Any experience with bright light therapy?

[ca_hosehead]

Well it seems I could make a good side income renting myself out to medical schools as I am a walking (sleep walking, that is) encyclopedia of sleep disorders.

In addition to apnea which seems to be responding to CPAP, I have a problem with Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) aka "The Jimmy Legs". Now the RLS doesn't hit unless is takes me a long time to get to sleep which leads to the next sleep problem that I am having.

I seem to be an excellent fit for Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome. The therapy for this is called "bright light therapy" and it's pretty simple. You sit close to a light source that is bright enough for long enough to trigger the "it's daytime" response in the body. The amount of light needed and the length of time varies from one individual to the next. What this does is reset a funky biological clock.

I didn't have a problem with this prior to CPAP. I was so exhausted all the time that going to sleep really wasn't a problem. Now that I am actually getting rest the other conditions that were sitting under the apnea seem to be re-surfacing.

I bought a light visor as it is more portable than the stationary lights.

Has anyone done this type of therapy?

(Apologies if this is off-topic for the board, feel free to PM me if it is).

[StillAnotherGuest]

I am a strong supporter of BLT. Personally, I try to take 60 minutes, every day, first thing in the morning.
SAG

[wheezy]

I have been using BLT since Sept 06 for SAD(winter depression)for 1hr in the the morning(5:30am).It seems to be more effective than anti-depressants...at least for me.

[jskinner]

Has anyone done this type of therapy?

Yes I have a GoLite and used to use it quite a bit before CPAP to help control my sleep schedule.

[ca_hosehead]

How much light did you use and for how long?

Did you get up earlier to use if you wanted to shift your schedule earlier?

[jskinner]

How much light did you use and for how long?

I would use it for about 20 minutes each day. There is quite a bit of information on light therapy on the apollo and other websites.

Did you get up earlier to use if you wanted to shift your schedule earlier?

Yes but you have to know what you are doing. You can't just shift your schedule by a large amount if you are many hours off. You have do it slowly or you can end up just confusing your body more. If you get an Apollo there is an online program to help you do the shifting and know when and how long to use the light until the shift is completed..

[-SWS]

I am a strong supporter of BLT. Personally, I try to take 60 minutes, every day, first thing in the morning.

Like SAG, I too enjoy bacon, lettuce, tomato sandwich therapy in the morning. No wait!!! BLT stands for bright light therapy here! Sorry.

Two days ago I thumbed through a November copy of WebMD magazine in my neuro's office. That issue happened to have an article about SAD. In that article they mentioned that a one-hour winter walk outdoors can yield the same benefits of 2 1/2 hours of light box therapy.

I've personally never noticed any discernible benefits from light box therapy----at least given my own physiology. And yet, for some reason I seem to achieve fantastic results, regarding daytime energy, with brisk outdoor walks. However, please note that at least some cardiovascular exercise was included in that brisk outdoor walk of mine. And I also achieve great results from an indoor treadmill workout (with my treadmill and line of vision in front of a window, however). It sounds as if cardiovascular exercise is a key therapeutic factor for me---perhaps the key therapeutic component in my case. However, note that I have no way of telling if there are certain light spectrum benefits that I'm getting from the sun that I do not receive from light box therapy.

As always YMMV (your mileage may vary), as the acronym or saying goes.