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The Bright Way to Beat the Winter Blues

The Meaning of SAD

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), also known as winter depression or winter blues, is a subtype of depression. The most common type of SAD often begins in late fall when daylight hours decrease with normal mood returning with the longer daylight hours of springs. Light therapy, often used in combination with medication and behavioral therapy, is an effective treatment for SAD.

At one extreme are people with SAD. At the other are those who wake up cheerfully, rain or shine. In between are those with the winter blues. They manage with difficulty during the dark days but are less joyful, productive and creative than usual.

Research by the U.S. National Institute of Health found the prevalence of winter blues to be 3 to 4 times greater than the smaller percentage of the population diagnosed with SAD.

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winter depression and light therapy

What’s the Difference Between SAD and Winter Blues?

winter blues and sad


The onset of winter blues typically occurs later in the season. Another demarcation is the degree of symptoms:


People with Seasonal Affective Disorder suffer setbacks in their relationships and at work as they withdraw from friends and loved ones, as energy drags and concentration falters; and they are significantly unhappier.


People with the winter blues tend to manage with life’s basic demands, albeit with difficulty.

There is a Bright Side

Light therapy delivered by the HappyLight therapy box by Verilux offers a solution to this seasonal health problem.

Light therapy involves sitting in front of a HappyLight for a certain length of time each day. The type and intensity of light from the HappyLight is far greater than normal household lighting. It is designed to mimic bright, outdoor summer light and cause a biochemical change in the brain to lift mood and relieve symptoms of SAD and the winter blues.

Using a light therapy box is easy. Sit approximately 12-15 inches in front of the light for about 30 minutes each day while working, reading, studying or using a computer. HappyLight is available in various sizes and can be adjustable so the user can set the light to an appropriate height/angle so the eyes are level with the center of the light.

The good news is HappyLight by Verilux offers a solution to this seasonal health problem.

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"I started feeling very fatigued and depressed in the late fall and winter and realized that it was because of the lack of sunlight. I realized I had winter blues. I bought the light therapy lamp and it has helped me and my family so much, I highly recommend this product. Worth every penny!!!!!"

-Ali | Washington

"I was struggling so much with energy levels, I was irritable, I needed to encourage myself to take on the smallest of things, getting dressed, picking something off the floor, putting something the trash even. So I looked into the HappyLight therapy lamps. When I researched and saw the symptoms of winter blues it was then that I knew what my problem had been. Even then I was skeptical. Well within a week I noticed I truly feel like a new person. Tons of energy, a much better mental state of mind, I am sleeping a regular 6-8hrs each night, and my sleep isn't disrupted... I'm a true believer.”

-Terra | Upstate New York

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