Light Therapy

Light therapy for winter depression

Someone with winter depression often feels very gloomy and tired in the fall and winter. There are also other depressive symptoms. These symptoms can disappear with light therapy.

Daylight is weaker in autumn and winter. It is also less light and the sun rises later. In someone with winter depression, the chemical in the brain that produces sleep (melatonin) gets confused. Too little light causes the body to continue to produce melatonin. This keeps a person sleepy and tired during the day. And feels gloomy. Light therapy stops the body from producing too much melatonin, causing the symptoms to disappear.

The light therapy is done with a strong, white light of approximately 10,000 lux. There is no ultraviolet radiation in this light. So it is not bad for the skin. The light is comparable to daylight three quarters of an hour after sunrise.

Boncura offers light therapy at the Hengelosestraat 100 location in Enschede. The light therapy takes place in the morning on working days.

Reference

To be eligible for light therapy, you can be referred by your general practitioner. Are you already being treated by Boncura GGz? Then discuss the options with your therapist.

The light therapy

You start with an intake, where you are briefly introduced to the light therapy room. A list of complaints is also taken during the first meeting. After the introduction, you can immediately take a seat for 45 minutes behind the light box, which is approximately 100 – 150 cm away.
The treatment lasts 2 weeks, you will arrive on location every morning during working days, preferably in the morning. You report to the administration and take a seat behind the light box.
You can grab some coffee or tea and bring your own magazine or portable music.

Closing

A large number of people improve their mood and fatigue after light therapy. After the treatment, you fill in a list to measure the complaints and evaluate with a Boncura employee about closure or possible follow-up.