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I was in Cornwall earlier in the week with my daughter. She has a very small cosy basement flat with a window at one end. She loved the freedom of having her own place, but she has had ME for 10 years, resulting in severe depressive episodes and I don't think the dark flat, even on sunny days is having a positive influence.
Desperate to do anything that might help her get up each day and do her uni work, I tripped off to Argos and bought one of their SAD lamps. The top model was promoted to have a timer and a variation of light settings so I paid £75. The model had only one poor review and tens of others were 4 or 5 stars so I was stunned when I opened the box and inside was the cheapest looking piece of plastic trash more akin to a market toy that might have cost £2.99!
Thinking that functionality might win me over, we tried it for one evening, then I was releived to return it and get a refund.
Has anyone else had experience of these kind of lamps/lights?
The prices range enormously.
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I paid 145 for mine on Amazon, but couldn't use it as I was too sensitive to the light. It burnt my cheeks, they were bright red and hot just like someone had slapped me. I have RA and I'm photosensitive anyway, but didn't think I'd react like that. Apparently people with Lupus can get bad flares if they use them.
I rang them up and they gave me a full refund.
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Ironically the advert at the don't of the page when reading this thread was for £29.99 SAD Lightbox
Can't offer any comment on your problem though :(
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I am sometimes affected by lack of light, but have not troubled to find out if I am an SAD case. I have experimented with easily available lamps and found that a combination of a filament bulb (40W or 60W, depending on size of room) and a fluorescent (CFL) lamp in the same room help very much. This is much cheaper than Lightboxes.
Using a desk lamp with a white reflector for the filament bulb enables it to be used in whatever way is most effective, perhaps aimed at your desk/work area, or reflected off the ceiling. Several shops, such as Wilkos or QD, stock cheap desk lamps at present.
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I forgot, I think Argos also sell suitable desk lamps.
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Could the flat be redecorated in lighter colours? This helped me very much when I had some bad times a few years ago.
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Thank-you for your comments Timvole.
The flat is already white emulsion and she already has normal lights. It is the quality of daylight bulbs that the body can absorb from the types of rays that the body misses from sunshine that is where the cost comes from. I did inadvertantly walk past one of the more expensive ones in John Lewis and in stopped me in my tracks as I could feel something positive just from passing it. However, that design was more of an even panel light rather than the painful glaring LEDs from the very cheaply built Argos one I returned last week.
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I bought a Bio Bulb to replace one of the two ceiling lights in my living room. My living room is long and narrow hence the two lights. They are low wattage eco lights but give out a different spectrum more akin to daylight. The difference between the Bio Bulb and the standard light is very noticeable. One end of the room bathed in dull orange even when warmed up, the end where I sit is bright and cheerful and certainly makes me feel better.
They cost between £10 and £15 depending where you get them from. I use an internet site called gizoo and they are currently available at £9.99 each. Expensive but so good.
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Thanks Aely, I had been wondering about those. I have decided to buy her one for a cheap "spotlamp" standard lamp that takes a bayonet fitting standard bulb, that way she can also direct the light to where she wants it.
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