
Take Light, Not Drugs: On Light Therapy - Phithagoras
http://nautil.us/issue/11/Light/take-light-not-drugs
======
esterly
Light therapy has been huge for my mental and physical health. Research lead
me to purchase a light alarm clock [1] years ago. Light early in the morning
has made a noticeable effect on my ability to go to sleep at night by
simulating serotonin [2] In the evening we have our Lifx bulbs set to mimic
sunset color and the morning mimic sunrise transition to bright white wake up
hue.

1\. [http://www.biobrite.com/category/light-
therapy/](http://www.biobrite.com/category/light-therapy/) 2\.
[https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolutionary-
psychiatry...](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolutionary-
psychiatry/201105/sunlight-sugar-and-serotonin)

~~~
transpy
I purchased my Philipps Hue system kinda impulsively (and somewhat drunkenly)
because I was interested in the colors and the automation.

I thought it was 'nice to have'. But I underestimated the overall effect it
has in my mood and my schedule. Previously I didn't know what to think about
scientific claims in regards to the influence of light on mood, but now that
I'm experiencing it first hand I can say it _does_ have a significant effect
on me.

It helps me structure my day, fall asleep, wake up, setting ambiances to read,
relax or to be creative. Yes, I could have saved up money by trying to go the
DIY route with Arduino, but I'm not very good at hardware. It's not a gadget
that is collecting dust, it's something that _bathes_ -for lack of a better
word- my whole indoor environment every day. It's cool.

~~~
neuronexmachina
What types of Hue light schemes do you find most helpful?

~~~
transpy
I confirmed that the official app does not give the optimum experience. I
experimented with Disco Hue and Hue Pro.

Hue Pro is good, and straight forward. I like the 'energize' and 'concentrate'
settings, basically bright yellows. At night, I like to set 'deep blue', I
find it relaxing. The warm colors are really cool, the oranges, reds and
purples. It can really set the ambiance for making out with your partner, if
that's your thing, LOL.

I schedule the 'energize' setting at 7 a.m., and this kinda forces me to wake
up :p. I like scheduling on/off times to help me structure my day, because
honestly I tend to be late.

One thing I like about Hue Pro is that there is an option with 'X' 'Y' sliders
that allows you to select different colors than the RGB approach.

------
hobolord
I've actually been looking at light alarm clocks recently, anybody have one
they would recommend? The Philips wake up light looks nice, but there isn't an
option to dim the clock display so it's actually always on.

~~~
jtolmar
I use an earlier model of essentially this:
[http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BYG3OWK](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BYG3OWK)

The flexible head makes a world of difference compared to the flourescent-
panel-on-a-stand designs, and it has better UX as an alarm clock than most
dedicated alarm clocks. The clock display can be turned on and off, and the
main light can be dimmed.

They might have added features but mine's still working after 8 years so I
have no reason to try a newer model.

------
alaskanloops
As us Alaskan's can attest, light can have a huge impact on general mood. Many
of us suffer from "Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)", and purchase lights to
combat it's effects.

This is the first I've heard of light being used as a more widespread
treatment option. Very interesting.

------
cel1ne
Light influences the body via the Suprachiasmatic nucleus [0] a tiny center
that sits between your eyes.

This center basically regulates the circadian circle and plays a big role in
the transformation of serotonine to melatonine, which makes you go from stress
to sleepy.

Artificial light interferes with that.

I think it would be a kind of holy grail for psychopharmacology if you could
somehow control this center via light impulses (or implanted LEDS :) ). You
could calm anxious patients for example.

[0]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suprachiasmatic_nucleus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suprachiasmatic_nucleus)

------
joslin01
Some take this a step further and gaze at the sun. It's called "sun-gazing"
and the proponents are thoroughly convinced of its effects. One man, Hira
Manek, says he lives off sun-gazing. Some say it has cured their vision.

The basic idea is that you gaze at the sun for ~10 seconds the first day, then
up another 10 seconds next day, and so on... you eventually grow upwards to
40m.

Having tried it a few times, I would attest to its beneficence, but don't
expect any serious scientific study backing it. It's very, very new-age. Also,
don't go blaming me if you hurt your eyes. Do your research on it.

~~~
ggggtez
Stare at the sun to cure your vision. Uh huh...

~~~
joslin01
I share your skepticism, but this is what people are saying.

~~~
ggggtez
Which people. Science has known that starting at the sun is bad for your eyes
for a long time, in case for some reason it wasn't obvious.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1842517

------
Artlav
Interesting.

Anecdotal evidence to the contrary - i have a sunshine-bright light fixture at
home (600W worth of metal halide arc lamps), and while it does make the dull
winter days less dark and gray, it also tend to make me tire quicker.

It's the same sort of feeling you get when you haven't slept in a while after
having slept too much - your brain still feel fine, but your eyes are already
tired (and yes, i checked the lamps for a lack of UV).

Perhaps it is a question of a dose...

~~~
david-given
What sort of lamps do you have? Metal halide colour temperatures vary
enormously --- from sunlight at about 6000K way down to about 3000K. That'll
be way redder than real daylight, and may not have the right effect.

~~~
Artlav
4200K - nice sunset/sunrise kind of light.

And yeah, from what i heard it's the blue light that have the most effect in
light therapy.

------
batbomb
With optogenetics you could do both!

