Brain MD Bright Minds Therapy Lamp - 1

A Bright Minds Therapy Lamp is a useful substitute for those who don't get enough sunlight. Use this lamp to brighten your mood during gloomy winters. 

• Fight Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Fight back against the winter blues or those periods when darker moods creep in during those months when sunlight just doesn't show. Light therapy with an alternate source mimicking sunlight is one well-established treatment modality for SAD. 
• Elevate mood: The light therapy lamp may facilitate the improvement of serotonin production, the feel-good hormone. Thus, you would generally tend to be in a more positive mood. 
• Experience an energy boost: You feel sluggish when the rays of the sun grow weak. Bright light from Bright Minds Therapy Lamp awakens and keeps the brain more alert indicating that the day has begun. It may reduce tiredness as felt by you during winter. 
• Sleep better at night: The light intake provides your body clock with the clue as to what time it is. So, because you get plenty of light in daytime hours, you will probably have a better night's sleep. 
• Flexible, Safe to Use: The full-spectrum light can brighten up a room up to 10,000 LUX brightness. SAD symptoms can be treated most effectively at this intensity. These two modes, white and blue, enable users to personalize the light shifts depending on their mood. It is safe in both home and office environments.

A full spectrum LED therapy lamp made by BRIGHT MINDS is lightweight, compact, and ultrasafe. It offers up to 10,000 LUX brightness and includes 2 light modes: Blue and White. BRIGHT MINDS Therapy Lamp is a small, portable device with many features and potential health benefits.

Bright Minds is an acronym made up by Dr. Daniel Amen, founder of Brain MD. It corresponds to the 11 brain health risk factors:

1. Blood flow

2. Retirement/Ageing

3. Inflammation

4. Genetics

5. Head trauma

6. Toxins

7. Memory

8. Immunity

9. Nutrition

10. Depression

11. Sleep

A therapy lamp works on these principles to reduce the risk factors for brain health.

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that many people experience in the fall and winter months, owing to less access to natural sunlight. Light therapy can help reduce low-energy feelings and depression.

It works well when combined with SAD therapies like talk therapy or antidepressant therapy. They don't replace SAD treatment. Consult your healthcare provider to see whether light therapy can be of benefit to you.

Brain MD Bright Minds Therapy Lamp is one of the top light boxes with the following features:

• Full-spectrum LED lights: Mimics the natural daylight for a balanced effect. Absolutely safe.
• Bright 10,000 LUX: The standard intensity clinically for effective light therapy. With LUX being the measure of light intensity, for instance, it could be 1,000 LUX even on cloudy days, while exceeding 50,000 LUX on sunny days. The standard for SAD therapy is 10,000 LUX.
• Modes of white and blue light: White light gives a natural tone while blue light provides high efficiency. Select between these two modes based on what is convenient for you.
• Compact design: Can be used at home or in the office. It's particularly useful for windowless offices.
• Timer settings: You may set the timer according to your choice: 15, 30, 45, or 60 minutes.

If users follow the safe usage guidelines, light therapy can be safely used for a long time. Many people report that they use this light box on all winter days.

Why Consider a Light Therapy Lamp?

Do you know that daily exposure to sunlight impacts your mood, energy, and sleep? Your body has a circadian rhythm based on sunlight exposure. Your overall well-being depends upon it.

Most people feel that winter days are gloomy and sad, due to the lack of sunlight. Without enough light getting in through your eyes, you might feel too low on energy or a bit down, or have disrupted sleep patterns. All of these symptoms have to do with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

Light therapy alleviates the symptoms of SAD by mimicking sunlight. Thus, sunless winter days don't have to prevent you from getting light exposure. The Bright Minds Therapy lamp does just that. It regulates your body's rhythms with light, elevates the mood, and promotes alertness.

Not just for SAD, it can also be useful for older people for whom aging results in lower suprachiasmatic nucleus stimulation and disrupted circadian rhythm. Also, the elderly don't get out much in the sun and this limits their exposure to environmental light. The American Family Physician published a study of older patients who reported better improvements in nonseasonal major depressive disorder after using light therapy. 

How Light Therapy Works?

By mindfully exposing you to light through light therapy, you can stimulate the natural circadian rhythm for regulating sleep and wake cycles. Bright light signals your brain to boost alertness hormones and reduce melatonin production. It can improve your energy and productivity during day time. Indirectly, it also improves sleep quality as your brain naturally produces more melatonin when there is a lack of light at night. 

How to Use Bright Minds Therapy Lamp?

Brain MD Bright Minds Therapy Lamp makes it easy to improve light exposure during winter. Here are some best practices for the right usage:

• Use it in the morning immediately after waking up
• Daily, you can use it while eating breakfast or reading
• Start with 20-30 minutes per day and gradually increase to up to 60 minutes per day
• Keep the lamp at arm's length away
• Keep the light at an angled position so that light enters your eyes indirectly
• Use daily at the same time to naturally regulate the circadian rhythm
• Try white light and blue light on different days and adjust timings based on how you feel
• Regular light sessions daily are better than sporadic long sessions

What Are the Side Effects of Bright Minds Light Therapy Lamp?

Light therapy is usually well tolerated. Some people experience mild symptoms like headache, agitation, and nausea when they start using the light lamp initially. You can adjust your light exposure until these symptoms go away. 

Who Should Not Use Light Therapy?

Light therapy using the Bright Minds Therapy Lamp is a supportive measure to regulate your light exposure. It's important to get medical advice first before you start this. It's not suitable if you have:

• Eye conditions like retinal disease, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, cataracts, etc. 
• Bipolar disorder, because light exposure can cause more symptoms 
• Skin lesions due to illness
• Sensitive skin that reacts when exposed to light
• Taking medications that increase light sensitivity

You should consult your doctor before using this medication if you have diseases affecting the retina, such as diabetes, or if you are taking medications that may cause photosensitivity, such as lithium, melatonin, and phenothiazine antipsychotics.

1. How long should I use a Bright Minds light therapy lamp per day?

The ideal recommended time for using Bright Minds therapy lamp is between 30 minutes to 1 hour. The ideal time that many users find it useful is between 6 am and 8 pm. Start with a shorter duration first. Reflect on how the light is working out for you and gradually increase the number of minutes you spend with the light per day. It's not advisable to use it for more than 1 hour per day.

2. Is 10 minutes using a SAD lamp effective?

Using a SAD lamp for at least 20 minutes to up to 60 minutes per day is recommended by experts. While 10 minutes is better than nothing, if you want to see effective relief against SAD, using a light lamp along with SAD treatment is more beneficial. 

3. How close should you be to a light therapy lamp?

You must use the light therapy lamp placed on a flat and levelled surface. You should have at least one arm's length from the lamp. It must be approximately 50-75 cm or 20-30 inches away from you. It must be within visibility so that the light bathes your face. At the same time, you must not look directly at the light.

4. How to use the light lamp for SAD?

While the lamp is closer to you, you can continue with your daily activities. Many users prefer to have this lamp on near the table when they have breakfast. You can also read while sitting close to the lamp. 

5. How long does it take for Bright Minds light therapy lamp to work?

To see results from using the lamp, you must use it for at least 7 days continuously. You can use it for as many days as you want. 

6. Which light lamp is better white light or blue light?

Blue light is more effective in improving light exposure. Just 200 lux of blue light is similar to 1000 lux of white light. Bright Minds therapy lamp has both modes – white mode and blue mode. Each person reacts differently to the light. Use one mode for a few days and feel the difference. Change the mode and notice how different you feel. Use whatever mode is more useful for you. 

6. Can you overuse a light therapy lamp?

Overuse of a light therapy lamp is possible if you don't follow the instructions. You should use it in a way that you don't disrupt your body's natural rhythms. Here are some tips to avoid overuse:

• Keep the light therapy lamp at least 50-75 cm away from you
• Don't look at the light directly
• Use it for 30 minutes to 1 hour only 
• Headaches and eye strain may be experienced initially
• Too much light for a long time may make you restless, anxious, or irritable
• Using it too late in the day can affect your natural circadian rhythm and affect your sleep
• Try to use the light lamp at the same time every day