DIY Light Therapy Lamp?

[BrendanLeahy]

Hey all -

Winter blues are here, and I was advised to look into "light therapy lamps." No offense, but are these just bulbs in a diffused box? It seems the vast majority run off CFL bulbs or LED lights, and all boast 10,000 lux of output + being "UV-free" with CRIs ranging from 83.9 - 90+

It made me wonder what would I need to just make my own, or are there a lot more components to this that I'm not seeing? Obviously, I don't want to screw up my health, it just seems like they're glorified diffused lights.

Here are some I've seen recommended (by friends and online):

Aura Lamp
https://www.amazon.com/Aura®-Therapy-Bright-Adjustable-Warranty/dp/B01IAEV13W

Verilux LED Lamp
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074G342RV/ref=ox_sc_act_title_6?smid=A1OTVOM7X5SQYL&psc=1

Northern Light Boxlite
https://www.amazon.com/Northern-Lig...srs=12078683011&ie=UTF8&qid=1513389731&sr=8-2

 

[Les Hillis]

Even if there is therapeutic benefit from being exposed to bright, diffused, daylight-balanced light during the winter months, the units you linked to seem a bit gimmicky imo.

If you have to use a relatively compact purpose-built unit for some reason, then they would fit the bill, but I don't see a reason you couldn't make your own. Especially if you happen to be working with film and video lights and know more about that sort of thing than the average person.

A high CRI/TLI LED fresnel or panel (or even strip array) with enough output to provide an appropriate level of diffused light (by reflecting, bouncing or directly diffusing) would have the same (or even better) effect as one of those purpose-built units imo.

 

[Todd T]

Try these out:
1x4 LED Panel

 

[jussi rovanpera]

I think the theory behind the lamps is that certain spectral frequencies will "wake you up", so it's not only about the light temperature.

 

[Eric Lange]

I think the theory behind the lamps is that certain spectral frequencies will "wake you up", so it's not only about the light temperature.

I thought they were supposed to be full spectral too. I wouldn't like to stare at a bank of LEDs .

 

[Todd T]

The amount of light in an environment has an effect as well. I just installed two of those 1x4 led panels as up-lights and the change in the room is incredible. Practically turns the ceiling into a skylight.

 

[Karim D. Ghantous]

I wish I had the details, but there was a nursing home which was not well lit. A doctor or someone realised that this was no good, so they installed skylights and so on and brightened the place up. The consequence was that the patients were happier, and they took fewer medications.

I like Todd's point: bathe the room in light instead of merely sticking a lamp in your face.

 

[BrendanLeahy]

The amount of light in an environment has an effect as well. I just installed two of those 1x4 led panels as up-lights and the change in the room is incredible. Practically turns the ceiling into a skylight.

Those look great - I see they put out 4000 lumens at a 4k color temp though and a CRI of 80. Do you feel this has been an issue at all?

 

[BrendanLeahy]

I read a bit more on different studies. Here's a good summary from Columbia University on the claims:

The average length of a session for a system delivering 10,000 lux illumination is, for example, much shorter than for 2,500 lux (30 minutes vs. two hours). In clinical trials at our institute, with over 100 SAD patients who used a 10,000 lux system with UV-filtered light diffusion and angular tilt, for 30 minutes each day, about 3/4 showed major improvement of depressive symptoms. In another experiment, we found that 30 minutes was an unnecessarily long exposure for some patients (who responded fully at 15 minutes), while several required 1-hour exposures to show the effect.

Regarding daylight vs other color temps:

Early research studies used "full-spectrum" bulbs producing bright light similar in color composition to outdoor daylight, in contrast to the color of ordinary fluorescent or incandescent light. [. . .] What appears to be critical is that the level of light produced match that of light outdoors shortly after sunrise or before sunset. Light intensity is a critical "dosing" dimension of the therapy: systems deliver varying amounts of light, and people vary in their response to light levels.

Is increased exposure to normal room light therapeutic, without the use of special apparatus?

Some very light-sensitive people, living and working in dim environments, may feel improvement with increased exposure to normal room light. Research studies show, however, that most sufferers of SAD and winter doldrums require exposure to light levels much higher than ordinary indoor lamps and ceiling fixtures provide. Such therapeutic levels are five to twenty times higher (as measured in lux or foot-candles by a light meter) than typical indoor illumination in the home or office.

So it seems a good daylight color temp (and solid CRI) are most important, but I don't see it being problematic if you have LEDs with a lower lumen output if you're exposed to them for a longer time - that sound right?

 

[Todd T]

Those look great - I see they put out 4000 lumens at a 4k color temp though and a CRI of 80. Do you feel this has been an issue at all?

The 80 CRI is not an issue at all as this was not a color critical application. I have a room with high ceilings and I put two of them on top of cabinets as up lights.
It practically turned the ceiling into a skylight, and fills the room with diffused, shadowless light.