What is Reddit's opinion of Carex Day-Light Classic Plus Bright Light Therapy Lamp - 10,000 LUX At 12 Inches - LED Sun Lamp Mood Light and Sunlight Lamp and Sun Light For Light Box Therapy and Low Energy Levels?

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That could be it.

I go to sleep and wake up at pretty much the same time every day, and I quickly rise from bed and turn on my light box for 30 minutes to wake up. I highly recommend it and it actually can improve depression.

I've had a sun lamp as part of my routine for a while. I think it helps a bit? It's hard to say for sure, but it's a relatively small inconvenience so I keep using it. It might improve my wakefulness a bit, but it's probably also helping to regulate my circadian rhythm which is harder to judge since the effects are delayed and cumulative.

The key is to get a LARGE, adjustable sun lamp -- not one of the cheap, small, LED ones. Angle it downward toward your face, and keep it within 1-2 feet of your head, to get that 10,000 lux that's recommended. Use it for 15-30 minutes in the morning, and maybe again in the early afternoon if you aren't able to spend time in the sun.

Here's a newer model of the version I have. Mine has lasted about a decade so it's well worth the price. (Just make sure to read the directions -- position it closer to your head than what they show in the online photos.)

Got this lamp and just turn it on for 20-30min every morning! I feel so much better when I wake up now, strongly recommend :) I also keep a consistent running schedule, go out and meet new people!

Carex Day-Light Classic Plus Bright Light Therapy Lamp - 10,000 LUX At 12 Inches - LED Sun Lamp Mood Light and Sunlight Lamp https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PCN4UVU/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_GQM2CAZ6M1K6GZ79KDT5

This. I got one through their program a few years ago and the lamp is bulky but definitely helps with my SAD. It's this one: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00PCN4UVU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_imm_P2H3HXWVHQ3YC244PJJM

I also tried the Verilux one from Costco but that one didn't do much for me.

Do you have allergies? The recent warm weather is causing spring allergy season to start.

I have Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) as part of my bipolar and I got a light therapy lamp that I use in the morning when it's cold, dark, rainy, etc.

Best of luck OP, feel better.

Try getting a Sun Lamp. They make special lights designed for people like you (and me!). I have one and I turn it on in the morning for 30 minutes while I drink coffee and get the day started at my desk. It makes a world of difference when used consistently. Check em out! I have this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PCN4UVU/?tag=thewire06-20&linkCode=xm2&ascsubtag=AwEAAAAAAAAAARau

Have you had a full blood panel done lately? Thyroid, dehydration, & low iron or vitamin D & B levels can all affect energy levels. The insomnia you describe can still happen if you are tired when you go to bed, it's hard to turn your brain off.

For just one week do the following:

• Drink 16 oz of water first thing in the morning, again at noon, and about 2 hours before bed in addition to drinking smaller glasses of water whenever you are thirsty and with every meal.

• Take some vitamin D & B12 supplements (if you are a menstruating woman, go ahead and take the iron too, but if you are a man, wait for a blood panel to tell your doctor if you are low or not)

• Get a SAD light, and sit under it for 15 minutes first thing in the mornings at the same time each day while you eat breakfast - I like this one

That's what has helped me.

I've been using a light therapy box for 30 minutes every morning at 8:30AM because I'm participating in a sleep study with Columbia University. After six weeks of that, I have to attribute a lot of improvements in mood and energy levels throughout the day to this light and maintaining a regular sleep schedule because of it. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PCN4UVU

The Carex lamp mentioned here is great. Here it is on Amazon.

It's not cheap but it's bright. When you see lamps advertised as 10k lux look at the distance they are rated at. Some are like 6". This one is at least 12" maybe 18". With the stand you can actually comfortably keep that lamp a foot away, above eye level, and read a book.

Also your eyes need to be open the whole time and the light has to be slightly above you, looking down (as if it were a sun). Look at this basically: https://www.amazon.com/Carex-Day-Light-Classic-Bright-Therapy/dp/B00PCN4UVU

Absolutely! They're fantastic. Don't get a cheap one though: I use this one and it has honestly changed my winter life: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00PCN4UVU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_ZU6KFbY2777B6?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I got Mrs Z a happy light for an early XMas this year. It's helping (we think)

It's a pretty difficult situation to be in. I didn't have zero luck with women, but I didn't have a lot for a long time. I had friends complaining about going a few days without getting laid while I had been celibate for several years. It's pretty irritating.

As other people have said, you have a lot of issues to deal with.

1. no high school diploma
2. depression
3. low self esteem
4. poor health (I assume)
5. minimal work history
6. no romance

These are all pretty difficult to work on! They're not impossible, though. None of it is. It's just difficult.

Have you worked on getting your GED? I don't actually know what that entails, but it's possible, and I think it's quite a bit easier than actually going through four years of high school. What prevented you from graduating the first time around? Is that still a problem?

Depression and low self esteem kind of go hand-in-hand. One can cause the other and get into a difficult feedback loop. They each can be treated with therapy (which I'll get into in a bit) but a lot of things you can do for yourself can help with it as well (which I'll get into in a bit too).

For therapy, I assume you don't have a lot of money and likely poor (or no) insurance. A lot of therapists will work with people in your situation. Normally, therapy can be very expensive, at $100+ per session, but a lot of therapists have income adjustments. Psychology Today's find a therapist tool can be a bit overwhelming, but it has a ton of therapists. I actually had to take my anti-anxiety med because I started to have a panic attack while I was whittling down the list that would apply to me, but I ended up with a therapist who's just about perfect for my situation. Take some time. Spend a few days, an hour here or there, looking through the list. SAMHSA (substance abuse and mental health services administration) has a similar tool, but I'm not at all familiar with it.

Health issues are difficult, especially if you're depressed or don't have much money. There's a lot you can do, though. If you're on your butt all day, take some time to take a walk outside, especially while it's still sunny. Speaking of which, how much sunlight do you get? Sunlight can be incredibly important for preventing depression, especially SAD (seasonal effective disorder). As dumb as it might seem, keeping a light therapy lamp on, especially for 30-60 minutes in the morning, can really help your mood. I have this light therapy lamp. When I sit down at my desk (I work at home) in the morning, I turn it on. It faces the wall, so I get a lot of diffused bright light without it shining directly at me. That lamp is pretty big (15" wide, I guess, though it looks wider) and expensive ($120) so you might want to try this one instead. It's only 6x15.75 inches, so it's a lot more compact. I liked it but thought it wasn't quite good enough so I tried the $120 one. This winter, I suspect I'll want to keep the $120 facing the wall and also have the $70 facing me directly. There are a ton of other options, but these are the two I'm familiar with, and I definitely recommend either.

Exercise helps a lot, too. You're probably getting some at your warehouse job now, but it's also probably not good exercise. You want to stretch your limbs, move around, walk, and have your heart beating faster for a good 30 minutes per day. Yoga might sound silly to you, but even 15-30 minutes of yoga per day can be astonishingly helpful at reducing anxiety. It's relaxing, but that's not really the point (for me, anyway). The point is that it stretches your muscles and keeps you moving. I have a few yoga poses that I do when my muscles get tense, for example. My favorite, and one that's very easy, is the child's pose (and apparently there are other versions. I think that one is a variant and the 'official' one is this, but I only found that while getting the link for my version to share with you). When my muscles are tense, I get into that pose and hold it for 30 seconds or so. It feels so damn good.

How's your diet? How much alcohol do you drink? Do you eat a lot of candy, desserts, fast food, or soft drinks? How many vegetables do you eat each day? If you drink a lot of soft drinks or alcohol, especially beer, could you replace that with something else? If you don't drink much water, try carrying a water bottle with you when you're able to, at work or at home. Get into the habit of sipping from it even when you're not necessarily thirsty, but don't force yourself to chug it constantly. Keeping yourself hydrated ahead of getting thirsty does a lot to help your appetite and even the amount you drink. A while after I started doing that, I actually started to get thirsty even more often, so it became really easy to drink a healthy amount of water. They say 64 ounces (8 8 oz glasses) of water per day, but really any amount is better than none.

It's pretty easy to get into the habit of eating fast food, but there's a ton you can my that's easy and fast. My fiancee found this (probably not authentic) italian beef recipe and we love it. It's so good, and it just takes tossing like 8-10 ingredients in a crockpot, leaving it on for 6-8 hours, and shredding the beef. It ends up about as spicy as a spicy pepperoni, so if you don't want that, use half the peppers and pepper juice. It's also not exactly the healthiest sandwich, but it's a lot healthier than fast food, and it's pretty filling.

Alcohol and soft drinks cost a lot, too. If you drink more water, you'll naturally cut down on those. Water isn't as enjoyable for me as soft drinks, but I haven't drunk a soft drink in... 5 years? I think? I used to drink 4-5 cans of barq's root beer per day. Now I don't, and honestly I don't really miss it. I said for years that I would never stop drinking soft drinks because other things wouldn't be nearly as satisfying, but once I cut it, it really wasn't hard to just keep drinking water. I'll drink some other sweet things like lemonade, but most of what I drink is water. I know I keep harping on the water point, but it truly is something that can help with money and your health.

Work history is something that you have to literally work on. It takes a bit, but even this warehouse job is a lot better than no job. Getting your GED can open up a lot of options, too. This isn't something that I have a lot of advice on, unfortunately. I was able to get a college degree (though it took 6 years, a ton of stress and depression, and retaking something like a third of the classes I took) so my perception and experience is fairly skewed. That said, it's not a hopeless position, just difficult. And think about it this way - you already took the hardest step, which is the first one. You got yourself a job. Good job! Seriously! It's hard as fuck, dude. I'm proud of you for doing that. I seriously hope you don't see this as patronizing, because I'm really not. Getting a job is difficult. Making yourself go out, apply, etc., is difficult. You've already done it successfully once, now, so you know you can do it again.

Romance is difficult, but all of these things you can work on can help. Healthy people are more attractive. People with GEDs or high school diplomas are more attractive. Etc. That's not to say that you're not attractive, or that it's impossible to have a love life in your current situation, just that it does make things harder for you. I ended up with pretty good luck with okcupid - only a few dates here and there with maybe 4-5 people total across a period of about 1.5 years, but then I had a date with a woman to whom I'm now engaged. It took a lot of work, but it did work out.

And, to be clear, you're not an unkissable person. I promise.

I use this: https://www.amazon.com/Carex-Day-Light-Classic-Bright-Therapy/dp/B00PCN4UVU/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1NO9VBH0UL115

About 30 minutes in the morning around 7:00 AM. Then about an hour before bed I wear blue light-blocking glasses.

I noticed that I do better in the spring and worse around this time of year. So I tried a SAD light and it helps me. I use this one

https://www.amazon.com/Carex-Day-Light-Classic-Bright-Therapy/dp/B00PCN4UVU

based on this:

https://lorienpsych.com/2020/12/19/light-therapy/

I’ve tried smaller lamps in the past with less success. The one linked above is fairly large and you’re supposed to use it a foot from your face. That level of brightness does seem to be necessary/helpful.

This is the one I have at my work Carex Day-Light Classic Plus Bright Light Therapy Lamp - 10,000 LUX - Sun Lamp Mood Light https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00PCN4UVU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_YE59NP9391YJXJNCBF3J

And I think this was the one I bought my mother

Verilux® HappyLight® Touch Plus - UV-Free LED Bright White Light Therapy Lamp with 10,000 Lux, Adjustable Brightness, Color, and Countdown Time https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08KFQBY43/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_BNMSHK399DNARMD0GDGP

I have this one. Works as dual-purpose task lighting and light therapy lamp. Carex Day-Light Classic Plus Bright Light Therapy Lamp - 10,000 LUX - Sun Lamp Mood Light https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00PCN4UVU/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_AMFDP888TTGP8JRSTGRY

This is what you want: https://smile.amazon.com/Carex-Day-Light-Classic-Bright-Therapy/dp/B00PCN4UVU

There are many essays available online dealing with the relationship between depression and light exposure and circadian rhythms. Here is just one of dozens.

Randomized clinical trial of bright light therapy for antepartum depression: preliminary findings

Bright light therapy was shown to be a promising treatment for depression during pregnancy in a recent open-label study. Ten pregnant women with DSM-IV major depressive disorder were randomly assigned from April 2000 to January 2002 to a 5-week clinical trial with either a 7000 lux (active) or 500 lux (placebo) light box. At the end of the randomized controlled trial, subjects had the option of continuing in a 5-week extension phase. Salivary melatonin was used to index circadian rhythm phase for comparison with antidepressant results. Although there was a small mean group advantage of active treatment throughout the randomized controlled trial, it was not statistically significant. However, in the longer 10-week trial, the presence of active versus placebo light produced a clear treatment effect with an effect size similar to that seen in antidepressant drug trials. Successful treatment with bright light was associated with phase advances of the melatonin rhythm.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15096083

This is what you want: https://smile.amazon.com/Carex-Day-Light-Classic-Bright-Therapy/dp/B00PCN4UVU

There are many essays available online dealing with the relationship between depression and light exposure and circadian rhythms. Here is just one of dozens.

Randomized clinical trial of bright light therapy for antepartum depression: preliminary findings

Bright light therapy was shown to be a promising treatment for depression during pregnancy in a recent open-label study. Ten pregnant women with DSM-IV major depressive disorder were randomly assigned from April 2000 to January 2002 to a 5-week clinical trial with either a 7000 lux (active) or 500 lux (placebo) light box. At the end of the randomized controlled trial, subjects had the option of continuing in a 5-week extension phase. Salivary melatonin was used to index circadian rhythm phase for comparison with antidepressant results. Although there was a small mean group advantage of active treatment throughout the randomized controlled trial, it was not statistically significant. However, in the longer 10-week trial, the presence of active versus placebo light produced a clear treatment effect with an effect size similar to that seen in antidepressant drug trials. Successful treatment with bright light was associated with phase advances of the melatonin rhythm.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15096083

This is what you want: https://smile.amazon.com/Carex-Day-Light-Classic-Bright-Therapy/dp/B00PCN4UVU

There are many essays available online dealing with the relationship between depression and light exposure and circadian rhythms. Here is just one of dozens.

Randomized clinical trial of bright light therapy for antepartum depression: preliminary findings

Bright light therapy was shown to be a promising treatment for depression during pregnancy in a recent open-label study. Ten pregnant women with DSM-IV major depressive disorder were randomly assigned from April 2000 to January 2002 to a 5-week clinical trial with either a 7000 lux (active) or 500 lux (placebo) light box. At the end of the randomized controlled trial, subjects had the option of continuing in a 5-week extension phase. Salivary melatonin was used to index circadian rhythm phase for comparison with antidepressant results. Although there was a small mean group advantage of active treatment throughout the randomized controlled trial, it was not statistically significant. However, in the longer 10-week trial, the presence of active versus placebo light produced a clear treatment effect with an effect size similar to that seen in antidepressant drug trials. Successful treatment with bright light was associated with phase advances of the melatonin rhythm.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15096083

This is what you want: https://smile.amazon.com/Carex-Day-Light-Classic-Bright-Therapy/dp/B00PCN4UVU

There are many essays available online dealing with the relationship between depression and light exposure and circadian rhythms. Here is just one of dozens.

Randomized clinical trial of bright light therapy for antepartum depression: preliminary findings

Bright light therapy was shown to be a promising treatment for depression during pregnancy in a recent open-label study. Ten pregnant women with DSM-IV major depressive disorder were randomly assigned from April 2000 to January 2002 to a 5-week clinical trial with either a 7000 lux (active) or 500 lux (placebo) light box. At the end of the randomized controlled trial, subjects had the option of continuing in a 5-week extension phase. Salivary melatonin was used to index circadian rhythm phase for comparison with antidepressant results. Although there was a small mean group advantage of active treatment throughout the randomized controlled trial, it was not statistically significant. However, in the longer 10-week trial, the presence of active versus placebo light produced a clear treatment effect with an effect size similar to that seen in antidepressant drug trials. Successful treatment with bright light was associated with phase advances of the melatonin rhythm.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15096083

There are ways of treating Seasonal Affective Disorder, has he tried any of them?

For example, light therapy:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/light-therapy/about/pac-20384604

SAD Light boxes are pretty cheap as far as medical equipment goes, around $100.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PCN4UVU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_611544Y2PHFR67EHVGZ9

This is the current model of the first light you mention. In any case, the light is supposed to shine down on the eyes from above.

I just bought a therapy lamp that takes up a lot of space, and I wondered if someone had an idea for how to attach it to a desk in such a way that I could maneuver it and swing it out when not in use? Something like a computer monitor arm: https://www.amazon.com/Carex-Day-Light-Classic-Bright-Therapy/dp/B00PCN4UVU/ref=sr_1_26?dchild=1&keywords=therapy+light&qid=1603067366&sr=8-26

The base separates from the pole, so possibly something like this: https://www.amazon.com/ChargerCity-Aluminum-Microphone-Surface-Tablets/dp/B00FFLK7AM/ref=sxts_sxwds-bia-wc-p13n2_0?cv_ct_cx=ipad+stand&dchild=1&keywords=ipad+stand&pd_rd_i=B00FFLK7AM&pd_rd_r=7453bcf9-8cfb-4065-9ef3-8c492b2fb9f3&pd_rd_w=dXa61&pd_rd_wg=sVF4a&pf_rd_p=aa27be45-7294-48a8-8c11-546cebd55a37&pf_rd_r=DN2275Y8FK9Y92SZ0EVW&psc=1&qid=1603067465&sr=1-2-a14f3e51-9e3d-4cb5-bc68-d89d95c82244, but with a pipe-clamp at the end I could attach to the pole?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Alternatively would a floor lamp with lots of bulbs and bright full spectrum sunlight bulbs? It tends to be what artists use and honestly the bulbs are gunna be the most important thing.

Art wise you'd want CRI 80 or higher and CCT 5500k for mid day cool and 7500k for warmer late afternoon. I was trying to find an example video and didn't find many here's some dude showing off a pack and here's a science-y video.

Otherwise if you look into the medical daylight replacement lamps for SAD they are ugly but BRIGHT. And not a floor lamp

Why not get a light for bright light therapy? I got this since I work nights from home. Seems to help mood and energy.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PCN4UVU/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1