve on their own with the change of season, symptoms can improve more quickly with treatment,” the psychiatric group says.
How does light therapy work?
The psychiatric association explains that light therapy involves sitting in front of a light therapy box that emits an extremely bright light — brighter than light from lamps and light fixtures at home — while filtering out harmful UV rays. Light from one of these boxes mimics natural outdoor light, according to the Mayo Clinic. Typically, light therapy lasts 30 minutes a day and happens first thing in the morning.
Harvard Health Publishing explains that the bright light given off by a light box works by stimulating cells in the retina that connect to the hypothalamus, a part of the brain that helps control circadian sleep-and-wake rhythms. Activating the hypothalamus at a certain time each day can restore a normal circadian rhythm and perhaps eliminate seasonal symptoms.
You can undergo light therapy while reading, eating breakfast, working at a computer or engaging in other regular activities, the Cleveland Clinic advises. The light should reach your eyes, the clinic points out, but you shouldn’t stare at the light box.
How long does it take for light therapy to work?
“Most people see some improvements from light therapy within one or two weeks of beginning treatment,” the psychiatric association says. “To maintain the benefits and prevent relapse, treatment is usually continued through the winter. Because of the anticipated return of symptoms in late fall, some people may begin light therapy in early fall to prevent symptoms.”
The psychiatric association notes that stepped-up exposure to sunlight also can decrease symptoms of SAD. Keep in mind, though, that you should protect yourself from the sun’s harmful rays.
“Although you don’t need a prescription to buy a light therapy box, it’s best to ask your doctor or mental health provider if light therapy is a good option for you,” the Mayo Clinic says. “Ask whether you need to take any special precautions. Also discuss which type of light therapy box would best meet your needs, so you get the most benefit and minimize possible side effects.”
Are there any light therapy side effects?
According to the Mayo Clinic, light therapy is generally safe. If side effects occur, they’re normally mild and short-lasting. Side effects might include:
- Eyestrain.
- Headache.
- Nausea.
- Irritability or agitation.
- Mania, euphoria, hyperactivity or agitation associated with bipolar disorder.
Other than medication and talk therapy, Dr. Itai Danovitch, chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, says regular exercise, improved sleep and good nutrition can be beneficial in treating SAD.
“If you suffer from seasonal depression or have other mental health concerns, it’s especially important to review your nutrition and make sure you are getting the vitamins and nutrients you need,” Danovitch says in a news release.
The Mayo Clinic says that aside from treating SAD, light therapy might help with non-seasonal depression, sleep disorders, jet lag and dementia. The clinic adds that light therapy for treatment of skin problems like psoriasis differs from light therapy for the previously mentioned conditions.
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