by: jannalabarriePosted on:

How bright light therapy helps me manage seasonal winter blues

Every winter, I notice changes in my mood – feelings of sadness, low energy, and just… blah-ness.

It doesn’t feel severe enough to affect my day-to-day function significantly, but it’s definitely noticeable and the days just seem… meh.

Those feelings that I and many other people experience during the winter season are called the ‘winter blues.’

During the winter, there’s naturally less sunlight and less opportunity for outdoor time. It’s also a very busy time for us, with all the holidays and extra things on the to-do list.

All of those things combined can lead to feelings of tiredness, sadness, exhaustion, and difficulty concentrating during the winter.

These feelings make it all the more difficult to manage the demands of working motherhood, which is why it’s extra important to take care of our emotional health during the winter months.

Bright light therapy has been incredibly helpful for me in managing the emotional changes associated with the winter blues.

In this post, I’ll share more about the winter blues, bright light therapy, how it helps, and how to use it.

What are the winter blues?

The winter blues are feelings of sadness or depression during the late fall and early winter months brought on by the cold and reduced sunlight.

It’s different from seasonal affective disorder, which is a severe form of seasonal depression that can be debilitating to those who suffer from it.

It’s also different from the holiday blues, which are caused by the stress of the holidays during the winter months. 

Winter blues and seasonal mood changes are fairly common. A poll from the American Psychiatric Association showed that Americans are more likely to experience negative mood changes in the winter, with women being more likely to report a decline in their mood than men.

Those feelings can increase stress, interrupt sleep, affect our social interactions, and make even basic tasks seem more difficult than they should be.

Although these feelings are temporary and generally improve once the season is over, we can use bright light therapy to help boost our mood in those 4-5 months when we’re just not feeling like ourselves.

How bright light therapy works and how to use it

Bright light therapy aims to improve our mood and mental health through exposure to an artificial light source called a ‘light box.’

In the same way that natural sunlight helps to enhance our mood by affecting the chemicals in our bodies, light boxes emit a certain intensity of light that can have a similar effect.

It’s thought to work by either increasing the available serotonin (otherwise known as “the feel good chemical”) in the brain, or by regulating our circadian rhythms so they sync up with the actual time of day – or maybe through a combination of both. 

Bright light therapy has been used since the 1980s to help people with clinical disorders including seasonal affective disorder, depression, and certain types of sleep disorders.

Studies have been done on its effect in these populations, and it has been shown to help with:

  • Lessening symptoms of depression
  • Improving mood
  • Promoting better sleep
  • Improving energy levels
  • Improving cognition

Most light boxes emit about 10,000 lux of light, which is the same as the amount of sunlight we’d get on a cloudy day.

Using one is pretty simple – we just plug it in and sit near it – but here are some general guidelines to keep in mind:

  • It should be used for 20-30 minutes within the first hour of waking up in the morning (preferable before 8am)
  • The light box should emit about 10,000 lux of light
  • The light source should be between 16-24 inches from the face (the exact distance depends on the manufacturer’s recommendations)
  • We shouldn’t be looking at it directly

Although the beneficial effects of bright light therapy have mostly been studied on people with clinical mood and sleep disorders, it may be helpful for those of us who experience milder mood changes in the winter.

When used as recommended, it can help improve mood, cognition, energy, and sleep.

There are very few side effects in most people, the most common ones being eye strain, nausea, and headaches. 

How bright light therapy helps me manage the winter blues

My mood is better

The cold and dark winter days really put a damper on my mood.

I feel sluggish and less emotionally energetic, and I have a harder time engaging with my family and with people at work.

Bright light therapy in the morning helps lift my spirits and charges my emotional battery, which makes it easier to interact with people and get through the dark mornings.

I have better sleep

Bright light therapy can actually help us regulate our circadian rhythms, which can go into disarray during the winter months when there are less hours of sunlight.

Bright therapy also helps regulate our melatonin levels, making it easier for me to go to sleep and wake up at a regular time.

I have more energy

It can be hard to get going in the mornings, especially during the winter when there’s no sunlight.

But there’s always so much to do in that time – getting my son ready for school and myself ready for work is a process.

Bright light therapy gives me the energy I need in the morning to push through and do what I need to do.

Having more energy in the mornings means I start the day feeling productive and focused.

What I like about using a light box

If a light box is an artificial light source meant to mimic natural sunlight, wouldn’t it be just be better to take a walk outside in the actual sunlight?

Probably, but as a working mom with a toddler, going outside for a walk in the morning in the middle of winter isn’t practical.

I can’t exactly leave him alone in the house while I go for a morning stroll. And in any case, we’re usually out the house before the sun even fully rises.

For me, a light box is the only alternative. Here’s what I like about it:

It’s portable

Bright light boxes are generally quite portable and can be easily carried anywhere there is an outlet – that includes to different rooms in the house or even to my workplace.

They don’t take up too much space on my countertop or desk either, making them easy to put almost anywhere.

The weather isn’t a factor

Even if I could somehow go outside and take a walk in the morning, I don’t love the idea of being out there when it’s freezing, snowing, raining, or any combination of those things.

Regardless of what’s happening with the weather outside, I can still use my light box in the mornings in the comfort of home.

I don’t have to leave the house

There’s a lot that goes into leaving the house.

Getting dressed, combing my hair, brushing my teeth, looking somewhat presentable… that’s a lot of work.

I don’t even like getting dressed to leave home when I actually have to.

With my light therapy box, I can still get some of the benefits of light exposure without getting dressed and leaving my home.

I can multitask

The ability to do other things while using a light box is another reason I love using it in the winter.

I can simply sit in front of it and have breakfast, sip my morning coffee, get a head start on emails, plan the day, or just relax in peace. 

When I’m battling the winter blues and I feel like my mood is just off, bright light therapy helps.

We know all too well how a negative mood can affect our productivity, interactions with family and friends, energy levels, and overall mood.

Bright light therapy helps improve my mood, sleep, energy, and focus, which allows me to take care of my emotional wellbeing and handle the challenges of working motherhood. 

Winter blues are relatively common, but we should always consult with a doctor or mental health professional if we suspect a more serious disorder that is affecting our behavior or thoughts.

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