It happens every winter: I feel great when I see the first crystalline flakes of snow drifting down from the darkened sky, thinking of all the winterland adventures I will enjoy once enough of the white stuff accumulates on the ground.  I daydream about winter hikes with snowshoes, sledding with my kids, and teaching them how to make snow angels and snowmen.  There is something romantic and cozy about seeing those first few flakes of snow and I truly enjoy their magic…until, of course, those first few flakes gather together with ten billion of their friends, forming a drifting, icy mess.

When the snow really piles up ( and it does really pile up where I live in upstate NY), when the sky is nearly always a slate gray color, when the air bites our exposed skin for days and weeks on end I start to lose that sense of romance and magic.  In fact, what I feel at that point is closer to cagey, grumpy, and perhaps even a little anxious.  As a general rule, Winter and I just don’t get along very well.  I have known for a long time that I need to find a way to weather the winter season with more grace, but until recently I was unable to come up with a good solution.  This year, through the powers and wonder of Qwowi, I had the opportunity to try out a goLite BLU from Philips and for the first time in a long time I made it through winter without losing my optimism and energy.

Good Things Come in Small  Packages

When the goLite BLU first arrived on my doorstep I was amazed at how compact it was.  I have friends who swear by their lightboxes to help them avoid the winter blues, but theirs are bulky and space consuming; some lightboxes eat up the entire surface space of a writing desk!   The goLite BLU is small, aesthetically appealing, and made to travel easily.  It arrives complete with a charger, carrying case, internal rechargeable lithium ion battery, and a thorough User Guide (something every good gadget should come with).

After using the goLite BLU for several weeks, I really came to appreciate its small and sleek design.  The BLU measures a mere 5 1/2″ square by 1″ deep and stands with the simple placement of a metal pin into a hole on the back of the box.  The pin is magnetized and has it’s own storage space, an indentation on the back of the box itself, making it easy to keep track of.

Finding a place to use the goLite BLU was easy: I often sat at my breakfast table, bathing in blue light while enjoying my cereal and tea.  Sometimes I placed the goLite on my small end table in the living room and had my session while checking my e-mail.   If I ran out of time in the morning I simply slipped the light into my smallish handbag and went on my merry way; I could set the goLite BLU on any small, flat surface and fit in a light session in between appointments, while waiting to pick up my son from pre-school, or sitting and reading the newspaper at my favorite coffee shop.  The goLite BLU needs only a 5″x6″ surface upon which to perch, making it extremely easy to use and transport

Functionality Goes BLU

The goLite BLU has been designed with ease and personalization of use in mind.  It has an interface display (touchscreen) that allows the user to customize the light, as well as a separate on/off switch to keep things simple.  The touchscreen has a clock, timer, alarm, and battery life indicator.  I found all of the functions easy to set by following the clear directions given in the User Guide.

The clock and alarm were very handy for occasions when I traveled; instead of using the sometimes unreliable alarm clock in my hotel room, I started my day with blue light and pleasant chimes.  The alarm can also be set to wake the user with only chimes or only light.  I really appreciated the timer feature, as it allowed me to decide how long my sessions should be and then it counted down the time for me, shutting the light off when my session was complete; the timer really took the guesswork out of light therapy for me.

How It Works: A Brief Explanation

Light therapy has a history of use and research that extends back nearly three decades to the early 1980s.  What this ongoing research tells us is that exposure to light affects our body clocks by causing us to release hormones and neurotransmitters that regulate normal body functions such as sleep, appetite, energy, mood, and even libido.  These naturally occurring cycles within the body are called circadian rhythms.  Because we are biologically programmed to rise with the sun and sleep when it sets, our modern life is often at odds with our biology, causing our circadian rhythms to go out of whack.  When we work shift work, travel across time zones, or stay up late into the night with the use of artificial lighting we trick our bodies into working longer than they were meant to in a 24 hour period.

The light therapy studies that began in the 1980s have shown us that exposure to certain spectrums of light for a prescribed duration of time can help to alleviate the effects of an irregulated circadian rhythm, including winter blues, feelings of sadness, jet lag, lack of concentration, loss of appetite, lack of energy, sleeplessness, mood swings, and irritability.

According to ligththerapy.com:

Researchers have found unique photoreceptors in the eye called melanopsin. These melanopsin photoreceptors are responsible for mediating the circadian response, and they respond to blue light…The goLITE is a breakthrough in light therapy that provides just the blue light our bodies need (we call it Bluewave technology). Studies have shown that low-intensity blue light (470 nm, like that from the goLITE) is twice as effective at managing our body clocks compared to other sources of light.

Light therapy that mimics the naturally occurring blue light is purported to be the best therapy for circadian rhythm adjustment and is safer to use than broad spectrum lights that emit dangerous UV rays.  The User Guide of the goLite BLU clearly outlines how and when to use the light based on your habits, symptoms, and work schedule.

Using the goLite BLU

Sitting down for a treatment session with the goLite BLU is simple: place the light on a level surface 20-30 inches from the face and at a slight angle to the eyes; it should be used in a well-lit room in order to minimize any eyestrain.  The goLite BLU can be used while you are going about your normal daily activities, while you exercise, apply
makeup, work, use the computer, etc.  It is recommended that usage begin at the minimum intensity for 15 minutes.  Intensity and duration of treatments can be increased as necessary. 

My Experiences With goLite BLU

After thoroughly reading the User Guide, I ascertained that I could best benefit from an early morning session, since my symptoms included difficulty falling asleep, struggling to wake up, and feeling generally groggy and grumpy, especially on darker winter days.  I began using the lowest intensity for 15 minutes per day, then increased to medium-low intensity within a few days because I didn’t feel that I was getting a strong enough response from my body.  The first day I used the medium-low intensity for 15 minutes I felt a definite increase in my energy level and focus.  I liken it to waking up on a beautiful, sunshiny spring morning, the type of day that makes me feel as though anything is possible.  The feeling stayed with me well into the afternoon and I fell asleep much easier that night.  I found that over time and use my mood greatly improved,  I was more patient with my children, and I just felt better in general.  I also found that because I was feeling more energetic I was less likely to self-medicate my fatigue with caffeine and carbohydrate based foods.

I was pleasantly surprised at how easy the goLite BLU was to use and how much better it made me feel within a short amount of time.  My husband, children, and even our dogs seemed to gravitate toward the light when it was on!  I have continued to use the goLite BLU into the spring months whenever I feel myself slipping into late nights and groggy mornings, and my husband has found it an effective tool for helping to change his sleep schedule when he works second shift.

Overall, this is a product I believe in.  The thirty day money back guarantee that Philips offers makes trying the goLite BLU a no-brainer for anyone who works shifts, travels across time zones, or suffering from the symptoms of an irregulated circadian rhythm.

The goLite BLU retails for around $250 and can be purchased at Amazon.com
or lighttherapy.com