REVIEW: All I want for Christmas is....a Lumie® Vitamin L SAD light
Mood-enhancing light therapy offers a proven way to combat seasonal gloom, goodbye winter blues!
Every year, without fail, the clocks go back at the end of October and the whole of Britain collectively gasps, “Why is it pitch black at 4pm?!” You’d think we’d be used to it by now but nope, well I'm not anyway!
Even after 37 years I’m still in shock at how early the darkness hits and how tiny the days feel. The end of British Summer Time (BST) always feels a bit grim to me even though autumn is my favourite season.
What a song....and the most autumn-coded music video I could think of!
Winter, however definitely is not.
I LOVE THIS SONG THOUGH🥹
I know most of ours energy and motivation tends to dip this time of year thanks to SAD (seasonal affective disorder. The NHS says SAD is a type of depression that comes and goes in a seasonal pattern and sometimes known as "winter depression" because the symptoms are usually more apparent and more severe during the winter.
Dr. Victoria Revell, sleep expert and chronobiologist at the Surrey Clinical Research Centre explains that light therapy can genuinely help our bodies adjust after the clocks change.
Morning light is a key signal for our internal clock, keeping it synced to the 24-hour day. But in winter, when mornings are gloomy, our body clocks can drift later which makes waking up for work or school feel like wading through mud.
Using a SAD lamp shortly after getting up can stop this drift and help you feel actually ready for the day. Dr. Revell also stresses the importance of getting as much daylight as possible throughout the day. It’s scarce in winter, so you have to grab it whenever you can even if that’s just a lunchtime walk, a sunrise alarm or a SAD lamp on your desk to fight off that notorious afternoon slump.
If you're like my mama and not sure what a SAD lamp is, basically it's a device used for light therapy to mimic natural sunlight, helping to treat SAD aka winter blues. The light exposes you to a bright light that stimulates the brain, increasing serotonin levels and suppressing melatonin to improve mood and sleep-wake cycles.
Modern living disconnects us from natural light cues, but we have technology that we can help to support our body clock instead of fight it YAY! Then everything feels more balanced.
Lumie invented the world’s first ever wake up light back in 1992 and have spent more than 30 years developing light therapy devices to support circadian rhythm, ease winter blues, improve sleep and boost daytime alertness which is especially important in low light seasons or for anyone who spends a lot of time indoors or working in a basement office like me.
After years of saying I’d treat myself to a SAD lamp, I finally took the plunge and for the last week I've been using a Lumie® Vitamin L SAD light. I’d already done endless research and Lumie consistently came out on top.
Like I mentioned before, I work in a basement office with no real window (wellllll technically there’s a door to a tiny courtyard that permanently smells like pigeon poo) so we do get a tiny bit of daylight but honestly not much at all, especially this time of the year. It can be cosy on a chilly day with a hot choccy, but also incredibly draining mentally when you're there all day and it’s dark walking to work and dark walking home.
One week later after using a Lumie® Vitamin L SAD light every morning for half an hour, I genuinely felt more alive and....brand new! That spark, that lust for life I usually only feel in spring and summer, suddenly came rushing back baby!
I genuinely wasn’t expecting such a a dramatic difference. Even my colleagues noticed a difference and some of them are very sceptical people….although maybe everyone seems like a sceptical next to an optimistic olive like me.
The Lumie® Vitamin L light produces 1000lux at 20cm (so you've basically got to have it quite close to you when it's on for maximum benefits) and is a Medical Device Class IIa - a slim, portable therapy lamp that works in both portrait and landscape and gives off a cool white, UV-free light. It simulates sunlight to improve mood, energy, and focus and honestly when I close my eyes with it on, it feels like I’m stretched out on a sun lounger in Gran Canaria.
The rippled diffuser keeps it bright but soft and because it’s so lightweight I pop it in my backpack and take it to work every day.
Oh and sometimes I work from home and my cat likes it too, she literally crawls into a ball in front of it. So cute!
If you’re missing the sunshine like myself and Fiona Melita-Robson (my cat), I can't recommend the Lumie® Vitamin L light enough and it's now become part of my morning routine. I’ve been using it for 30 minutes each day at home and at the office as soon as I logon to start work, I just have it on my desk and it’s making ng through the darker months so much easier.
Lumie sell other SAD lamps too by the way but the Lumie® Vitamin L light is a good "starter" light in my personal opinion, just in case you're nervous about giving it a go in case you're skeptical, it's a lot of money to spend if you're not sure it'll benefit you, that's why I was in 20 minds about SAD lamps for years and years myself tbh.
Oh also, the Bodyclock™ Glow 150 looks amazing as does the Lumie® Halo and Lumie® TASK (I'd loveee the Golden Yellow one).
Lumie also offer a 45-day trial, so you can try a Lumie light yourself and make sure it’s right for you and if not, they’ll give you a full refund. Truly a win-win.
Plus they make such a good Christmas pressie idea if your partner keeps asking what you want and you’re completely out of idea or the other way around.
Oh and the shortest day is the 21st December so not long now until spring, that's what I'm telling myself anyway whilst sat in front of my SAD lamp!
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