Depression is a disease that can affect anybody at any age at any time. There are however specific periods in life and time that can increase the likelihood of being depressed. Postpartum depression is a common occurrence, a type of depression that materializes for a mother or father following the birth of a baby. Another point in time that depression is most likely to occur is during the winter months. While there may be several reasons behind this, the most valid explanation appears to be due to the drop in light. Based on numerous studies, lack of light can cause negative feelings and affect the perception of a person resulting in a depressed state. For this reason, light therapy for depression is now a common form of treatment for the disorder.
If you start to experience low spirits as well as other lifestyle changes such as changes in your sleeping schedule as well as general level of negativity, you may be a victim of seasonal depression that occurs in winter. For this particular form of the condition, depression light therapy is the ideal way to alleviate the symptoms. Light therapy for depression was popularized only in recent times. It has only recently been discovered that lack of light may cause the disorder. Seasonal depression light therapy simply works by increasing exposure to light for a particular number of hours per day.
Light therapy is a very specific treatment that only works for patients who have developed the malady following inadequate exposure to light. If a person develops the condition due to other reasons such as psychological trauma, light therapy will most likely be ineffective. Treatment is done by exposing the patient to a “light box”. The time to spend would depend on the doctor. It is usually started slowly and then increased over time. Light therapy is most successful if done on a constant basis for a relatively long period of time.
Blue light therapy for depression is a special type of light therapy that utilizes blue colored lights as the name suggests. Blue light has proven to be very effective with treating the disorder and is commonly used as the primary form of light therapy. Light therapy can significantly alter your mood and leave you feeling more energetic and happier in general which should get rid of your depression symptoms.