The Philips goLITE BLU HF3310 is a portable and rechargeable SAD Light Box for quick and natural relief for winter blues, low energy, sleep problems and the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Fight winter blues

Using the goLITE energy light for as little as 15 to 45 minutes a day naturally improves your mood and energy level throughout the day and helps combat Seasonal Affective Disorder. Read more..

Philips GoLite Blu Benefits

• Freedom to do other activities during treatment duration
  A wide field of light gives the freedom during treatment to engage in activities such as computer work, reading or watching TV.
• Backlit touch screen to adjust timer and light intensity
  Set the timer according to your needs by using the touch display and choose the right level of brightness out of the four levels by using the dimmer.
• Advanced Diffusion Optics
  Advanced diffusion optics provide a soft, even light
• Rechargeable battery and travel case
  Sleek design and rechargable battery make the device easy to use, store and travel with.
• Perfectly designed
  Small, compact design that’s easily portable
• Long lasting blue LEDs
  These blue LEDs have a lifetime of over 50 years, if the appliance is used 30 minutes a day throughout the year.
• Quick results
  Results in as little as 15-45 minutes a day
• Wider treatment field for unlimited movement
  A wide field of light gives the freedom during treatment to engage in activities such as computer work, reading or watching TV.
• Portable
  Its sleek design that makes the device easy to use, store and travel with. It has easy-to-use touch screen to adjust light intensity, time and alarm settings. It is easily portable and weigh just 12 ounces/340 grams.
• no ultra violet or near UV light
  The goLITE BLU device produces no Ultra Violet (UV) or near-UV light which can be dangerous for our eyes and skin.
• Two Year Warranty and a 45-day money-back guarantee
• Smaller than most other light boxes
  Because it’s small, sleek and portable, the goLITE BLU energy light can be used easily at work, home or when traveling.

Clinically proven
Independent clinical research shows that the blue light from the summer sky triggers our bodies to be active and energetic, and regulates our mood.

Combat Jetlag

Rapidly traveling across several time zones creates disharmony between your internal body clock and the new external time. This not only causes sleeping problems, but influences your mood and energy level as well. If you stay for more than a few days, you may also want to shift your body clock to the new time zone. This will help you sleep better and be more alert and energetic when you need to. Because special blue light is effective for shifting circadian rhythms, your goLITE BLU energy light can quickly adjust your rhythm to the new time zone. One of the best strategies to combat jet lag is to shift your body clock a day or two before you leave.

Traveling east
When you travel east , start using the goLITE BLU energy light in the morning two to three days before you leave. The number of time zones you travel corresponds to the hours your body clock has to shift. If you are only traveling a few time zones, one day’s preparation is sufficient. Add a day of light therapy for each additional 2 time zones. For example, for a trip from the US to Europe, use the following schedule: On the first day, wake up an hour early and use the goLITE BLU energy light for 30–45 minutes. On the next day or days, you should wake up a couple of hours earlier and repeat this process. You should advance your bedtime accordingly. Once you arrive at your destination, avoid light before 10 a.m. local time (wear sunglasses) and use the goLITE BLU energy light in the midmorning to fully adjust to the local time. When returning, use your goLITE BLU energy light in the late evening for a couple of nights before the return flight. On the last night of the trip, try to stay up and use your goLITE BLU energy light as late as reasonably possible past midnight. On the day of the flight, avoid any bright light until after 2:00 p.m.

Traveling west
Since most people’s body clocks adjust more easily to later time zones, you should not have to use the goLITE BLU energy light when you travel 3 time zones or less. You should only need to use your goLITE BLU energy light for one day before travelling 4 time zones, and add an additional preparation day for each 3 time zones. You should not have to use the goLITE BLU energy light for more than 3 days, even on the longer westbound trips. For example, when travelling from London to Los Angeles, use your goLITE BLU energy light for 30–40 minutes in the late evening (and again a couple of hours later, if you can) each night, starting 2-3 days before you leave. Use the goLITE BLU energy light 2-3 hours later each successive night. When you arrive at your destination, try to stay awake until bedtime and avoid bright evening light (wear sunglasses) for the first few days. Before you travel home, avoid any bright afternoon and evening light and use your goLITE BLU energy light in the morning for a few days

Bluewave: Advanced blue LED technology

Philips HF3330 Golite BLU provides the specific spectrum of light our bodies respond to. Advanced diffusion optics and less intense than 10,000-lux white light provide a soft, even light while the wider treatment field for flexibility. Philips HF3330 Golite BLU is fully programmable and allows you to saves your personal settings. Backlit touch screen provides easy programming. Built-in clock and treatment alarm reminds you when to use it.

Blue light is the key in light therapy

Research has shown that the spectrum of blue light used in the goLITE BLU energy light is important in providing the beneficial effects of light therapy. This is because special light receptors in our eyes respond most efficiently to the blue part of the light spectrum. Also, using blue light dramatically reduces the overall intensity of light as compared to bright white therapy devices. This reduced intensity helps to minimize the potential effects of headaches, glare and eyestrain.

Documentation

• User Manual (1MB PDF)
• Leaflet (1MB PDF)
• Quick Start Guide (1MB PDF)

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), also known as winter blues or winter depression, is a mood disorder in which people experience depressive symptoms during the winter or a particular other season (although depressions during the winter seem to be most frequent). People suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder do not experience these symptoms during other seasons and have a normal mental health throughout the rest of the year.

Symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder

People that experience mood changes when the seasons change often experience the following symptoms:

• difficulty waking up in the morning
• tendency to oversleep
• tendency to overeat (especially a craving for carbohydrates)
• lack of energy
• difficulty concentrating on completing tasks
• withdrawal from friends, family, and social activities
• general feeling of depression and pessimism

When the season is over, the symptoms usually clear up and they feel quite happy again.

Causes of Seasonal Affective Disorder
Seasonal mood variations appear to be related to light, or a lack thereof during the winter season. SAD has been shown to be measurably present in artic areas such as Finland where the SAD rate is 9.5%. Cloud cover and seasonal limitations in natural sun light seem to influence SAD. Thus, light therapy is a popular treatment for (particularly winter based) seasonal affective disorder.

How Serious is SAD?
SAD should not be taken lightly. According to one study, 6-35% of people that suffer from seasonal affective disorder require hospitalization during one period of illness. The symptoms of SAD are in line with those of clinical depression. Then again, many other patients say that they don’t experience major depressions but simply lack the energy to perform everyday activities. SAD Researcher Norman Rosenthal found that the prevalence of SAD in the adult US population is between 1.5% in florida and about 9% in northern USA.

A milder form of SAD that is experienced by an estimated 14.3% of the US population is called Subsyndromal Seasonal Affective Disorder. Sad or depressed feelings in both SAD and SSAD patients can usually be taken care of by increasing solar exposure.

Read more about the benefits of light therapy as a treatment for SAD

If you think you have symptoms of any type of depression you should talk to someone who can help you get treatment.

You can read more about Seasonal Affective Disorder here:

• It’s a SAD Time of year by Gabrielle J. Melin, M.D.
• Seasonal Affective Disorder – Teenshealth
]]> http://www.sadlightshop.com/info/what-is-seasonal-affective-disorder/feed/ 0 http://www.sadlightshop.com/info/light-therapy-as-a-treatment-for-jet-lag/ http://www.sadlightshop.com/info/light-therapy-as-a-treatment-for-jet-lag/#comments Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:37:11 +0000 admin http://www.sadlightshop.com/?p=117 Rapidly traveling across several time zones creates a shift between your body’s internal clock and the new external time. As a result of this you suffer from sleeping problems and feel moody and low on energy. If you stay in a different time zone for more than a few days, you may want to shift your body clock to the new time zone to balance out some of these jet lag symptoms. This way you will sleep better and be more alert and energetic when you are awake.

One of the best strategies to combat jet lag is to shift your body clock a day or two before you leave. We recommend the rechargable Philips goLITE BLU Light Therapy Device for adjusting your body’s internal clock to different timezones because of its small size and portability.

Traveling east
When you travel east , start using the Philips goLITE BLU Light Therapy Device in the morning two to three days before you leave. The number of time zones you travel corresponds to the hours your body clock has to shift. If you are only traveling a few time zones, one day’s preparation is sufficient. Add a day of light therapy for each additional 2 time zones. For example, for a trip from the US to Europe, use the following schedule: On the first day, wake up an hour early and use the goLITE BLU energy light for 30–45 minutes. On the next day or days, you should wake up a couple of hours earlier and repeat this process. You should advance your bedtime accordingly.

Once you arrive at your destination, avoid light before 10 a.m. local time (wear sunglasses) and use the goLITE BLU energy light in the midmorning to fully adjust to the local time. When returning, use your goLITE BLU energy light in the late evening for a couple of nights before the return flight. On the last night of the trip, try to stay up and use your goLITE BLU energy light as late as reasonably possible past midnight. On the day of the flight, avoid any bright light until after 2:00 p.m.

Traveling west
Since most people’s body clocks adjust more easily to later time zones, you should not have to use the goLITE BLU energy light when you travel 3 time zones or less. You should only need to use your goLITE BLU energy light for one day before travelling 4 time zones, and add an additional preparation day for each 3 time zones. You should not have to use the goLITE BLU energy light for more than 3 days, even on the longer westbound trips. For example, when travelling from London to Los Angeles, use your goLITE BLU energy light for 30–40 minutes in the late evening (and again a couple of hours later, if you can) each night, starting 2-3 days before you leave. Use the goLITE BLU energy light 2-3 hours later each successive night.

When you arrive at your destination, try to stay awake until bedtime and avoid bright evening light (wear sunglasses) for the first few days. Before you travel home, avoid any bright afternoon and evening light and use your goLITE BLU energy light in the morning for a few days

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