How to have a great day at work: Get some light therapy

In her regular column, founder of Neom and wellness expert Nicola Elliott looks at one thing we can all do that will make our nine-to-five feel happier and healthier

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We may be over the hump of winter but the days are still grey and, even though the nights are getting lighter every time, this is the time when the heaviness of winter really starts to hit. Low mood, carbohydrate cravings and inability to get off the sofa are all common signs of winter blues and SAD lamps can really help with that push through the misery.

I spoke to Malgo Kenyon, head of brand and marketing at Lumie, who explained that the findings of seasonal effective disorder (SAD) are actually pretty recent.

In the Eighties, psychiatrist and scientist Norman E Rosenthal moved to Maryland from South Africa. After experiencing a distinct change in his mood, which he hypothesised was due to extreme changes in light patterns, and so his work into understanding seasonal effective disorder began.

After looking at how light reaches the brain and the effects of that light on mood and other hormones, the idea of “bright light therapy” was developed. Light enters the eyes in much the same way as it does during everyday activities and travels through the cornea, pupil and lens before reaching the retina at the back of the eye. The retina contains light-sensitive cells known as rods and cones that convert the incoming light to electrical signals. These signals are then transmitted to the brain via the optic nerve. The brain then processes these signals, helping to regulate essential biological functions such as mood sleep patterns and alertness.

Light affects our mood because when it enters our eyes at an appropriate intensity it can stimulate serotonin production, melatonin and cortisol balance too. To deliver these benefits, SAD lamps are simply clever devices that mimic us being out on a sunny summer morning.

Of course, going outside is the ideal solution, but that’s often challenging, especially if you’re working and leaving the house before sunrise. Even if you can manage to brace a quick walk, the chances are the sky will resemble a tarpaulin pulled over your head anyway.

We need strong light signals to give us that “get up and go feeling”; it’s why we not only feel happier, but also more energetic in summer. We often sleep better too, because we have the opportunity to build up sleep pressure.

But how does a SAD lamp differ from a well-lit kitchen for example? Light is measured in something called lux. Overhead office lighting will typically expose you to circa 50 to 500 lux, compared to outside. Even on grey winter days, lux will be pretty low at about 1-2,000, and on clearer days it can be higher up to 10,000. Compare that to a sunny spring or summer day, when lux levels can be hundreds of thousands – a big difference.

Lumie lights deliver 10,000 lux and recommended usage is 30 mins to an hour, placed at arms length, every day in the morning. After daily use of a SAD lamp for three weeks, I really feel a cloud lifting.

Of course, serious depression is a seriously multifaceted thing, and lamps like these may not be the best if you suffer migraines also, but if your mood is affected in winter like an estimated 5 per cent of the population, it’s likely you are sensitive to light patterns. I’ve been using a SAD lamp for a month now, and I use it alongside the laptop so it’s not another “thing to do”.

Nicola Elliott is the founder of the wellness brand Neom, and her book, ‘The Four Ways to Wellbeing: Better Sleep. Less Stress. More Energy. Mood Boost’, is published by Penguin