How do you feel in the winter when light levels are reduced? Do you become miserable, weary or even depressed? This phenomenon is quite widely documented and has the acronym of SADS. SADS is or can be quite serious, but there are almost certainly many many more people who simply feel a ‘bit down’ when the sunlight dims. Artificial bright light was invented to help these people.
If, after you have been in the office or wherever you work indoors for a few hours, you get tired or lethargic, it is possible that you are suffering from reduced light levels, so some people say. Whether you believe that bright light can help sluggishness or not, SADS is a fact and so it is possible that increased bright light levels might help.
The artificial bright light box produces very bright light, typically between 5,000 and 10,000 lux according to their advertisements. These figures will not mean much to most people, so I have compiled a short list of comparison lux levels below.
1 lux = Full moon overhead in the tropics 50 lux = Family living room 100 lux = Very dark overcast day 320-500 lux = Office lighting 400 lux = Sunrise or sunset on a clear day. 1,000 lux = Overcast day 10,000-25,000 lux = Full daylight (not direct sun) 32,000-130,000 lux = Direct sunlight
It is definitely true that most people feel happier when the sun is shining and not many people have a preference for winter over summer, but whether you can get sunlight out of a box or not is another matter. These bright light boxes cost about $200 and up, but then you have to add in the running costs. The electricity bill for running a mini sun must be fairly horrendous.
If your place of work is a little dingy, it would be a good idea to augment the light levels. Sometimes it can be quite simple to increase the levels of natural light simply by removing any superfluous net curtains and by installing longer curtain rods so that the curtains can be drawn right back out of the way of the window enabling the maximum of light to come into your room.
If this is still not enough, you could fit some wall sconces around areas where you work the most. Wall lights can supply light just where you want it and normally use quite small, low-powered bulbs. A more direct way to light up your work is by the use of a desk lamp.
If it is a question of needing more light to read by, you could invest in a standard floor lamp. Standard floor lamps are typically about five feet high with a shade. The shade is useful, because it directs light up onto the ceiling, if the shade is open topped, and down onto your book or shoulders. There are other types of standard floor lamp which have a glass or clear cover over the bulb. These will cast more light around the room and will boost general visibility.
Not being able to see properly can easily cause a headache and frequent headaches can be depressing, but before I rush out to buy a ‘bright light box’, I will take the measures outlined above and have my eyesight checked by an optician.
Owen Jones, the writer of this article writes on several subjects, but is at present concerned with researching wrought iron floor lamps. If you would like to know more or check out great offers, please go to our website at Wrought Iron Light
