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> For SAD you can buy these cute little light therapy boxes that are supposed to help, but they don't, because they are not bright enough to make a difference.

> For SAD you can buy these cute little light therapy boxes that are supposed to help, but they don't, because they are not bright enough to make a difference. Waste of money. This is completely false. There are multiple studies that show the effectiveness of light therapy. I myself have been using it for years and it makes a huge difference in my mood. If the light is less bright, you'll need to use it for a longer time each day to compensate.

slothtrop 5y ago
Seriously, they're like 10k+ lumens. They make a difference. Granted effectiveness could probably be improved by hanging a whole bunch of lights in the environment.
mikeiz404 5y ago
From some research I did a little while back light therapy does work according to the research papers but the problem comes when the end product does not deliver enough lux (amount of light over a given surface area at a given distance). IIRC the research papers either define the dosing over time in lux or in lumens at a given distance (pretty sure it is lux though). So the issue is that these light therapy boxes list dosing in lumens or lux at a very short distance and when sitting at a usable distance to reasonably perform another activity for 15-30 min you achieve far under the dosing amount listed in the papers. To top it off these devices were usually over or well over $100. I went with a video recording LED panel set close to me on a tripod which ended up being the more economical option to achieve the desired lux. But to each their own. If you’d like some more links send an email to the address in my profile and I’ll see what I can dig up again. I’m on my phone right now so my ability to do that is limited. - Lux vs Lumen vs Candela: https://www.reconelectrical.co.uk/image/data/pdfs/Candela,%20Lumen,%20Lux%20-%20A%20Brief%20Explanation.pdf https://www.reconelectrical.co.uk/image/data/pdfs/Candela,%2...

slothtrop 5y ago

Seriously, they're like 10k+ lumens. They make a difference. Granted effectiveness could probably be improved by hanging a whole bunch of lights in the environment.

mikeiz404 5y ago

From some research I did a little while back light therapy does work according to the research papers but the problem comes when the end product does not deliver enough lux (amount of light over a given surface area at a given distance). IIRC the research papers either define the dosing over time in lux or in lumens at a given distance (pretty sure it is lux though). So the issue is that these light therapy boxes list dosing in lumens or lux at a very short distance and when sitting at a usable distance to reasonably perform another activity for 15-30 min you achieve far under the dosing amount listed in the papers. To top it off these devices were usually over or well over $100. I went with a video recording LED panel set close to me on a tripod which ended up being the more economical option to achieve the desired lux. But to each their own. If you’d like some more links send an email to the address in my profile and I’ll see what I can dig up again. I’m on my phone right now so my ability to do that is limited. - Lux vs Lumen vs Candela: https://www.reconelectrical.co.uk/image/data/pdfs/Candela,%20Lumen,%20Lux%20-%20A%20Brief%20Explanation.pdf https://www.reconelectrical.co.uk/image/data/pdfs/Candela,%2...