S.A.D light/clock

I'm a believer that it exists. I have suffered from bouts of depression over the years but even when not depressed as soon as it's dark when I get out of work and dark when I get up in the morning I just want to hibernate. I know a lot t of people feel like that in the winter but I actually walk home most nights with either an inexplicable urge to cry or actually crying for no reason I can think of other than it's dark. I'm not depressed, just sad. Most weekends I don't want to leave the house, I rarely go out at night during the winter and am totally hyper-sensitive (even more so than normal).

Yep, I'm so much worse in winter.

I've been eyeing up a proper desk lamp from Lumie, but it's £100 ☹️

I have a light alarm, it starts to come on about half an hour before I need to be up, gradually getting brighter every couple of minutes until the room is lit up… and then once it is time to get up there is an actually alarm (radio/sound) goes off. I certainly don’t jump out of bed and still often need a kick from H but it I don’t feel half as tired/grumpy/moody as I used to.

Mine is just a cheap make, about £30.

EDIT - and I have to be up at 5.40am!

My boss has one and she is still a miserable f**kwit. All year round.

Love this word!

I have a Lumie alarm clock, and it is honestly a godsend. It makes getting up so much easier, and I don't feel fuzzy all morning which is what happens if I get up in the dark.

I also have a desk lamp that I have for working, and it has worked in the past, when I used it for X hours every day, and felt less fuzzy and more awake, also had a reasonable appetite where, without it, I couldn't really eat. But last year I used it irregularly as I work from home now and don't tend to sit at my desk all the time. Then it didn't seem to have such a great effect.

All that said, having suffered from SAD and 'regular' depression and anxiety, these lamps barely take the edge off. The only thing that worked for me was a combination of medicine and counselling. Sometimes you can hire a SAD light from your local NHS, it's worth trying I think.

This is the make I'm using and I did get it from here, but this is a newer model to the on I have.

http://www.clasohlson.com/uk/Prologue-Wake-up-Light/Pr182678000

I've got a cheapie one but it needs batteries - and we don't have a screwdriver small enough to get that bit open - so I remain a miserable cow for most of the day. (especially this week when MF and pups have still been in bed when I've left).

I have one, i dont know about moods etc but its really helped me to wake up. I didn't think it was doing much until it broke and I realised how difficult it was to wake up in the mornings when its dark outside and wouldn't be without one now.

I used to have a lumie one and now have a Phillips one, they're both very good.

I have the Phillips clock and it is amazing, the slow dawn and chirping birds fools me into thinking it's summer and at 0500 I need to be fooled into something!

The chirping birds give me rage! I have the radio instead!

Thanks for your replies, I think I need to add a couple of things to my Christmas list.

So how long do you need to spend with the lamps?

Do you need to be sat next to them?

This!

the one on the Luie website for £100 is the one I've been eyeing, you sit in front of it for 30mins-1hr each morning while having tea, breakfasts, etc.