Bright light therapy
10,000 lux for 30 minutes after waking. Cochrane-supported for seasonal affective disorder and circadian shifting.
Why
Bright light delivered shortly after waking (typically a 10,000 lux therapy lamp at 30-60 cm for 20-30 minutes) entrains the circadian system. The 2019 Cochrane review supports use for preventing seasonal affective disorder, and the same protocol shifts circadian phase for shift workers and travellers.
The program
- 1
Place the lamp 30-60 cm from your face, slightly above eye level.
- 2
Within one hour of your usual wake time, switch on for 20-30 minutes.
- 3
Don't stare directly. Read, eat, work alongside it.
- 4
Skip evening exposure: it pushes sleep later.
- 5
If energising effects appear within 1-2 weeks, continue through the dark months.
Practical
Cadence
Daily within an hour of waking, October-March if SAD-prone
What you'll need
10,000 lux therapy lamp (e.g. Lumie, Beurer). Avoid in untreated bipolar disorder.
Ideal for
Northern-latitude residents in winter, shift workers, anyone with delayed sleep phase.
Markers this may influence
Evidence
Lam 2016 JAMA Psychiatry 8-week RCT (n=122, non-seasonal MDD): bright light alone (10,000 lux/30 min) and bright light + fluoxetine outperformed placebo and fluoxetine alone on depression scores. The 2019 Cochrane review of SAD prevention found a 36% incidence reduction but rated the evidence very low certainty (single trial, n=46).