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If you feel that the coming season has made you slightly lethargic or more irritable for no reason at all, then you might be one of the people experiencing seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. It only comes once a year, but its effect on a person's mental well-being can be damaging. Fortunately, there are ways to combat it, like the use of SAD therapy lamps.

While we know that Vitamin D is essential for bone health, it is also important in battling mental health issues like anxiety and depression. In a study, depression is linked to low Vitamin D levels, which makes sense for people with SAD to feel this way during the winter season. This is because, during winter, many are naturally less exposed to sunlight, which activates the production of Vitamin D in the body. 

SAD therapy lamps

To fight this, some experts recommend the use of bright light therapy or SAD therapy lamps. These are lamps with optimized light intensity to help boost Vitamin D production. Aside from that, researchers have also looked into the association between light and mood. The lamps can stimulate the visual system that regulates activity in the suprachiasmatic nucleus or SCN. This is the part of the brain where we can find melatonin receptors, which regulate sleep, which then influences depression.

Light therapy beyond this season

Sure enough, light therapy works all year round and not only during this season. In 2005, a meta-analysis of 23 studies showed that light therapy works for people with depression, both seasonal and non-seasonal. However, experts also found in several studies that it is more effective when paired with antidepressants or other appropriate medication.