90W? Sounds massive and unlikely. Perhaps 90W equivalent? Actually about 20W, about the size of a regular light bulb? Three of those would certainly be quite bright although you'd have to be pretty close to reach 10,000 lux, whereas you really need to be able to sit a couple of feet away and read a book or something to keep you occupied for an hour or two.

Also, lights for treating SAD are generally wide spectrum lights to closely imitate sunlight. Not all "daylight" fluorescents have this type of spectrum, the ones that do will cost you about three times as much to buy as the standard bulbs. I don't know how important physiologically it is to have this type of spectrum for treating SAD.

Thanks, Shrub and Bulb, This helps a lot. I think I could read that close for an hour or so every day; I am a big reader. I bought two for about $10.00 total. From what I could understand in my research, I should not be exposed to ultraviolet waves so I thought I should go easy on the warm side of the spectrum. Do you have any idea of where I could go for more specialized light bulbs? And yes, they put out the equivalent of 90 watts.

You'll probably have to go mail order. Here are a couple of US places I foud. I haven't used either so not a recommendation, just for info. The key thing to look for is CRI above 90. Plenty of people advertising various kinds of "daylight" and "full spectrum" bulbs which are exactly the same as you already have

RE Williams
Sun-a-Lux

Notice you can get higher powers (= more light) than the bulbs you have but make sure they will fit in your lamp because the higher powers are also bigger.

P.S. My SAD treatment is to stare at my plants growing under artificial lights. The light level that is good for plants is also sufficient for humans and probably higher than most "SAD boxes" :)

"I think I have SAD;----------"
You should find out for sure.

If you are handy, building your own is not that difficult. Much cheaper. Check eBay for all kinds of ballasts.

I bought a 275 watt MH electronic ballast for $35.00. Lots of light!
dcarch

I used to use a light box for my SAD. Then I started a job with early hours and didn't have time to use the box in the morning. Now I use St. John's wort and find it works just as well for me. I start with one 300 mg tablet each morning in October and gradually work up to three by December. I plan to taper off starting in March.

Years ago I had been on antidepressants for SAD and I find the St. John's wort does the same thing without the time and expense of the doctor/pharmacy or the light box. However, since you're new at this, you really should start out under a doctor's care to get a diagnosis and discuss options with him.

S.A.D. and depression are serious conditions. One should never self-medicate.

Just to emphazise watergal's last point.

dcarch

Nearly everyone gets a bit down in winter. If you don't then try living near the arctic circle ;)

If being around bright lights keeps you normal then who needs a doctor? SADA estimate that about 1% of people in the UK have significant symptoms, but many more have what they call sub-syndromal SAD with mild tiredness but not significant emotional changes. They also state that light therapy is effective for about 85% of people with relief being noticeable in 3-4 days, so if you have ongoing or more serious problems, then you ought to consult a doctor. A doctor would be able to help with drugs or psychotherapy, but they are unlikely to do that without trying lights first and you probably wouldn't want to.

As far as I know, there is no harm in having a very bright room.

dcarch

I used to have a poorly lit room. I had a single 300W halogen torchiere. At work, there are some wonderfully lit rooms, and I was envious of that.

So I upgraded my lights. At first I tried adding a second 300W torchiere, but it wasn't nearly bright enough, and I was up to 600W power usage. I didn't want to significantly increase my power consumption, so I aimed for no more than 400W total.

I replaced my 300W torchiere, rated at about 6000 lumens, with 8 32W T8 tubes, all aimed at the ceiling, standing on top of shelves. Four of them are 98CRI Philips TL950 5000k tubes, rated at ~2000 lumens each. I have a single 95CRI TL930 3000k, ~2000 lumens, a 5000k 86CRI ~2950 lumens, and a pair of 6500k ~2900 lumens.

So, the tubes are rated at ~18750 lumens, 256W nominal.

However, I'm overdriving every single tube 2X, increasing both light production by at least 1.6 and power consumption by about 1.7.

So I started with a 300W, 6000 lumens, ~3000k halogen, and I now have a ~430W, ~30000 lumens, ~5000k lighting system.

And you know what my problem is? It's not bright enough yet. Since this is winter time, any power I use for halogen lights is power I save on heating costs. So I turn on both torchieres and my 8 OD tubes, for a total of ~1030W, ~42000 lumens, ~4500k, high CRI light. Well, I don't use the halogen lights all the time, and I certainly never will when I don't need extra heating power. But given the choice between using a space heater or burning lights for heat, I'll choose the lights.

I don't know if I have SAD, restless leg syndrome or lumen mania, but I know one thing: having high light levels at any time of day, especially during the winter when it's -20C outside all the time...

Is really nice.

Think about it. Most homes are terribly underlit. Even if I have 7 times more light in my room than I started with, it's still nowhere as bright as the sun.

And for some reason, I find that everyday, I get close to a few overdriven tubes and just look at them. They're terribly bright you know - probably about as strong as those expensive SAD light boxes.

Most "whites" are not white, they are "smoke white", "off-white", "warn white", etc.

If you aim your lights up to the ceiling, try painting your ceiling the whitest white you can find. You may get 5% to 40% more light.

dcarch

High light levels in rooms are great, and safe, if you enjoy them and want to spend the money. Personally, I would live in a greenhouse if I could!

A light box, however, is really the best dependable and cost effective way to get that light if you've got a diagnosis of SAD. Buy one with a UV shield so you don't fry your eyeballs. The down side is making time to sit in front of it, preferably first thing in the morning.

"Buy one with a UV shield so you don't fry your eyeballs"
1. I don't know if regular lights give off harmful UV rays.
2. Shortwave UV light is harmful to all parts of your body, not just the eyeballs.

dcarch

A light box, however, is really the best dependable and cost effective way to get that light if you've got a diagnosis of SAD

I strongly disagree. I have yet to see a set of lights marketed specifically as a light box for SAD which is anything other than vastly overpriced. In addition, many commercial products just don't produce light levels that would be effective therapeutically. So a "light box" may be the simplest solution but its not necessarily the best and certainly not the most cost effective.

As for frying your eyeballs, it isn't going to happen with fluorescent lights. First, fluorescent tubes (standard white-ish tubes for domestic purposes, not lizard lights or tanning lights) don't produce enough UV to worry about, and specifically produce no damaging UVB wavelengths. Second, one of the therapeutic effects is thought to be UVA light reaching the eyes, so blocking it would really be rather silly. The Seasonal Affective Disorder Association specifically recommend that you don't wear sunglasses or any other form of light blocking eyewear when using a light box.

shrubs, i don't have much of a scientific/technical understanding about various light fixtures, and no building/engineering ability whatsoever. My light box, purchased on sale for around $180 a couple of years ago, says it puts out 10,000 lux (at around 20", if I remember correctly). It also claims that it filters out essentially all UV with a clear lens shield. Perhaps there are cheaper, simpler solutions, but in the throes of depression, this was a no-brainer for me. No, you would not want to use any type of sunglasses while using the box, since it would defeat the whole purpose.

I have a severe case of SAD and have suffered every winter since I was a teen and I'm now in my 40's. I have also had about 5 or 6 fairly severe episodes of depression over this period, so I really try to keep the SAD in check so that it doesn't escalate.

I just saw this thread. Here are the requirements for a good SAD light. Any flourescent light will not produce the same results.
# High quality full spectrum light
# X-ray radiation shielding
# Open grid
# Electronic ballast
# EMF filter
# Radio frequency filter
# Backwash filter
# UL-approved components and construction

OK, garden_boy, I get the first one. And UL-approved is a nice indicator of quality. Why do any of the others matter?

P.S. I used to have a backwash filter in my swimming pool, but I may be thinking of the wrong kind of filter ;)

One of the simplist natural remedies for SAD is light therapy. Light therapy involves purchasing a special light. This light replicates the rays of the sun. The person suffering from SAD sits in front of this light with their eyes open. This light is not found in normal incandescent household lights, and must be purchased exclusively for this type of therapy.

Here is a link that might be useful: ergonomic resources

The best treatment for SAD is getting a proper setup of grow lights, EITHER fluorescent, HPS, CMH, or puse start MH. And grow a decent plant, like cannabis, but only one or two plants, so you won't go to jail for doing it. If you just want to grow regular tomatoes, that would work as well, just grow something that you can see, and eat (or smoke).