Decided I Have S.A.D. - How About Lights?
 

I have figured out that for the last few months of 2012, I was probably suffering a bit of seasonal depression.

Things were going wrong at work, all I could do was stare at the screens and feel bad. I was gaining weight, didn't care about cooking or much else, I would come home and sleep all the time, I couldn't figure out what was wrong or what to do about it.

Recently we had a two week period of sunny and mostly-blue skies, it felt like something lifted, and I realized what's been going on.

So I bought a couple of clamp-on gooseneck lamps that I have mounted over two of my monitors, with 15 watt daylight CFLs (60 watt equivalent). This has promise. I am thinking about getting four more lamps for my office, to have one over each monitor, and putting 23 watt (100 watt equiv) daylight CFLs or growlight CFLs in each. That will be the equivalent of 600 watts of daylight or full spectrum light on me starting at 5:30 am each morning. I can use a timer to shut them off later in the morning, so I don't get tanned :-)

What do you think? Anyone knowledgeable about this?

I will also get a vitamin D prescription from my doctor. Most winters, riding to work everyday is enough to keep me chipper and energized. But I guess it doesn't always work.

prescription? I just buy it OTC

you might check into whether those CFLs will be adequate - all FL's put out "lines" - i.e. very narrow spectra instead of the broad curve of sunlight and incandescent bulbs

also, some research indicates light at your wakeup time is more efficacious

I don't worry much about S.A.D. myself - I just go semi-torpid.

Good Luck

After getting much-needed doses of sunshine when I'm in SoCal, spending time in Montana during the winter can be very trying. I purchased a HappyLight a couple months ago, and have tried using it, but honestly, not sure if it really helps. I start feeling the effects after just 3-4 days of no sun.... I don't know how you guys in the NW and NE do it. I wouldn't last a week. Sunshine truly makes me happy :)

My mother lives in rural Vermont, she has one of those lights....not sure what brand... Its like a 2X3 frosted panel with some allegedly special bulbs....

Her latest solution to S.A.D. is to rent a house in Merida from Jan to the end of March ;)

Here is my work station in the morning when I get to work, it is dark for the first 3 hours or so of my work day. I don't like the overhead fluorescent tubes so I'm in the habit of working with just the light of the monitors. Bad. Now I have two lights up, as shown, and I'm adding more this week.

http://i800.photobucket.com/albums/y...76E4AAFBFD.jpg

And here we are at midday. Despite having the whole wall to my left a window, it is still pretty dark.

http://i800.photobucket.com/albums/y...E08498FB5A.jpg

What do you work on, the Matrix? :D

hahhaha..NEO was pretty depress too!

John, i hope you feel better. darkness would bum me out too.

Can you use those to make AAPL go up? $100/share would do. Thanks!

pms?

The two monitors at the right are for surfing PP and YouTube . . .

Forget the bike...tell me about that calculator.

hp 97 - vintage!

Good eye!

I want a HP92 (Financial) but they go for $400!

Thinking about bringing my slide rule in too.

I don't know what I'd do without my calculator! I thought I lost it many years ago while still in school...came home (panicked) and the wifey thought something was wrong. I wasn't doing well...had a bit of an episode looking for it. She still laughs at me.

Ian

Don't you get up and go to work in the middle of the night? Couldn't you get up a little later and get some more sunshine while you are driving to work?

I am really not an expert - I would move. Not kidding. I grew up in the very northern latitudes and it was torture. Never again.

G

With sitting by the window as you do, and because even cloudy days emit serious goodness light-wise, I would not be so sure you have SAD with lack of sunlight being the cause.

If working in such a beautiful space, living in the 'Bay Area' and actually getting paid a decent wage doesn't prevent all forms of sadness, you got something else bothering you, my friend.

Seriously, I'm being in total envy of you.

Add some nice brightly colored wall decorations to your mission control center? That brown really sucks up the light.

San Fran to Hawaii airline tickets are cheap and quick to get there.............next question?

JYL is in Portland. Only liquid sunshine there.

G