Why do I need artificial daylight?
Morning bright light is slowly getting public recognition as the health booster it has long been scientifically proven to be:
- Improve mood, alleviate depression
- Improve sleep
- Be a morning person
- Improve daytime performance
The #1 way to get bright light when daylight is available: daylight! Did you know that an hour-long daily morning walk is an effective treatment for winter depression (SAD))?
But what if it’s still dark outside when you get up, or your schedule doesn’t allow for an extensive morning stroll? Here’s our guide to getting proper artificial bright light.
Daylight lamps are lamps specifically designed to deliver bright light when no natural bright light is available. As they are a first-line treatment for winter depression (seasonal affective disorder, SAD), they are also called light therapy lamps. The only difference is that products marketed as the latter must be certified as medical products.
What to look for in a daylight lamp?
Daylight lamps are typically marketed as 10.000 lux. While this is indeed the gold standard for bright light therapy, it’s a misleading feature to base your purchase on. After having read this section, you will understand why that is and what to look for, instead.
The following factors are a personal selection, derived from my own experience as well as talks with researchers and clinicians.
Size: Seek lamps with a large light area
Why is the term “10.000 lux” a misleading feature to look for in a daylight lamp? It is because the lux level (illuminance) is not a measure of how bright the lamp is (luminance). Lux levels quantify how much light your eyes get from a certain distance to the lamp (calculated as lumens/m²). This quantity drop strongly with the distance from the lamp. Real life example:
Beurer TL30:
Advertised as 10.000 lux – but at what distance? Let’s look closer at the specs
- 10.000 lux at 10cm (try this distance with a piece of paper – not realistic for daily use)
- 5.000 lux at 20cm (still not realistic)
- 2.500 lux at 30cm (still really close)
- 1.250 lux at 40cm (manageable)
- 625 lux at 50cm (now it’s getting realistic – but it’s not bright light anymore)
- Spectrum
Most of the products say “full-spectrum daylight” in their description. This does not necessarily mean anything. There are wavelengths of light that affect your circadian system more than others, but typical LEDs deliver much of these wavelengths and, therefore, are fine! - mobility/design
Make sure you choose a lamp you are willing to use every day and place it somewhere which encourages you to do so.
Having said all that, here are our top picks:
Beurer TL 95
for people in Europe
Carex Classic Plus.
for people in the United States