Light Therapy against winter depression, SAD and jetlag» winter depression

Philips GoLite Blu HF3330

admin — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 14:29:03 +0000

Philips GoLite Blu HF3330 Blue Wave Light therapy
The Philips goLITE BLU HF3330 is a portable and rechargeable SAD Light Box for quick and natural relief with winter blues, low energy, sleep problems and the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder also known as Winter Depression as well as jetlag.

If you suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder or have issues with your sleep cycle there are quite a few light therapy boxes that can help. But none are as small, durable and effective as the Philips goLITE BLU. So before you rush off to check other cheaper or larger light therapy boxes, make sure you have read the key benefits below.

Why the Philips GoLITE Blu HF3330 is better than anything else on the market

Small, portable and rechargeable SAD Light that you can use anywhere you like
The major advantages of the Philips goLITE BLU over any other model currently on the market are its extremely small, compact design and much more efficient and durable lighting system. The goLITE BlU doesn’t take up a lot of space at all, is very easy to pack and take with you during travel and it uses remarkeble little electricity. It only weighs about 12 ounces/340 grams which is significantly less than the huge light therapy boxes that most other brand sell. Because it’s rechargeable you can use it anywhere you like whether its at home, in the office or abroad. In fact the goLITE Blu has proven so durable and portable, that even race drivers and pit crews now use it to combat jet lag.

More durable than any other light on the market
Most important however is that the technology is based on state of the art blue wave LEDs that have a much much longer durability than any fluorescent lighting system. When used for an average of 30 minutes a day, these LEDS will last 50 years!

Quicker results
The GoLITE Blue will give you results in as little as 15-45 minutes a day due to its special Blue Wave LED Technology that boosts the light spectrum in its most effective ranges for combatting seasonal affective disorder and jet lag. Indepentdent clinical research shows that the blue light from the summer sky is what triggers our bodies to be active and energetic, and regulates and brightens our mood.

Extremely easy to use
With a revolutionairy timer and backlit touchscreen the Philips GoLITE Blu is the smallest, most advanced yet easy to use SAD light therapy device on the market. Period. Just 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.

Much easier on the eyes and much more freedom of movement than any other light
The advanced diffusion optics provide a soft, even light that is much easier on the eyes than conventional bright fluorescent lighting. The wide field of light gives the freedom during treatment to engage in activities such as computer work, reading or watching TV. In other words you dont need to sit in front of the light and just stare at it for an hour.

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..

Safer than the real thing: 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. The light output has been fully matched to maximize light therapy treatment without the effects of long exposure to sun light.

The Philips GoLITE Blu comes with a two Year Warranty and a 45-day money-back guarantee which is pretty amazing considering the fact that it is portable AND rechargeable.

Combat jetlag with the Philips Golite BLU

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 want to shift your body clock to the new time zone. This will help you sleep significantly 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

What is Seasonal Affective Disorder?

admin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:35:24 +0000

Do you experience mood-related health problems in the winter?

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.

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

Light Therapy as treatment for Seasonal Affective Disorder

admin — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:23:29 +0000

SAD Treatment with Light Therapy
The most popular treatment for Seasonal Affective Disorder, also known as “winter depression” or “winter blues”, is bright light therapy. It is a simple and natural way to help you restore your mood and energy levels and beat the winter blues – without the use of drugs or artificial stimulants. If you find you are less active, and your mood and energy levels are less than what they were before winter set in, light therapy may bring the relief you are looking for.

Here are some of the benefits of light therapy over other forms of treatment:

Light therapy can be done pretty much anywhere
Light therapy devices are fairly cheap
Light therapy has been proven to be very effective
Light therapy doesn’t involve drugs that can have nasty side effects
You can do other things while the lightbox does it’s work!
Results are often felt within the first week of treatment

Boost your energy levels and combat the winter blues!

How does light therapy work?
Light therapy makes use of a special light box that is far brighter than a regular light bulb and emits full spectrum, or special blue light. To experience the benefits of a lightbox, all that is necessary is to sit between 30-60cm of the device in such a way that the lights falls into your eyes. With most lightboxes, treatments are about 30 to 60 minutes long depending on the distance to the device. If combined with aerobic exercise, treatment times can sometimes be made shorter.

How quickly will I see the benefits of this therapy?
Patients usually report a significant improvement in their mood within the first week of treatment. In order to get the full benefit of the device, we highly recommend repeating the treatment for several weeks during the fall and winter season until frequent light exposure is naturally available again.

What is the best time for light therapy?
We recommend getting light therapy in the morning hours. Using light therapy devices late at night can cause insomnia due to the high doses of light that makes your body think its a bright sunny afternoon.

Are there any limitations to light therapy?
Some people have stated that light therapy can triggering a (manic) episodes in people with bipolar. So if you suffer from bipolar, talk to your doctor first.

Recent developments in light therapy technology
In recent years various manufacturers have experimented with blue light that appears to be more efficient than the traditional full spectrum lightboxes. As a result of this light therapy boxes using Bluewave technology have become much smaller than their predecessors and are now available in a “portable” format. A recent example of Bluewave technology is the Philips goLITE BLU Light Therapy Device that is considerably smaller and lighter than most other light boxes.

Which lightbox should I get?
Which lightbox you want to buy will likely depend on the size of your room or office space and budget. There are many manufacturors that make lightboxes but only few of them emit the full spectrum light or use the real bluewave technology that actually works. On your right you can find some of our recommended devices that are sold through AMAZON.COM We recommend a portable design if you wish to get light therapy in the office as well as in your home.