Using light therapy at home to treat seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
Why is light therapy used to treat SAD?
Most people with seasonal affective disorder become depressed in the fall and winter, when days are shorter and sunlight is limited. Although researchers are still studying the exact cause of SAD, some believe the body's 24-hour biological clock (circadian rhythms), which controls sleep/wake cycles, may be affected by seasonal changes of light and darkness and that subsequent biochemical changes in the brain may cause depression. Light therapy helps to "reset" your biological clock.
Light therapy, which has few side effects, is also an alternative to taking medications to treat depression. It can also be used with medications and counselling.
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Light therapy is used to offset changes in the body's 24-hour clock that may cause depression.
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| Author: | Douglas Dana Sabra L. Katz-Wise | Last Updated: November 1, 2006 |
| Medical Review: | Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine Tom Bailey, MD - Family Medicine Alfred Lewy, MD, PhD - Neurology, Psychiatry | |
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