14 ms·
It's worth noting that despite not providing Vitamin D, there's still a fair bit of value in getting sunlight through glass: 1. Seasonal Affective Disorder is
by dcx 8y ago
It's worth noting that despite not providing Vitamin D, there's still a fair bit of value in getting sunlight through glass:
1. Seasonal Affective Disorder is treated using just the visible light spectrum entering the retinas of the eyes [1], and there are a ton of studies showing its effectiveness (in fact, most SAD lamps explicitly filter out ultraviolet light).
2. Some infrared passes through some glass and seems to be good for a thousand different things. [2] [3]
3. UVA passes through glass and has beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system. [4]
[1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0273230092900358 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0273230092...
[2] https://valtsus.blogspot.com/2017/05/the-therapeutic-effects-of-red-and-near.html https://valtsus.blogspot.com/2017/05/the-therapeutic-effects...
[3] https://www.quora.com/Can-infrared-light-pass-through-glass https://www.quora.com/Can-infrared-light-pass-through-glass
[4] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022202X15368974 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022202X1...
- ypolito 8y agoFrom wikipedia: > Seasonal affective disorder is a mood disorder subset in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year exhibit depressive symptoms at the same time each year, most commonly in the winter. I usually get depressed in the summer though, even when I get enough unfiltered sunlight.
- JimboOmega 8y agoThere are all kind of things that happen seasonally that might dampen your mood (for instance people taking vacations, students being home from school, work being more/less busy, outdoor exercise options changing, etc). Your depression might not have anything to do with that and just be a random variation that happened to occur in the summer. Most depression has nothing to do with SAD; it's merely a specific type. It's a type that has a fairly straightforward treatment, thankfully! I often have a depressed mood in November and December when the sun is at its lowest, but my family also likes to make "the holidays" as miserable an experience as possible, so it's really no surprise and probably unrelated to light levels.
- majewsky 8y agoFWIW, I have the same symptoms in winter, but none of the reasons you list apply to me. I can easily see SAD being caused by lack of natural light, and I try to spend as much time as possible in sunlight (which is hard given a normal work schedule).
- eurg 8y ago"most commonly", but there is some evidence that SAD is not triggered only by amount of light: "This model also explains the otherwise confusing tendency of some SAD sufferers to get depressed in the summer. The problem isn’t amount of light, it’s circadian rhythm disruption – which summer can do just as well as winter can." https://slatestarcodex.com/2018/07/10/melatonin-much-more-than-you-wanted-to-know/ https://slatestarcodex.com/2018/07/10/melatonin-much-more-th...
- maxxxxx 8y agoThere is a lot of value in being able to see the outside. I can barely see outside from my position in the building and I feel it's really starting to eat my soul staring at walls the whole day.
- phaedrus 8y agoHave you tried plants? I can't see windows from my desk, but I've got my cubicle filled with plants & it kind of makes up for it. One is a tropical shrub behind my monitors which would swallow my whole workstation if I didn't prune it back. Now if only people who seem to like the gloom would stop disconnecting bulbs in the fluorescent light fixtures..
- mixmastamyk 8y agoFluorescent light is typically low quality.
- maxxxxx 8y agoFacilities doesn't allow plants Everything needs to to dull, uniform and gray.
- sundvor 8y agoLeave. (Edit: That sounds very depressing, and could be health affecting in the long term, so if you can, please do leave!).
- YinglingLight 8y agobreak up with your SO.
- ozzmotik 8y agodetach from the electrical grid
- dzhiurgis 8y agoUVA is what causes skin cancers. Recommending or dismissing UVA exposure is irresponsible, especially in places with tons of UV radiation. Dermatologists go extra to teach people to choose sunscreen with good UVA protection, meanwhile Applied Science (one of my favourite youtubers) - “UVA penetrates regular window glass; hey its not to be worried about”...
- jlarocco 8y agoActually, there was an article posted here (I think) not too long ago about a study that showed the positive benefits from sunlight were enough to outweigh the slightly increased chances of skin cancer. I'll see if I can find the link.
- PKop 8y agoLinked in sibling comment...
- jlarocco 8y agoThanks! That's exactly the one I was thinking of.
- dzhiurgis 8y agoYeah I think it really varies by the region. Sure it's good to go outside in Sweden and England, but not in Aussie and NZ when you can get sunburn in about 15 minutes. I've had couple of barbecue parties this summer in Auckland and NOBODY went outside until sun was way past 5PM. We preferred to sit in stuffy kitchen rather than enjoy beautiful beautiful outdoors. Even in middle of winter you can feel sun bite you as you stand in front of pedestrian crossing.
- wpearse 8y ago...and this is why about a third of us NZers have vitamin D levels that are below the recommended level (5% + 27% ~ 1/3). https://www.health.govt.nz/your-health/healthy-living/food-activity-and-sleep/healthy-eating/vitamin-d https://www.health.govt.nz/your-health/healthy-living/food-a...
- lmilcin 8y agoI would add early morning sunlight helps regulate circadian rhythm.