Beat those winter blues and depression otherwise known as SAD (seasonal affective disorder).


FORMA INTERNATIONAL’S SUNBOX is a safe, effective proven way to allow sufferers to lead happier lives again by lifting seasonal depression. It involves the use of a specially designed portable light fixture that produces a safe but much brighter light than normal indoor lighting and must be used at a specific distance away from your eyes. Our Sunbox has a diffuser over a special full-spectrum white fluorescent light bulb which is adjustable to create less glare and allows user comfort.


Bright Light Treatment

A lot is known about bright light treatment and light therapy research; it involves the use of a special type of light fixture that produces much brighter light than regular indoor lighting. The intensity of the light is given in Lux. Lux is measured at a specific distance away from a light source; for light therapy devices, this specific distance is at the user's eyes. Because light diminishes with distance, light box intensity ratings should always be given at a specific distance from the unit.


Lux and Lumens

Lux is not the same as Lumens. Lumens refers to the amount of light generated by a bulb at its surface. Since light intensity decreases with distance from the light source, knowing the number of Lumens a light bulb gives off doesn't help you in determining at what distance you'll receive a particular amount of Lux. Other factors - such as the positioning of the bulbs in relation to each other within the fixture, whether it is covered by any kind of diffuser, and the reflectivity of the surface behind the bulbs - can affect the light output of any fixture.


Lots of Lux

Bright light treatment requires a minimum of 2,500 Lux to be effective, and the brightness recommended by researchers and clinicians for most people is 8,000-10,000 Lux - an amount significantly higher than standard indoor lighting. Most homes have light levels between 100-300 Lux, while well-lit offices generally don't go above 700 Lux. While daylight is almost always at least 10,000 Lux (on a clear spring morning, around 10,000 Lux; at noon in the height of summer over 100,000 Lux). Natural sunlight levels are often not intense enough due to unpredictable weather, latitude or terrain, and may not be available at the times required. Therefore, the purchase of an appropriate device is recommended for those undergoing bright light treatment.


Our Sunbox

The best lights for bright light therapy are metal fixtures containing white fluorescent light bulbs behind a diffuser, permitting more light to enter the eyes and decreasing the apparent brightness of the light, in turn creating less glare and improving user comfort. The diffuser performs two purposes: it spreads the light evenly over the surface of the unit, and it absorbs and filters out the potentially harmful UV rays.


While the critical factor in bright light treatment with a light box is the intensity of the light, full spectrum light with the UV-A and UV-B filtered out for eye and skin safety produces less glare than other types of lighting, resulting in greater user comfort.


Quality Prismatic Diffuser

It is well known that ultraviolet (UV) exposure causes damage to the eyes and skin. UV levels in fluorescent light fixtures without appropriate diffusers to eliminate them could reach toxic levels over time. Therefore, it is very important that any light device being used for bright light therapy be free of UV wavelengths.


Should the plastic diffuser or power lead become damaged, these should be replaced before further use. All parts used in the Forma International Sunbox are replaceable.


Easy to Use

The Sunbox can be used vertically or horizontally. Place in a convenient position at about eyelevel and about 300mm (12” or 1 foot) away, switch on using the line switch. Sit comfortably without looking directly at the light for about 30-60 minutes, you may read, watch TV, listen to the radio or even knit as long as you keep the Sunbox within your field of vision. The intensity of the light decreases the further you are away from the light, the effectiveness depends on the time spent and the intensity of the light. Some improvement in SAD should be noticeable in 6 – 12 days, if not more time under the light is recommended.


Side effects

Bright light treatment is generally well tolerated by most people. Side effects, when they do occur, are almost always transient and mild, and only a very small percentage of people who try bright light treatment need to discontinue it due to troublesome side effects. In the several published clinical studies that examined side effects, the most commonly reported side effects were: headaches, eye strain, nausea and dizziness.


For those who experience initial side effects, there are two easy ways to reduce them while allowing your body to adjust to the light therapy: either move a few inches further away from the light source and gradually, over several days to two weeks, move closer until you are at the correct distance to receive 8,000-10,000 lux of light, or reduce your treatment time (to 15-30 minutes instead of 60 minutes per day) initially, and gradually increase your exposure time by a few minutes every few days until you are using it for the amount of time your body requires.


Don’t stop taking any prescribed medication, if you are unsure always consult your Doctor. Do not use any light boxes if you have eye problems, please seek advice.


Things to know

Sunbox is controlled by electronic equipment which slowly increases the intensity of light and reaches full power within 5 minutes. The tubes will run for about 10,000 hours but as they become older the light output drops by about 20%. It is therefore recommended that the tubes are changed at about 8,000 hours, you will notice the brighter light from the new tubes – always replace both tubes together. Sunbox weighs 2 kg, is 470mm long. 170 wide and 140 deep and should not be dropped.


Wake-up it’s morning

With a standard 230volt timer (available from any hardware store) you can convert your Sunbox into a wake up call. When Sunbox is turned on by the timer, slowly open your eyes and let the “sunshine in”. Lie in bed, Sunbox close by, listen to music or read a book.


Safety

Bright light treatment with a properly constructed fluorescent light box is generally considered to be safe. Studies examining the effects of short-term (up to 4 weeks) and long-term (three to ten years) on the eye showed no changes in response to the use of the lights.


Recommendation#1

Leslie Kenton, award-winning and internationally known writer on health issues and television broadcaster, in her book ‘Passage to Power’ says: “Full-spectrum lighting, such as that you get in broad sunlight, is important in the treatment and avoidance of PMS (pre-menstrual stress), as well as it is in a woman’s hormonal health after menopause. Many studies show that exposure to lighting in the form of overhead lights or lightboxes which emit full-spectrum light can vastly improve PMS as well as lift depression and aid a woman’s hormonal functions in menopause and beyond.


“I have used full-spectrum lights and light boxes for the past two years with excellent results. I find I can work far longer than I could before and find I no longer suffer from ‘February (Northern Winter) blues’ as a result of long dark winter nights. It works through the stimulating effect which full-spectrum light has on the pineal gland, stimulating the production of melatonin during the hours of darkness which follow. This kind of lighting equipment, which was originally developed to counteract Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD, needs to be used for only an hour or two a day to work its magic.”


Recommendation#2

The Forma Sunbox is recommended by Dr Antonio Fernando, Senior Lecturer Department of Psychological Medicine, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland.


Sunbox products are made in New Zealand and include lamps (light tubes) and feature lighting controls from Italy and Germany. Just plug it in, switch on and read the instructions.


FORMA INTERNATIONAL’S SUNBOX – a lightbox with all the right credentials and made in New Zealand


Further Information:

For further reading about SAD try:

‘Winter Blues’ by Norman E. Rosenthal MD and/or

‘Seasonal Affective Disorder’ by Angela Smythe

 

Sunbox Information

Add sunshine to your day

SAD

Seasonal Affective Disorder

Click here for more SAD infohttp://seasonalaffectivedisorder.co.nz