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SAD Light Therapy Side Effects

A person with seasonal affective disorder, abbreviated as SAD, feels depressed, exhausted, lethargic and suffers mood swings during the shorter days of winter. Other symptoms are anxiety, energy loss, hopelessness, sleeping too much, loss of interest in hobbies, weight gain and having a hard time concentrating. A common treatment is light therapy. As with any type of therapy, side effects are possible.

  1. Function

    • Light therapy, also known as both phototherapy and bright light therapy, treats SAD with exposure to extremely bright artificial lighting to emulate the sun. With light therapy, a person sits by a box that emits a strong light that resembles natural outdoor light.

    Effects

    • Exposing people to artificial light is believed to change the circadian rhythms and inhibit the body's release of melatonin. These factors can result in biochemical alterations within the brain that can lower or manage symptoms of SAD.

    Purpose

    • A SAD light therapy box gives off light of a specific intensity and variety. It is much stronger than typical household or office lighting. That is why sitting in front of a lamp on a desk at home would not suffice for the treatment of SAD. The light in light therapy is more vibrant and significantly more focused.

    Other Conditions

    • Light therapy is not exclusive to those suffering from seasonal affective disorder. It can also help to treat other ailments, including jet lag, postpartum depression, sleep disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder and shift-work issues.

    Side Effects

    • Side effects are rare. They may include nausea, throwing up, eyestrain, agitation, headache, exhaustion, irritability, fatigue, dry mouth, sleeping issues and mania. These effects are generally mild and subside on their own in a few days. If the side effects are persistent, they can usually be handled by decreasing the light therapy treatment time or changing the time of the day in which the sessions take place.

    Warning

    • Some people should avoid using light therapy. They include those who have light sensitivity, people who take medicines that react to sunlight (such as various anti-inflammatories and antibiotics), and those with eye conditions that cause the eyes to be highly sensitive and susceptible to damage from light.

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