Frequently Asked Questions About Using Light Therapy for Depression, Sleep Disorders and Other Conditions 

Q --- What is a circadian rhythm?  Do I really have a "body clock"?  And where does natural serotonin come from?  
A --- Circadian Rhythms are the cyclical daily patterns of your body’s systems, such as the sleep/wake and mood/energy patterns your body cycles through in the course of a day.  The Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN) in the Hypothalmic region of the brain, also known as the Master Body Clock, controls these circadian rhythm cycles, signaling the production and release of natural hormones (such as serotonin and melatonin,) and neurotransmitters at specific times during the day.  The SCN takes its cues from sunlight and darkness.  If circadian rhythms get out of balance, hormonal balance is also thrown off, often resulting in mood and sleep disorders or other health problems.  Appetite, energy, and libido may also be affected.

Q --- What does this light therapy box really do?
A --- Specialized bright light can be used as a substitute for sunlight, and can actually reset and regulate the body clock!  It has been proven to increase the production of brain serotonin, a natural hormone which is very important to positive mood and energy levels.  It also immediately suppresses the conversion of natural serotonin to melatonin.  Although your body needs it at night to prepare for sleep, melatonin released during the day slows you down and can result in depression, irritability, sadness and withdrawal.

Q --- Isn’t this still pretty experimental?
A --- Light therapy research began in the 1980s.  It is now the treatment of choice internationally for Seasonal Affective Disorder.  Light therapy is available at every hospital in Canada as well as most northern hospitals in the US.  Studies have shown it to be a more effective antidepressant than drugs, with a higher response rate and a quicker response.  Most people feel a difference in just days.  Specialized bright light is recommended by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) as well as the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.   

Q --- Is it really as effective as drugs?
A --- The fact that SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) are the most prescribed drugs for depression, attests that traditional medicine acknowledges the importance of natural serotonin for combatting depression.  Light therapy does something which drugs cannot do: it actually creates more serotonin in the brain!   The best that antidepressants can do, particularly SSRIs, is to help your brain use the existing natural serotonin more efficiently, slowing down serotonin absorption.  They cannot create more. 

In some cases, depression can be caused by a genetic defect in the brain’s serotonin receptor sites, making them too short, and as a result, too quick to absorb the available serotonin.   Because they are too short, they are unable to release serotonin back into the neural pathway again, causing a shortage of available serotonin.  

SSRIs are designed to block receptor sites from absorbing serotonin too quickly. That is why they are called Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, because they block the 5HTT receptor sites from reabsorbing serotonin. These medications are most widely prescribed for depressive disorders and work moderately well in many patients. However, new FDA evidence questions the effectiveness of SSRI’s in combating depression, and the FDA has issued an Advisory Letter cautioning against the assumption that SSRI’s will solve the depression problem. The FDA is especially concerned about SSRI’s and teenage suicide rate increases.

Dozens of clinical, placebo controlled studies have been done using light therapy to treat depression. These studies confirm that light is more effective, works quicker than drugs, and causes no long-term side effects.  Most people responded within a week to light, instead of several weeks with medications.  For those using only drugs, several different medication trials were needed before an effective regimen was found.

Many people find that using therapy lamps in conjunction with medication increases the anti-depressant effect of both.  Depression is serious.  Be sure to consult your doctor about the best course of action for you.

Ocular damage occurs in the range of 340 – 390 nm, ultraviolet and near ultraviolet light. Because BLUEWAVE™technology is very targeted, it produces no UV emissions.

Dr. David Sliney, the National Institute of Health physicist responsible for ocular safety testing, reported that BLUEWAVE™ was well below governmental threshold levels for ocular safety. Since the risk of ocular damage diminishes exponentially with increasing wavelength, BLUEWAVE™ poses no risk of ocular damage.

Q --- Are there any potential side effects?
A --- Over the past 2 decades, light therapy has been proven to be very safe and effective with no long term side effects or ocular damage.  With BLUEWAVE there is no risk of ocular damage. 

If you keep your treatments under 1 hour of light at a time, you shouldn’t experience any difficulties.  Minor problems which are rare, are caused by overdoing it.

Sometimes people can experience a negative reaction to bright light in general. These side effects are not common, and are almost always treatable. They may include feelings of nausea, headache, eyestrain, irritability, anxiety or nervousness. Side effects usually result because too much light has been used or the eyes are not used to bright light, and need to be acclimated to the light. If you notice a side effect, stop using the light for a day or so.  Then, slowly acclimate yourself to the light by using it in 5 minute intervals per day for the first few days, then gradually add 2 – 5 minutes per day.

Because our goLITEs use spectrally focused light that is 25 times less intense to get the same results in less treatment time, side effects with goLITEs are virtually non-existent. 

Waking up too early is the most common problem experienced due to too much light.  This can happen because your body clock has been sufficiently entrained, and now more light is causing it to advance earlier. If this is the case, you can stop using the light for a day and then cut your time in half.

Another possible reaction can be feeling anxious or jittery. In some rare cases, people can use the light and actually feel sleepy afterwards. These are cases of too much natural serotonin being produced. Either the amount of light needs to be reduced or the time of day you get the light should be changed. If this is the case, work with your doctor to find the ideal amount and time of day to use the light.     

The only ‘bad’ news with light therapy would be if you don’t respond to the light. If you’ve used the light according to the recommendations for your condition, talked with your doctor about using combination therapy, and have experimented for at least 3 – 4 weeks without noticing a change, you probably won’t respond to light. Almost all light therapy users who have noticed an initial negative reaction, quickly adjust and find an effective response.

For many years research results supported advocating that the treatment of depression with light therapy should be done with a 10,000 lux, full spectrum light box or SAD lamp. However, newer research by Dr. George Brainard at Thomas Jefferson University, has uncovered the specific narrow spectrum of short-wavelength blue light which is the effective catalyst for shifting circadian rhythms, suppressing melatonin and treating depression.  Several new studies have confirmed that treating mood and sleep disorders with only these specific wavelengths in the range of 447-484 nanometers is more effective than using the whole spectrum of light.

Our patented BLUEWAVE technology isolates this effective bandwidth, allowing our products to treat just as effectively with 25 times less intensity than 10,000-lux full-spectrum traditional lights.  That means a much more pleasant treatment with virtually none of the side effects of intense light.

The ever so slight extra benefit gained by having the light shine down on you, is not significant enough to be worth giving up the convenience and portability of our lightweight desktop units.  We’ve learned from our customers that anything that makes treatment inconvenient is going to make them less likely to use the lightbox consistently.