The days in winter are short, it gets light late and dark again early. For many people, the lack of light affects their mood. The consequences are tiredness, lack of drive, listlessness and the hunger for carbohydrates and sweets. The winter blues or winter depression have struck. However, a current study gives hope against the low mood: light therapy lamps bring a short-term benefit against winter depression.
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The study: That was tested!
The “Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care” (IQWiG) commissioned the study to scientists at Danube University Krems. 21 studies on light therapy were examined, in which 1441 adults took part. The result : Examination of the studies shows that light therapy by light lamps can alleviate depression-related symptoms .
Symptoms of the winter blues
- listlessness
- fatigue
- increased need for sleep
- Hunger from sweets and carbohydrates
- gloomy mood
- weight gain
How does light therapy work?
In light therapy, the person sits with their eyes open in front of a light source, e.g. B. a daylight lamp that emits white light. The artificial light simulates sunlight and stimulates the production and release of the happiness hormone serotonin. If there is not enough daylight, the hormonal balance gets messed up. Melatonin levels rise, making us feel tired and powerless. At the same time, the serotonin level drops, since part of the serotonin is also used to form melatonin.
Important : Daylight lamps filter UV radiation and therefore cannot stimulate vitamin D production. The vitamin is also responsible for serotonin production in the brain.
Tips for using daylight lamps
Light therapies are now available in medical practices, but you have to pay for them yourself. If you like it less complicated, you can get a daylight lamp for your home.
A daylight lamp should have at least 2500 LUX . This is the average amount of light in spring. The amount of light in summer is 10,000 LUX and is optimal for the lamp .
Sit in front of the lamp twice a day. The decisive factor here is the LUX number. The higher this is, the shorter the treatment duration. At 10,000 LUX it is approx. 30 minutes a day, at 2500 LUX approx. two hours. The first positive effects become noticeable after a few days.
During light therapy you can work, read or do other things. Since the lamps do not emit UV light and do not tan the skin , the risk of skin cancer does not increase. Important: If you have eye diseases, you should first talk to your doctor. For some diseases, light therapy is not recommended.
