I took a chance recently on one of these Philips “Energy Lights”… Now, we all know that Seasonal Affective Disorder is a real thing and apparently, some countries have large percentages of their population that suffer from it (Philips = Dutch, where the rate is over 10%). With the short days and cold weather, who can blame people for feeling a bit tired and dragging through the days? Enter light therapy – a clinically proven method of fighting those winter blues.
Does it work? Maybe. Every day as I’m working at the computer I have the light positioned 15 degrees to my right. You don’t stare directly at it (that would blind you), but you let the light enter your eyes via peripheral vision. I leave the light on for about 30-40 minutes while I do whatever I normally do. So other than the initial investment, there is nothing else you need to do but sit in the same place for a bit and soak in the rays.
Since using it, I’ve definitely noticed an increase in overall energy levels, from morning to night. And this has been a busy week. Now, it could be a placebo effect, sure. But I’m prone to believe that something here is working.
The model we got was the Philips GoLite Blu – its a rechargeable model that comes with a carry case. The battery life is about 2 hours, so you can share it with others. I would guess that it would be a very effective tool for fighting jetlag as well – we’ll test that one out at some point and let you know. Either way, get one here via Amazon, you’ll be surprised by the results:
http://www.amazon.com/Philips-goLITE-BLU-Therapy-Device/dp/B001I45XL8
