Did you install SAD(seasonal affective disorder) Lights? Did they help? (transplants, moving to)

[CharlesBernard]

Plan on moving to Iowa in the Spring and am coming from So Cal and was wondering if anyone on the forum installed SAD(seasonal affective disorder) Lights. Did they help? Grew up in Minnesota so can prepare for the cold pretty well but sure do love my sunshine. I do remember Winter days going on and on without the sun so putting-up SAD lights might give me some help on those long cloudy weeks.

Thanks much for any input.

Charlie

[Meemur]

I had SAD in Ohio.

I tried a lot of different things, but what worked for me was a combination of exposing my forearms to natural light over the noon hour and an hour each night with the light boxes from Mid-December - April. My boss at the time let me move to a temp cube that was in the hallway under a large southern window.

But, honestly, I got to January of my first winter in Iowa, and I was still fine without the light boxes. I was making a point of walking outside during my lunch break, unless it was pouring rain or too slippery. The test was January and February, when I wasn't outside as much -- I was still fine.

I've been through 3 winters out here, now. No problems. There is enough light for me. Others complain there is not, but I came from an area that could go 19 days without sun. That's not true in Iowa. I think 4 days is probably the longest.

I don't know how you will fare coming from CA with even more light than here. Other CA transplants have been OK. Their problems were more with things we didn't have, like fresh seafood (hours old, rather than weeks old).

Added: there are a few posters on C-D who pooh-pooh SAD, but I know it's real. I had problems with it off and on for years without knowing what it was. I just knew I did a lot better in the winter when did things outside all the time.

[Dport7674]

October and November can be fairly grey and gloomy. March too. But you can be outside doing things.

On the colder days of winter there's no cloud cover to trap in heat. (Obviously not talking about days with snow storms)

Winter can be blindingly bright a lot of days.. Can't really spend that much time outside when it's that cold, but you can open the curtains and let the sun in.

[GraniteStater]

Upper Midwest Winter is far better than the eastern Great Lakes region or Ohio Valley. Very little sunlight at all, but not much snowfall to brighten things up outside of the Snowbelt. I can't say I enjoy 35-40F highs with days of rain in the Winter. Snow is much better.