Mr. Wiggins has quite the budget these days eh?
[quote]Schwarzenegger wrote:
They are not 100x, or any significant amount, more powerful than regular lights. If this were the case the light would be unbearably bright. If you argue that the case it is in dampens the light so it is bearable, well that would decrease your exposure to the light and in practice would not be any significant amount more powerful.
As far as using regular lightbulbs, you bet your ass it works. Those SAD lighting systems use fluorescent bulbs, which are the same ones you can get at most stores. Outside of fluorescent bulbs, any full spectrum lighting would be fine, be that special tungsten lights or halogens.
Melatonin production can be influenced by any light source, be that a bright enough flame, sunlight, full-spectrum, white, yellow, etc. While all colors will affect melatonin production, the higher the color temperature the greater the inhibition of melatonin production.
Bottom line: provided you have adequate bright lighting from any source in your home you will inhibit melatonin production. I am sure everyone knows, but SAD is not solely the result of abnormal melatonin production. In extreme circumstances it may be beneficial to take an antidepressant as the above poster suggested.[/quote]
I highly disagree. Have you ever seen a light box? They are incredibly intense. Light intensity is measured in Lux. Here are examples of lux measures with differant lights.
1 lux Moonlight at high altitude at tropical latitudes[3]
10 lux Candle at a distance of 30 cm (1 ft)
50 lux Family living room[4]
80 lux Hallway/Toilet[5]
400 lux A brightly lit office
400 lux Sunrise or sunset on a clear day.
1000 lux 1 klx Typical TV studio lighting
32000 lux 32 klx Sunlight on an average day (min.)
100000 lux 100 klx Sunlight on an average day (max.)
Your typical light box is 2500-10000 lux, at a distance of 1 to 3 feet. To achieve significant melatonin suppression 20-30 min in front of 10000 lux is generally needed. If you are in a brightly lit office for 8 hours, this still isn’t enough. The lights you have in your house, aren’t even making a dent.
I have a LED light which emits mostly blue light, which has shown to have the highest melatonin suppression.
Here is a link.
You are wrongly assuming a linear relationship between lux/time and melatonin suppression.
[quote]Schwarzenegger wrote:
You are wrongly assuming a linear relationship between lux/time and melatonin suppression.[/quote]
Well every single recommendation on the internet that I’ve seen, and there’s been 100’s, has been approximately:
30 min of 10000 lux light
1 hr of 5000 lux light
2 hrs of 2500 lux light
With blue light the recommedations are slightly lower but still linear.
If you have info to refute this I’d be interested in seeing it.
[quote]Contrl wrote:
Ultimately whatever helps your mood, OP.
But I would personally rather you do something that’s more of a sure-shot in bettering your mood.
You could consider adopting a pet. Preferably something that also tastes delicious, should you become bored with it or it stops being adorable once it ages.[/quote]
He mentioned SAD caused by the seasons changing.
Seasonal Affective Disorder, also known as SAD, winter blues, or seasonal depression, is a medical condition caused by the seasonal change in the amount of available sunlight. SAD is most pronounced in the more northern regions of the world, with a greater daylight variance from summer to winter.
Symptoms vary depending on the severity of the individual case. In its milder form, winter blues (which affects as much as 20% of the population), symptoms include a lack of energy, depression, listlessness, and food cravings for sweets and carbohydrates. By contrast, cases of the more debilitating Seasonal Affective Disorder may include additional symptoms: Problems sleeping, change in appetite or weight, loss of memory, lack of concentration, severe depression and confusion.
A pet will not help much. Its like applying a bandaid to a gunshot. Why don’t you treat the gunshot first, and then apply the bandaid over it?
And you sick fuck, you don’t eat pets. That’s what livestock are for.
[quote]Dopamineloveaffair wrote:
I highly disagree. Have you ever seen a light box? They are incredibly intense. Light intensity is measured in Lux. Here are examples of lux measures with differant lights.
1 lux Moonlight at high altitude at tropical latitudes[3]
10 lux Candle at a distance of 30 cm (1 ft)
50 lux Family living room[4]
80 lux Hallway/Toilet[5]
400 lux A brightly lit office
400 lux Sunrise or sunset on a clear day.
1000 lux 1 klx Typical TV studio lighting
32000 lux 32 klx Sunlight on an average day (min.)
100000 lux 100 klx Sunlight on an average day (max.)
Your typical light box is 2500-10000 lux, at a distance of 1 to 3 feet. To achieve significant melatonin suppression 20-30 min in front of 10000 lux is generally needed. If you are in a brightly lit office for 8 hours, this still isn’t enough. The lights you have in your house, aren’t even making a dent.
I have a LED light which emits mostly blue light, which has shown to have the highest melatonin suppression.
Here is a link.
http://www.litebook.com/index.htm [/quote]
Unless you spend most of your time in a highly dim environment, you just supported the notion that light boxes are not 100x brighter than typical lights. I understand they are bright, but not 100x brighter.
[quote]Dopamineloveaffair wrote:
Schwarzenegger wrote:
You are wrongly assuming a linear relationship between lux/time and melatonin suppression.
Well every single recommendation on the internet that I’ve seen, and there’s been 100’s, has been approximately:
30 min of 10000 lux light
1 hr of 5000 lux light
2 hrs of 2500 lux light
With blue light the recommedations are slightly lower but still linear.
If you have info to refute this I’d be interested in seeing it.[/quote]
Thank you for the information. This does not mention anything about melatonin production in relation to lux/time relationships. I understand there is a relatively linear relationship within that lux range, however standing outside in unbridled sunlight for a very short period of time will not have the same effect as sitting in a dimly lit room for 16 hours each day. I would also imagine it depends on the time of day you are exposed to this light. I honestly don’t know as I am not familiar with SAD research and light. However this still seems to skirt around the idea that melatonin is responsible for SAD. I think it may play a role, but certainly isn’t the sole factor. As it seems you know more about this, if you have further research I could read regarding my lack of knowledge in the areas listed above I would appreciate it.
Well, to bump this thread again…
I’m 99.9% sure I suffer from SAD… I picked up some vit D. How much is suggested to take daily?
Also, I asked a friend about it, and she said her roomate had one last year and both of them did notice a difference.