Best SAD Visor: SAD Light Therapy On the Go

Every fall when the photoperiod becomes shorter, between 4% to 6% of the population suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). A form cyclic depression, the decrease in light affects the production of biochemicals within the body. Two of the primary biochemicals it affects are serotonin and melatonin. While serotonin is often called the happiness hormone and melatonin is often called the sleep hormone. During the fall and winter, serotonin levels decrease while melatonin levels can become skewed. Serotonin not only promotes well-being, it can also affect sleep and appetite. In contrast, melatonin induces sleepiness. Consequently, both hormones can affect the way we feel, sleep, and eat. Symptoms of SAD can include depression, social isoloation, irritability, carbohydrate cravings, weight gain, sleep problems. However, unlike clinical depression, when the sunlight returns in the spring and summer, the symptoms abate.

Although SAD can be treated anti-depressants, sometimes the remedy can be worse than the disorder. The class of anti-depressants most commonly used, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) not only have undesirable side-effects, it can compound the symptoms of depression with an increased risk for suicide and violent behavior. However, thankfully, research has shown that light therapy is just as effective as anti-depressants in treating SAD and individuals can start seeing improvement with in a couple of days to a few weeks.

Even though light therapy is the best known treatment for SAD, some people have compliance issues since it requires 30 minutes of light therapy shortly after awakening. However, with the advent of SAD light visors, now you can go about your morning routine without having to sit nearby a SAD light. Using a rechargeable battery to power the SAD light, they attatch underneath any visor or baseball hat.

Currently, there are two SAD visors on the market: the Feel Bright Light visor and the Biobrite Deluxe Light visor. Between the two, the Feel Bright Light visor is the best SAD visor for several reasons.

The Feel Bright Light visor is two ounces lighter and uses lithium polymer batteries rather than nickel cadmium batteries. Not only are lithium polymer batteries 40% to 50% smaller, it only takes one lithium polymer battery to equal three nickel cadmium batteries. Furthermore, unlike lithium polymer batteries, nickel cadmium batteries aren't as long-lived since each time they're recharged they take less of a charge until eventually they won't recharge at all. Not only do the lithium polymer batteries have a longer life, they also have a longer charge at a higher lux setting.

Even more importantly, there are differences in the type and the intensity of the light. While the Biobrite Deluxe Light visor uses LED white light, the Feel Bright Light visor uses blue-green light. Although there is controversy on which type of light better, some research studies have shown that blue light is more effective than full spectrum light and the effects last longer than green light. In addition to the type of light, the lux rating is crucial to the length of time spent in light therapy treatment. The higher the lux, the less time is usually needed to be spent in light therapy treatment. Unlike the Biobrite Deluxe Light visor which has a maximum setting of 3,000 lux, the Feel Bright Light visor has a maximum lux setting of 12,000. In initial clinical studies, 10,000 lux of full spectrum light for 30 minutes after awakening was standard. Consequently, to get a comparable effect, one would need to use the Biobrite Deluxe Light visor three times longer to get the same effect.

When light therapy has been clinically-proven to be just as effective as anti-depressants without all of the undesirable side-effects, and most people can experience marked improvemenmt within a couple days to a few weeks, why struggle with depression, fatigue, weight gain, and more for six months out of the year? Discover more about the best SAD visor today!