If you are having difficulty during the winter months, it could be seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
SAD sufferers tend to have low energy and motivation, restless sleep, lethargy, and low morale – all caused by lower light levels during the winter. But a good SAD lamp can help relieve symptoms.
A SAD lamp or softbox is designed to mimic the natural outdoor light that we miss during the winter months and stimulate the same physiological response in users.
If you have been diagnosed with SAD and live in the UK, you can reclaim VAT on products designed to relieve symptoms. For more information, read the government guidelines.
Some lamps also feature light alarms that can help SAD sufferers wake up more easily in the morning. They mimic the stages of daylight to allow you to wake up naturally and can be a great help for people struggling with a lack of light in their winter routines.
For more general light alarm options, check out our guide to the best light alarms. And, to get the best possible rest when you need it most, check out our ultimate guide to choosing a mattress.
For more information on SAD lamps and for buying advice, read the rest of the table.
The best SAD lamps
1. Lumie Vitamin L – Easiest to use
Advantages
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Bright
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Not hard light
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Good price
The inconvenients
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Must be plugged in at all times
Lumie’s Vitamin L SAD lamp is slim, light and simple enough to look stylish in any room. It’s incredibly bright, but manages not to be harsh thanks to its wavy design – it can light up an entire bedroom or a small living room if you so choose. Its entire large rectangular surface lights up for optimal exposure.
It needs to be plugged in, but the cable is long enough for you to put the lamp on a bedside table or desk. It can stand in portrait or landscape position thanks to its kickstand, and the only button or control is the on/off switch on the back.
The effects of the lamp vary from person to person, so it’s hard to say whether or not it will work for you, but 30 minutes of getting ready for work made us feel noticeably more awake and alert in the morning.
It’s one of the cheapest SAD lights we’ve seen, but others with higher price tags often include alarm clocks or snooze functions, when this is a simple fix and direct.
2. Lumie Zest SAD & wake-up light – Best dual function light
Advantages
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10,000lux
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wake-up light
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Class 2a medical device
The Lumie Zest has dual functionality. It is both a SAD lamp and a wake-up light.
This dedicated small SAD compact softbox offers up to 10,000 lux output and adjustable brightness levels to suit your taste. For light therapy, you can set it to a choice of brightness and timer settings, and use the adjustable stand to position it towards your face for the most effective light therapy.
The wake-up light has a 15 or 30 minute sunrise option, as well as a snooze function. Blue-enhanced white LEDs make it look like natural daylight streaming into your room, making it a soft light to wake up to. You can set an optional alarm sound, but you can’t choose other soothing sounds like you can on dedicated wake-up lights.
The Lumie Zest needs to be plugged in all the time, but since it’s so small, you can easily move it around your home. It might not offer all the same functionality as some of the dedicated products, but this little hybrid definitely packs a punch – and most importantly, it’s a class 2a medical device.
3. Lumie Bodyclock Shine 300 – Medically Certified for Light Therapy
Advantages
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Sound and light options
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medically certified
The inconvenients
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Expensive
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Resets when unplugged
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Faithful
This alarm is more expensive, but with good reason. The Bodyclock Shine 30 is a full-featured light alarm from Lumie. It offers granular control over your wake-up and bedtime routines, with a mix of sound and light settings at your disposal.
It has mixed LEDs that glow combinations of white, amber, and red to create a realistic sunlight effect that isn’t too blinding and can gradually fade in and out over 15-90 minutes, up to 20 different light levels.
Although primarily sold as an alarm clock, it is also medically certified for light therapy purposes. If you’ve been diagnosed with SAD, you’ll probably still want a dedicated SAD light box, but a light alarm is a handy addition, giving you a boost of energy when you probably need it most.
We opted for the 30-minute maximum brightness scale and woke up naturally. However, you can set the alarm at the end of this period if you don’t think you’ll wake up using only light.
The alarm can be set to beep or use one of the preset sounds, including a stream of current (unusual), ping pong (also weird), waves (more conventional) or the built-in FM radio.
Annoyingly, if you turn it off on mains, all settings are factory reset, and the buttons on the device mean it’s hard to set up. However, once it’s up and running, it’s a great product.
4. Lumie SAD Desklamp – Best Desk SAD Lamp
This SAD lamp from Lumie doubles as a table lamp. It has four brightness settings which you can cycle through by tapping on the base, but you won’t find any other features such as timers or alarms – which may put some people off, given that the Desklamp costs over £100.
Compared to o ther SAD lamps, the design is basic, with an adjustable neck and a smooth plastic finish. It does not run on batteries, so it will need to remain plugged in for use.
The styling of the Desklamp is quite severe and clinical (it’s no surprise to us that it’s a class 2a medical device). We found it quite chunky too.
The light itself, however, is clear and bright at 10,000 lux at full power – making it a great study or task light if you want to incorporate it into your everyday life. It comes with a removable diffuser.
Lumie recommends sitting under the light for 60 minutes a day or 30 minutes a day with the diffuser removed.
How to use an SAD lamp?
Recommendations may vary by device, so it’s always worth checking the instructions. The latest advice suggests that you should use it every morning for half an hour while you read or watch TV.
There is no need to sit down and stare into it. In fact, it’s not a good idea. Instead, tilt it to look past it. It should be placed on a desk or shelf about 15-25 inches from your face.
But this information is only a guide. All SAD lights will have different operating instructions, so if you buy one, check the manual before using it.
SAD light buying advice
When looking for a SAD light, brightness is one of the main concerns. Ideally, look for one rated at 10,000 lux. You’ll also want to make sure it’s medically certified to treat SAD and isn’t just a regular lamp.
Blue light therapy can have an even stronger effect, although it can disrupt sleep, so you don’t want it right before bed. There are dedicated blue light lamps, as well as SAD lamps that allow you to switch between different types of light.
UV light is dangerous. Most SAD lights — and all of them in this roundup — are UV-free, but if you’re considering another model, check that it’s safe first.
Light alarms
Some SAD softboxes are equipped with light alarms, also called wake-up lights or dawn simulators. These are alarm clocks that slowly accumulate light in the morning to gently wake you up.
They have been clinically shown to help treat some of the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder. It should be noted that on their own they are not full treatments and are generally not as bright as dedicated SAD lamps.
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