Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Computers And SAD

When the days are short and the sky is cloudy, a lot of people get winter blues, with some even developing a form of seasonal depression called SAD. Main treatment offered is light therapy when you have to sit in front of a light box which imitates sunlight.

However, we also know that computer screens emit blue light and its brightness is equivalent to that of the sun, hence all the recommendations to protect your eyes in the evening. So it's my theory that spending more time in front of the computer/tablet, especially in the morning on rainy/dark days can have positive influence on those suffering from winter blues. I know that when the days are getting short and dark I tend to spend more time browsing, particularly in the afternoon since it's basically dark downstairs in the living-room at 4 o'clock.

If you have similar experiences, feel free to share in the comments!

2 comments:

  1. Great minds think alike. When I feel very tired and depressed, I allow myself to come browsing internet immediately after dog's morning walk -usually I do my homekeeping then and do not open computer until after my lunch. But I have noticed that sitting on the computer really lifts my spirit and makes me less tired and I have energy to do my tasks later.

    I have come to the same conclusion you did: it is the "harmful" light that cheers me up.

    I also have one of those "Bright light" -lamps but it gives me headache easily.

    BTW, I decided to change my nickname. Hope you do not mind. This is Housewife from Finland, further Housewife Outdoors. I seem to be unable to make up good nickname. :rolleyes:

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  2. Housewife, I'd recognise you with any nick:) As for computers, they appear to be like a double-edged sword since they create EMF which is speculated to be harmful, though apparently, it's more the problem of laptops when the battery is being charged, and wi-fi than ordinary computers. I have been thinking hard about removing a battery from my laptop since it's on the cable all the time. I do agree they are mood-lifters, especially when it's gloomy outside.

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