This SAD lamp makes winter weather easier to bear

Gather around and tell the story of the dark sky that makes the middle of the day feel like midnight, and the light source that makes it easier to bear. Once a year, the winter season is marked by a quick cold in the ears and a sudden craving for hot chocolate. It brings all things beautiful: holiday lights, white blankets of snow in the park and thoughtful gifts. But it also invites cold and darkness. I grew up in upstate New York, where the sun goes past 4:30 p.m. in December and January. That is to say that this is not a new thing for me, but it did not make it painful. In fact, it has caused panic that starts to come in late September.

But when I moved to Scotland, 4:30PM became almost 3PM and the sun didn’t come up until I woke up. Even in London where I live, it gets dark easily by 4PM on the shortest days. Like many people, the darkness has left me very tired and it is taking a toll on my mind.

Now for the hero of the story: my SAD lamp. SAD stands for seasonal affective disorderdepression caused by changes in weather (usually dark days, although some people experience them in the summer). You do not need to have a diagnosis of SAD to use a SAD lampA bright lamp or a wake-up lamp – both names for the same thing.

I bought it Lumie’s Vitamin L light bulb a few years ago before my first Scottish winter and I’ve been using it every year since. The Vitamin L lamp is a small bulb that provides 5,000 lux at a distance or 2,500 lux at arm’s length. The latter is the recommended distance to use and more or less the distance it will be from me. It’s just shy of eight inches wide by 11 inches tall and just over three inches deep. It can stand up to graphics or visuals, too, although I feel it doesn’t work well in the end. The light makes up the entire front panel and has a simple power button on the back.

The lamp sits on the floor next to my kitchen table, where I turn it on almost every morning while eating breakfast or starting work. As someone who likes to sleep, I rarely use it on weekends unless I have to get up to run somewhere and I usually forget or get busy in the morning at least one day of work. But when I turn it on, I forget to look at it for 30 minutes to an hour, depending on how much time I have.

This light is far from an additional table lamp to add a little more light. It is amazing – and I repeat well – very much bright light. And yet, even though it’s like sunlight, there’s no UV light to worry about. It wakes me up how it is and how it is every day it adds a nice texture to the morning and cold.

I have never been diagnosed with SAD but I do have a panic disorder that causes anxiety and depression, which is most noticeable on cold, dark days. I don’t know how much of it is a lamp and how much is a placebo, but it helps keep my negative thoughts at bay and makes the dark days – a little – bearable.

Overall, if you dread the dark of the winter months like I do, I recommend trying this Lumie flashlight or checking out one of the other products on the market. The habit of lighting up most days makes me feel like I’m doing something to deal with stress. Also, it’s hard to get tired when there’s a bright light around you.