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To many people, the winter season means that Christmas is just around the corner, so it usually brings a festive mood to them.Other people, though, get a negative effect during winter.Some individuals fall into a kind of depression called seasonal affective disorder or SAD, or more commonly known as winter blues, because of the cold weather.

Seasonal affective disorder is a type of depression caused by an imbalance in the hormone affecting our sleeping pattern, usually due to lack of sunlight.The diagnosis is based on the symptoms, which may include mild to severe depression, loss of energy, extreme change in appetite, difficulty in sleeping, sudden irrational fears, refusal to interact with other people, inability to focus, and tendency to overeat.

People experiencing winter blues should get as much exposure as possible to natural sunlight.One of the most recommended treatment methods, especially for those who don't have the luxury of time or sunlight, is light therapy.Light therapy lamps of various models, including those that can be used at home, are now available in the market.

Specially designed light boxes that make use of high luminosity bulbs with at least 2,500 lux are called light therapy lamps.Some boxes are designed to cast out as much as 10,000 lux, and use of such light boxes entails less exposure time for patients.The intensity of the light box and the distance the patient sits from it is related to the time of exposure spent under the light box.

A winter blues patient simply sits under the light box for a specific period of time, depending on the prescription of his physician.Before undergoing treatment, it is important for the patient to go through a psychiatric evaluation, which will determine the intensity of his depression and the length of light therapy he needs.Light therapy should be done religiously on a regular basis for the patient to feel its positive effects.

While light therapy is perfectly safe when used according to the physician's instructions, the winter blues patient may experience some side effects.Among these are chronic anxiousness, headache, nausea and eyestrain, especially at the beginning of the treatment process.Irritability, difficulty in sleeping, fatigue, agitation, and other mild irritations are some of the most common long-term side effects of light therapy.These insignificant inconveniences are reported to subside in several days.