A slow increase in light that helps you to wake up without any stress : that is the dawn simulator also known as the sunrise alarm clock or even light alarm from SOLVITAL.

Imitating the sunrise in the morning and dusk at night so that you can wake up and fall asleep naturally and without stress.

Finished stressful wakeup calls with ringing alarms, which make you jump, with the sunrise alarm clock you can wake up naturally to light, just like in the summer and, the same at night to the gradual decrease in light.  An original idea for a present, for those who have trouble sleeping and, for those who have trouble waking up.  The dawn simulator is used for children aswell as adults who will sleep naturally and wake up with no problems.

 6 reasons for using the dawn simulator :

- The dawn simulator has been clinically tested,

- The dawn simulator allows you to wake up naturally,

- Being woken up by dawn simulation ensures the natural secretion of Cortisol,

- The dawn simulator ensures biorhythm regulation,

- The dawn simulator helps fight insomnia,

- The dawn simulator helps you to fall asleep at night.

Solvital site is also a specialist in bright light therapy, which is very different from dawn simulation.  This treatment helps to fight against all problems linked to a lack of natural sunlight.  When light intensity is inferior to 2000 lux (light intensity) the body naturally secrets melatonin (sleeping hormone) which in turn brings on moodiness, tiredness, seasonal affective disorder (SAD) etc… Simply being exposed to an intensive bright light designes specially for therapy use, the production of melatonin is blocked and normal activity and energy is regained.

 For more information Solvital light therapy and sunrise alarm clocks

When the sky is grey and the days grow short our morale is unharmed.  Everyone can be affected by the loss of light in the dead season.  It is now or never to chase away the passing blues or the seasonal depression with the help of light therapy.

A quarter of the population sees their life turned upside down by the season’s rhythm, where as 2 or 3% of people suffer a severe depression due to this time of year.  It is only since the middle of the 80’s that researchers started looking for the reasons of this depressive state.  Someone suffering from seasonal depressions have a tendancy to see their appetite increase, have a taste for sugar and have an excessive need for sleep.  As the symptoms are different to a regular depression, Dr Marc Hébert researcher and professor at Laval Robert Giffard University, thinks it is necessary to treat patients differently. Instead of giving them a percription for antidepressants he praises a healthier solution : exposure to light.

The eye : window to the brain

“Contrary to what many people think the eye is not an external organ, but an extention of the brain” explains Dr Hébert.  All the plays between the two ears, but as it is extremely difficult to study the organ in vivo, the study of the eye is composed of an interesting window.

If the brain seems to be affected by the lack of light, we do not know what makes certain people more vulnerable than others.  It is by analysis of the retina that multidisciplinary directed by Dr Hébert, composed of researchers in neuroscience in opthalmologyof psychologists and psychiatrists resulting in knowing a little more about the role of light on the brain.  “Alot of sick neuropsychiatrists think that the eye is the vision of the person not affected, he says (…) we are capable of studyin neurotransmitters presents the eye and we can see the effects after four weeks of light therapy sessions.”

 Seratonine and dopamine are the two most common neurotransmitters that are directly linked to the humour.  If there is a chemical inbalance of the neurotransmitters it can start a depression.

Light therapy

Light therapy, lux therapy or photo therapy consists of exposure to an intense light at eye level of 5000 to 10 000 lux (light unities), in controled conditions.  A headline comparison, of regular lighting that we can have at the house or at the office of only 100 to 150 lux.

The advantage of this treatement is that it can be done at home.  A light therapy lamp costs about 250 $.  Certain pharmacies also offer a months trial.  The cost of renting deducted if the person decides to buy the lamp.  It is better to buy a lamp specially made for this effect rather than fabricate your own, says the specialist (it is a danger for the eyes and your skin).

The use of a light therapy lamp can be diversified, because the user can stay active during sessions. Dr Hébert personnaly uses all the time a lamp at work at his desk.  He suggests also to people to put it on the table while they are having breakfast or when they are reading a news paper.  The person should keep their eyes open, but not to keep looking at the light.  The person can then carry on about their business, while being exposed to the light. You can equalise the sessions of exposur and the intensity of the light by your own energy and needs, which can change each month each year.  After an hour a day, the benefits generally show about a week later.  Sure it is firstly recommended to consult a doctor so as to decide if the problem which is affecting the person is actually seasonal depression.

Sceptics

Despite its benefits, light therapy still has scepitcs in the medical community.  “There are psychologists and psychiatrists who do not believe in it, underlines Dr Marc Hébert.  They were surprised to find that a number of patients replied in the same way to light therapy sessions”.  In fact, it would seem that the treatment works for about 70% of people suffering from seasonal depression.  One of the advantages of this treatment is the possibility which it offers to everyone, the power to anticipate the blues before the arrival of autumn.

“We know that the treatment of light therapy works for people affected by winter depression, but we do not know yet the mecanical theraputic action, indicates Dr Marc Hébert, who specialises in the subject since 1992.  We notice that the biological response to the light therapy, which lets us conclude that it, is not a placebo effect, but a real effect”.

According to Kino Québec, a person has “more chance of being in a good mood and have the spirit if his level of melotonin (sleeping hormone) is not too high during the day” the exposure to the light helps to increase the level of mealtonin. The govermental organisations suggest the practise of sports outside even when it is dull, seeing as the light of day will always be superior to the light we find in doors.  Although, the Russian acadamy of medical science showed that physical exercise also had positive results, as light therapy for people suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder.

If the idea of being exposed to artificail light puts you off, nothing stops you from changing your habits and going to enjoy the sun summer or winter.  It must be known that the sun produces 100 000 lux during the summer, but the intensity of the light is lower in winter, so only 20 000 lux on average.  The statistiques show that during summer the daily exposure during the day is about 2 hours so during winter it is just 30 minutes.  Never forget that the intensity of the sun is about 25 times more powerful than a light therapy lamp.

You will find all the information you need on light therapy on the specialist site : Solvital

It is an age old question.It has kept many a man up at night,pencil in hand,scribbling figures and measurements endlessly on ream after ream of paper.Still it perplexes even the most astute scholar of mathematics:How many lights should I put on my tree?When decorating indoor and outdoor trees for the holiday season,just how many lights should be used?The Christmas Light Source has found a solution to the problem.No more sleepless nights,no more endless formulas to compute.No,all you have to do is visit their website to see the Christmas Lights Calculator and answer a couple of questions to find out pretty much instantly how many lights you should put on your tree.

While not everyone decorates their tree the same way,this tool is a good place to start.Individual taste usually dictates how many lights a tree should have.What is simple to one person may be extravagant to another.There are not hard fast rules,but there are some standards that can work as guidelines for designing the perfect tree.The tool calculates the size of the tree and the type of lights that the person intends to use.It then recommends how many lights should be used,but they can do more or less,depending on personal taste.The calculator is intended for trees that have kept their leaves.In the case of a tree that has lost its leaves,Christmas Light Source recommends using up to half of that number of lights.For indoor trees,they suggest adding 30% to the highest recommended amount of lights if you like your Christmas tree lighting to be over the top.It should also be noted that the tool is trees.

“We had so many people calling in asking for advice,”says Shellie Gardner,co-owner of Christmas Light Source.”So we thought we’d create this tool to give them an easy way to see what changing the sets of lights would do for the quantity that would be required.”And it is certainly doing its job.Along with pithy but fun comments returned to users,the little tool keeps with the lightheartedness and humor that is prevalent throughout the Christmas Light Source website.They have managed to solve yet another holiday dilemma with a creative,effective,user friendly tool.Now,if they could only solve the fruitcake issue…

Christmas Light Source is a one stop shopping source for Christmas lighting needs.From hardware to lights and everything in between,Christmas Light Source has everything for holiday lighting decor as well as tips,tricks and do it yourself projects.For more information,visit their website at christmas-light-source.com

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