7 ms·

I live in the upper midwest and, like many other places, don't get much light in the winter. I don't get much light in the summer turns out since I'm inside mos

I live in the upper midwest and, like many other places, don't get much light in the winter. I don't get much light in the summer turns out since I'm inside most of the day anyway, but winter feels worse. A couple years ago I was suggested a SAD lamp, and man did it make a difference. What I've learned this year though, is it isn't enough. It's a small square light that sits in the same place and only comes into your eye at a small angle. Article[0] came up across a feed which was saying the same thing, and I said screw it, and got two 100W LED corn bulbs[1] that the article suggested, and boy did it make a difference. Literally came mid last week, and for the last 4 days, I've had more energy, better sleep, and felt better than I have in months, years even. Incredible difference for $60. The corn bulbs are just like light bulbs so they fit into the same sockets (some are bigger, but get the ones that say E26). You can also get specific lamps to put them around. I also got some construction string lights[2] and hanging those on my wall. Makes it almost seem like I'm in a museum which is cool too. My goal is to get some more lights and make my living / office area legit feel like I'm outside on a summer day. I have a lux meter coming today to be able to see and judge intensity. If it's too intense, I can turn them off like I'm going into the shade. The importance of letting your body know when it's daytime and nighttime, which is talked about in the article, makes all parts of life better. Eat better, more energy to do things, less angry. Part of me disappointed I didn't know this before, but another part glad that I'm catching on now. [0] https://meaningness.com/sad-light-lumens https://meaningness.com/sad-light-lumens [1] https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09ZHMD5ZL https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09ZHMD5ZL [2] https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C5X7XLRQ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C5X7XLRQ

goda90 3y ago
I don't have SAD(at least to a degree I notice), but I do occasionally daydream of having something like this artificial sunlight in my windowless office at work. If only I had more space. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6bqBsHSwPgw https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6bqBsHSwPgw
dukeyukey 3y ago
> I live in the upper midwest and, like many other places, don't get much light in the winter. Not to one-up here, but the UK gets around 60 hours on sunshine across the whole of November, compared to Minnesota at about 115. Europe north of the Mediterranean is gloomy beyond basically anywhere populated in North America.
- jackschultz 3y ago
  For sure. I'm in Wisconsin, and when I see maps about where Europe would be overlayed compared to the US in terms of latitude, it's a shock. I feel like we get such little light in the winter months, but turns out I live middle of France, while you in the UK is much further north.
- kitten_mittens_ 3y ago
  I lived in northern Germany (55°N) a few years after living most of my life at 42°N in the US. The lack of natural light in the winter was brutal.
  - iteratethis 3y ago
    Endless summer nights are a nice flipside though.
  - ajuc 3y ago
    Poland here, same thing. Summers are great, but winters are basically 3-months long country-wide depressions. It's made even worse by the fact we use the same timezone in Poland that Spain uses. So it's bright in the winter at 7, but it gets dark at 15:00 :/ If you work 8-16 as most people do - you get up in the dark, commute in the dawn, work while the sun is in the sky, and comute back in the dark... I would much prefer if we moved 1 or 2 hours east timezone-wise. I'm fine with comuting in the dark one-way, but please give me at least 1 hour of sunlight after work...
- iteratethis 3y ago
  Some theorize that the absolute misery of Northwestern Europe during winter is what led to the scientific revolution, industrialization, etc. Not because the people were brilliant. Simply because they were forced inside and had lots of time to think.
- anyoneamous 3y ago
  This seems like an opportune moment to remind/notify any fellow UK dark-dwellers that the NHS recommends taking vitamin D supplements here in the winter.
grvdrm 3y ago
I bought two of these bulbs. Trying them out! Thanks for you putting out your thought process and solution.
nojvek 3y ago
I relocated to Redmond, WA for a few years to work at MSFT. Let me tell you, every winter there felt like a sadistic game show called "How Miserable Can You Get?" And boy, did I win! Thankfully, the good ol' USA is a massive country, so I hit the eject button and moved to FL. 3154 hours of sun in FL compared to 2170 hours of sun in WA. Huuuuuuge difference in mental and physical aptitude. I feel more energetic. More focus, more workouts, more horny, less self loathing. https://www.currentresults.com/Weather/US/average-annual-sunshine-by-city.php https://www.currentresults.com/Weather/US/average-annual-sun...
- phone8675309 3y ago
  Florida is a great place to live if you're white, straight, and cis, but otherwise it's a shithole.
  - codegrappler 3y ago
    That’s painting with a pretty broad stroke…
    - phone8675309 3y ago
      I lived in that godforsaken state for fifteen years of my life (most of that time spent trying to get out) - both in Central Florida and what they call the Treasure Coast. Spent a lot of time in Miami as well. Everywhere was a shithole with backwards, ignorant people spouting their hateful bullshit, and none of my gay/lesbian/trans friends ever felt really safe (the only places where they felt more comfortable were Miami so long as the police weren't involved and Key West during tourist season). I barely felt safe there as a bisexual man, and avoided an attempted gay bashing because I was concealed carrying a gun and made it clear that I _would_ use it. The only way I felt safe from homophobes at night was if I was carrying. The sooner the Atlantic Ocean reclaims Florida the better.
  - faeriechangling 3y ago
    Florida seems like it’s terrible if you’re white. The weather is actively hostile towards you. People must spend a fortune on sunscreen. The vision of blue eyed people is relatively worse in bright light.
devit 3y ago
What are the pros and cons of those lamps vs those sold as "grow lamps" and those sold as "UFO" high bay lights? Is there any >=100W (actual, not equivalent) sunlight-like bulb available that is dimmable and programmable via ZigBee or other means?
- jackschultz 3y ago
  The glow lamp I have is ~4x4 inch square panel, and it can get decently bright where I can feel some energy in my eyes and a difference in mood. That's what I've used for the past couple years. The thing I found with it is that it's almost like an orb, where there's energy glowing from it, but the rest of the area is still dark. With the corn bulbs, it blasts energy and more light all over, which makes a much bigger difference in vibe. I can't comment on the lux difference (I'm actually getting a lux meter today so I can get a better number in comparison), but with more light all over the room, I can feel much more energy overall. LED light panels are the other thing I think you mention, and I haven't tested with those. I picked corn bulbs to try first. Compared to the marketed mood lamps, the bigger panels would also light the whole room for a better vibe. I don't think there are dimmable LED type higher power bulbs or panels. On or off for them. I'm planning to get more lights, and then maybe see if there's a way to create shades to put over them to change the color and amount depending on day. For now, I'm keeping the lamps powered until ~6pm, and then back to the old light I had before to get ready for sleep.
  - devit 3y ago
    No, I meant gRow lamps that are marketed to help to grow plants indoor, and thus presumably have a light spectrum that is natural (although they also include UV light, so it's not clear if they are safe).
    - jackschultz 3y ago
      Oh! Good question. Not sure, but having lights that come closer and closer to legit sun shine throughout the day would seem like the ideal end goal. If the grow lights already are tuned for that, then they could definitely good ones to try.

goda90 3y ago

I don't have SAD(at least to a degree I notice), but I do occasionally daydream of having something like this artificial sunlight in my windowless office at work. If only I had more space. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6bqBsHSwPgw https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6bqBsHSwPgw

dukeyukey 3y ago

> I live in the upper midwest and, like many other places, don't get much light in the winter. Not to one-up here, but the UK gets around 60 hours on sunshine across the whole of November, compared to Minnesota at about 115. Europe north of the Mediterranean is gloomy beyond basically anywhere populated in North America.

jackschultz 3y ago
For sure. I'm in Wisconsin, and when I see maps about where Europe would be overlayed compared to the US in terms of latitude, it's a shock. I feel like we get such little light in the winter months, but turns out I live middle of France, while you in the UK is much further north.
kitten_mittens_ 3y ago
I lived in northern Germany (55°N) a few years after living most of my life at 42°N in the US. The lack of natural light in the winter was brutal.
- iteratethis 3y ago
  Endless summer nights are a nice flipside though.
- ajuc 3y ago
  Poland here, same thing. Summers are great, but winters are basically 3-months long country-wide depressions. It's made even worse by the fact we use the same timezone in Poland that Spain uses. So it's bright in the winter at 7, but it gets dark at 15:00 :/ If you work 8-16 as most people do - you get up in the dark, commute in the dawn, work while the sun is in the sky, and comute back in the dark... I would much prefer if we moved 1 or 2 hours east timezone-wise. I'm fine with comuting in the dark one-way, but please give me at least 1 hour of sunlight after work...
iteratethis 3y ago
Some theorize that the absolute misery of Northwestern Europe during winter is what led to the scientific revolution, industrialization, etc. Not because the people were brilliant. Simply because they were forced inside and had lots of time to think.
anyoneamous 3y ago
This seems like an opportune moment to remind/notify any fellow UK dark-dwellers that the NHS recommends taking vitamin D supplements here in the winter.

grvdrm 3y ago

I bought two of these bulbs. Trying them out! Thanks for you putting out your thought process and solution.

nojvek 3y ago

I relocated to Redmond, WA for a few years to work at MSFT. Let me tell you, every winter there felt like a sadistic game show called "How Miserable Can You Get?" And boy, did I win! Thankfully, the good ol' USA is a massive country, so I hit the eject button and moved to FL. 3154 hours of sun in FL compared to 2170 hours of sun in WA. Huuuuuuge difference in mental and physical aptitude. I feel more energetic. More focus, more workouts, more horny, less self loathing. https://www.currentresults.com/Weather/US/average-annual-sunshine-by-city.php https://www.currentresults.com/Weather/US/average-annual-sun...

phone8675309 3y ago
Florida is a great place to live if you're white, straight, and cis, but otherwise it's a shithole.
- codegrappler 3y ago
  That’s painting with a pretty broad stroke…
  - phone8675309 3y ago
    I lived in that godforsaken state for fifteen years of my life (most of that time spent trying to get out) - both in Central Florida and what they call the Treasure Coast. Spent a lot of time in Miami as well. Everywhere was a shithole with backwards, ignorant people spouting their hateful bullshit, and none of my gay/lesbian/trans friends ever felt really safe (the only places where they felt more comfortable were Miami so long as the police weren't involved and Key West during tourist season). I barely felt safe there as a bisexual man, and avoided an attempted gay bashing because I was concealed carrying a gun and made it clear that I _would_ use it. The only way I felt safe from homophobes at night was if I was carrying. The sooner the Atlantic Ocean reclaims Florida the better.
- faeriechangling 3y ago
  Florida seems like it’s terrible if you’re white. The weather is actively hostile towards you. People must spend a fortune on sunscreen. The vision of blue eyed people is relatively worse in bright light.

devit 3y ago

What are the pros and cons of those lamps vs those sold as "grow lamps" and those sold as "UFO" high bay lights? Is there any >=100W (actual, not equivalent) sunlight-like bulb available that is dimmable and programmable via ZigBee or other means?

jackschultz 3y ago
The glow lamp I have is ~4x4 inch square panel, and it can get decently bright where I can feel some energy in my eyes and a difference in mood. That's what I've used for the past couple years. The thing I found with it is that it's almost like an orb, where there's energy glowing from it, but the rest of the area is still dark. With the corn bulbs, it blasts energy and more light all over, which makes a much bigger difference in vibe. I can't comment on the lux difference (I'm actually getting a lux meter today so I can get a better number in comparison), but with more light all over the room, I can feel much more energy overall. LED light panels are the other thing I think you mention, and I haven't tested with those. I picked corn bulbs to try first. Compared to the marketed mood lamps, the bigger panels would also light the whole room for a better vibe. I don't think there are dimmable LED type higher power bulbs or panels. On or off for them. I'm planning to get more lights, and then maybe see if there's a way to create shades to put over them to change the color and amount depending on day. For now, I'm keeping the lamps powered until ~6pm, and then back to the old light I had before to get ready for sleep.
- devit 3y ago
  No, I meant gRow lamps that are marketed to help to grow plants indoor, and thus presumably have a light spectrum that is natural (although they also include UV light, so it's not clear if they are safe).
  - jackschultz 3y ago
    Oh! Good question. Not sure, but having lights that come closer and closer to legit sun shine throughout the day would seem like the ideal end goal. If the grow lights already are tuned for that, then they could definitely good ones to try.