Dawn Simulator and LED light

From Light Box Therapy To Dawn Simulation

Dawn simulators can have same or better effects as already proven light box therapy used to have.

Therapy with light box is already proven. Emerging advanced dawn simulation is giving new use to LEDs.

This is good news if squeezing in those 30 to 90 minutes in your daily routine required for light therapy is a problem for you.

simulating dawn - And Dusk ...

Light therapy - NatureBright portable Dawn Simulation Lamps

The NatureBright

Dr David Avery from the University of Washington, Seattle, has been trialing an alternative light therapy. He compares generic dawn simulation to be almost equal to the effect of conventional and plain light box therapy with daylight or fluorescent light.

This could be good news for those who are on tight daily schedule. For them the daily 30 - 90 minute extra routine that conventional light box therapy used to require could be a little too hard to manage.

The actual dawn simulation therapy plays out as follows: During winter and about the same time that dawn would start in spring - or fall if you happen to live on the southern hemisphere - dim light comes on. When you set your waking time, it is computed back so light would peaks at the exact time that you would like to wake up.

Pictured: NatureBright Dawn/Dusk Simulator and
Light Box Combination. Neat, smart package, well reviewed.

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To simulating dawn - and dusk
From just light box therapy - (Dawn Simulation History)
Request from Margaret
Related Articles and Resources
Related Products

Dawn simulation lamp brands include Sunrise systems, Bio-Light, Brite Lite, NatureBright and Golite and special kind. Some even combine the power of light box as well as dawn simulation therapy. Out of those brands Golite and NatureBright consistently gets the most and best reviews on Amazon.

The other, very popular version of a dawn simulator is a 'middle man' with a plug, a program and a socket.

Many types of light application devices are being tested and - increasingly - used. Among them are light visors, overhead light diffuser with a dawn/dusk simulation controller, low dose light and others.

But please take this all with a grain of salt (and always read the small print on product labels). Light box therapy has proved itself to be effective for a much longer period of time than a dawn simulator so far.

What is well documented is that light box therapy with 10,000-lux fluorescent light used for 30 minutes exposure in the mornings is quite effective for fighting seasonal depression.

Then again: just why is it more effective in the moring might just be best answered with successful and effecive dawn simulation.

But the Good News is ...

The good news is that just buy getting a one doesn't necessary mean you won't have the other. In fact, many dawn simulation devices are now sufficiently bright, smart and portable that you can also use as a light box and take the daily dosage of light as you require.

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... From 'just' light box therapy

LED light therapy device -- Sunrise System SRS320 Dawn Simulator with LED Light Box

It all started with treating sufferers with natural daylight before ever using a bank of fluorescent lights for a period of tim each day. It was found that morning light was much more effective than bright evening light to treat winter depression.

And for some obscure reason most people with SAD feel like sleeping in -- and have difficulty in waking up in the morning.(A small minority though wakes up way too early and can't go back to sleep.) As it happens, only the clock on the side table, but not their own body clock says that they have to do that.

Now comes the interesting part - and it has to do with body temperature. Because it appears that for sufferers, body temperature is phase-delayed. (Actually, where it really counts is the temperature of your brain, but that is another story.)

So those of you who instinctly want to wake up in a room that alread has cosy temperatures (yours truly among them...) could actually be quite right. Note, electric blankets don't cover your head. And even if they did, you would just simly sweat more...

In normal cirumstances body and brain temperature both rise when we prepare to wake up -- just like as they naturally drop as we prepare to go to sleep. However, this process is connected to an internal body thermostat that acts on inside impulses, and NOT as a response to external temperatures.

Read more on this fascinating theory and research here:
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/8.30/helthrpt/stories/s230.htm

LED light therapy -- Apollo GOLITE P2 Cordless Blue LED for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Light box therapy requires a high-intensity light unit. These devices provide controlled light conditions during the day. Please note they are not quite the same as "tanning lights". Those lights give off a different type of light using an altogether different spectrum including UV or ultra-violet light that would damage skin used close range in a light box.

But the really good thing about LEDs is that thay can mimic your need - if you need red or blue shift in light, and also to combine a light box and a dawn simulator in one neat package like the portable Golite or the adjustable NatureBright.

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Use this free test to self-check if you have seasonal disorder based on your behaviour over the past 3 years. -- You might not need that dawn simulation therapy after all...
http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/academic/counseling/sad.asp

Request from Visitors

Margaret asked:
Hello, --- Is there anywhere in Australia that a dawn simulator can be purchased?

Leddies reply (back then)
Hi Margaret,
Looked into it -- wish I could answer with yes.
To my knowledge, the "closest" to Australia is this UK site.
http://www.morningsunrise.com/home.php

Latest update:
Look no further then this page for best deals and my Amazon store (link below) for categorised best performing brands ;-)

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