Bright Light Therapy

Bright light therapy is timed exposure to bright artificial light — in trials, typically 10,000 lux for about 30 minutes soon after waking — studied mainly for seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

What published research reports

A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials published in the American Journal of Psychiatry (2005) reported that bright light treatment for seasonal affective disorder, and dawn simulation, produced significant reductions in depressive symptoms, with effect sizes comparable to those in many antidepressant medication trials; bright light also showed benefit in non-seasonal depression in the pooled data. The National Institute of Mental Health lists light therapy among established treatments for SAD, typically used daily from autumn through spring. Trials administered light at a set distance and duration each morning, which is the protocol the published effects rest on.

References

• Golden RN, et al. The efficacy of light therapy in the treatment of mood disorders: a review and meta-analysis of the evidence. Am J Psychiatry. 2005;162(4):656–662. PubMed
• National Institute of Mental Health. Seasonal Affective Disorder. nimh.nih.gov