Posted by Angela5 on February 19, 2001, at 19:42:26
In reply to Seasonal Affective Disorder, posted by gritslad on February 19, 2001, at 11:41:42
Gritslad -
Hi. I created the tips folder Noa is speaking of; if you find any bad links or if any information that you are looking for isn't there, please let me know so that I can fix it/add it. I don't have classic SAD, but I have many of the symptoms and am quite definitely affected by light.
If, like many people with symptoms of SAD, you have trouble waking up/getting out of bed, you might consider a dawn simulator as a cheaper initial alternative to a lightbox. I created a makeshift one by mounting track lighting over my bed (contains 3 50watt halogen bulbs aimed at my head). I bought a programmable digital timer, and I set them to turn on 1/2 hr before my alarm clock is scheduled to go off each morning. It doesn't turn the lights on gradually, like the actual dawn simulators, but I didn't want to spend the $160 on one of those until I knew if it would help. At this point, after using the lights for about 1 1/2 months, it has already done wonders. I've been able to re-regulate a wacky sleep schedule, not to mention that it's the first time in years that I can get out of bed when I need to.
Hope this helps. :)
Angela
poster:Angela5
thread:4759
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20010209/msgs/4770.html