Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD lights were featured on today’s LK Today. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) affects a surprisingly large number of people in the UK, around 15% of the UK population.
On LK Today, Lorraine Kelly interviewed Nikki Durrant, a sufferer of SAD, who explained that the symptoms of SAD are numerous, including food cravings, irritability, lack of sleep, general depression and crying. For Nikki as with many other SAD sufferers, the condition begins around October time with summer gone and winter setting in with the dark mornings and nights, and dull weather.
Nikki sits in front of a SAD light to alleviate the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder. A SAD lamp can be very effective for people with the disorder, as LK Today Doctor Hilary Jones explained. He said that SAD is caused by lack of sunlight on the back of the eye, and this affects the neurotransmitters in the brain – the ones which keep up motivated, happy and alert.
Dr Hilary went on to say that people have SAD to varying degrees, but it can be very serious with some people feeling suicidal and depressed, tearful and ‘very down indeed’.
The first SAD light featured on LK Today was the Lumie Body Alarm Clock.
The light on top of the Lumie comes on gradually over a period of about half an hour, getting brighter and brighter until it wakes the SAD sufferer up naturally. It attempts to mimic being woken naturally by a summer’s dawn. The Lumie SAD bodyclock alarm is available to buy online.
Click here to buy a Lumie SAD bodyclock alarm
The second SAD light featured was the Lumie Brightspark Light Therapy Lightbox. This lamp emits more light than the Lumie bodyclock alarm but it doesn’t have an alarm function. It has a strip design and should be used for 45 minutes a day – while you are having your breakfast, Dr Hilary suggested.
Click here to purchase a Lumie Brightspark Light therapy Lightbox as seen on LK Today




