Daylight lamp yes or no? The advice of a clinical psychologist

A daylight lamp is the best friend for more and more people during the dark and cold winter months. The great light intensity gives you a summer feeling in your own home. It is promised to provide: a better mood, more energy, a good night’s sleep and an end to your winter depression. But is that really the case? Is a light therapy lamp really such a panacea? We discuss it with a clinical psychologist.

The daylight lamp is becoming increasingly popular in the Netherlands and Belgium. How do you view this trend?

The fact that more attention is being paid to light and lighting is certainly important and useful, we cannot live without daylight. A daylight lamp can therefore certainly be a good addition although it is important to know how and when to apply the lamp…. If you are often tired in the winter and have trouble getting up, or if you generally have trouble getting up, the daylight lamp is certainly a good addition. If in summer you already get outside a lot during the day then a daylight lamp is not necessarily necessary.

A daylight lamp is best used early in the morning. In fact, the light helps reduce the production of the sleep hormone melatonin. This gives you more energy during the day so it can also have positive effects on your sleep patterns. Using a daylight lamp at night can actually be more negative for your sleep rhythm since you are exposed to bright light.

How is the brightness of a daylight lamp compared to real daylight?

This can vary greatly from lamp to lamp. For example, in most cases the strength of a daylight lamp is sun 10,000 lux. On a sunny day, however, the sun easily reaches 100,000lux. Lux is a unit of luminous intensity. 1 lux is the amount of light given off by a candle observed at a distance of one meter. Office lighting, for example, does not exceed 500 lux in most cases.

can a daylight lamp help you with sleep problems?

There is little to say about that in general. Sleep problems can be caused and perpetuated by many reasons. Thus, sleep problems can also be caused by excessive caffeine use, stress, noise pollution, or excessive drinking. Psychological symptoms such as PTSD may also play a role in this. Light will not directly play a mega role in this, although it can improve your sleep rhythm if you consistently use the lamp in the morning.

In conclusion, do you have any further tips, advice or caution for using a daylight lamp?

In mild symptoms and in healthy people, using a daylight lamp can certainly have a positive effect. However, should you experience more serious symptoms, we he still recommend consulting an expert. Being more in the outdoor light is always a good option.

Is a daylight lamp for you?

At Bolusso your health is in the right hands, we like to think with you so you can get the best out of yourself! Similarly, we have developed our own daylight lamp . Want to know more about this? Then check out our webshop!