Winter blues, or seasonal affective disorder (SAD), can be a real struggle for many people and often a lightbox also known as a therapy light is the first thing we try. The right light therapy lamp can make all the difference in managing symptoms and improving overall mood. But there are so many to choose from! No worries, after some extensive research I have summarised the best of the best therapy lamps on the market for you for the 2023/2024 SAD Season.
Just so you know, this post may contain affiliate links. Meaning I receive commissions for purchases made through those links, at no cost to you.
Since I haven’t been in the blogosphere long enough to receive items to test for myself this post is based on research from news articles, my own experiences, and input from real users. Remember to work with your doctor and follow the instructions. You should never look directly at the light, it should always be at a slight angle to your eyes.
Before buying a lightbox there are some questions you should ask yourself and some things to confirm before handing over your credit card.
Think About Your Lifestyle.
- Is design important to you?
- Are you brand conscious?
- How much space do you have?
- Does it need to be portable, do you travel a lot?
- Where are you going to keep it? Keep it where you will USE it.
- Is your budget a consideration?
- How much time will you have in the morning to use it? As a rule the lower the lux or smaller the item, the longer you will have to be in front of it.
Questions to ask about the lamp.
- Is it UV free or have a UV filter?
- Does the company offer a money-back guarantee or warranty?
- Is it between 5000 and 10,000 lux?
Lux is a unit of measurement for the amount of light that falls on a surface. It helps to determine the brightness of a space or the intensity of artificial lighting - What is the color temperature of the lamp? Is it in the range of 5,000-6,500 Kelvin (K)?
Lower Kelvin temperatures give a warmer, more yellow light, and higher Kelvin temperatures are cooler or blue/white light. - Are there any additional settings on the lamp, such as dimming or a timer, that may be helpful for my needs?
- Does it come with instructions on how to use it safely, how far away to sit etc.
- What is the size and weight of the lamp?
- What is the LED lifespan and how easy is it to buy extra bulbs for it.
The Best Light therapy lamps for 2023
There are many types of light that it can be confusing to know which type is best for you. There are many brands now competing in the SAD light market, some are well known, others have just the one product.
So without further ado, let’s go.
Best Floor Lamp
Using a floor lamp can offer you the flexibility to position the light source exactly as you prefer, according to your individual preferences and needs. Floor lamps can create a more ambient and comfortable lighting experience compared to traditional light therapy boxes or lamps. This makes it much easier to seamlessly incorporate light therapy into your daily activities, whether you’re reading, working, or simply trying to relax.
There are 2 lamps that were rated highly in this section in most of the articles I read.
- The Flamingo Floor Lamp II stands 46 inches tall and delivers 10,000 lux from 12 inches away using 2 bulbs.
- Use for 30 minutes a day from 10-12 inches or 60 minutes from 18 inches.
- Weight 11lb with a 6 ft. power cord so you can move it around the room.
- The on-off switch is on the top.
- LED Lifetime 30,000 hours. It does not have adjustable settings but gives a white light
at 4000 K. - 7 year manufacturer warranty.
- The Duo 2-in-one Floor Lamp stands 45 inches tall at full stretch but has a 15 inch adjustable neck with a 360 ° swivel so you can put the light exactly where you need it.
- It also delivers 10,000 lux from 12 inches away.
- LED Lifetime 50,000 hours and it offers three different color settings and five brightness levels to suit your preferences
- Weight is just under 10 lb but the floor dimensions are larger than those of the Flamingo Floor Lamp II.
- If you like your furnishings to match there is also a desk lamp version, the HappyLight® Duo 2-in-one Desk Lamp.
Best Large Light
A large lamp is highly recommended for those dealing with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) as it offers a broader and more intense light source. The larger size of the lamp means that it can cover a wider area, providing more exposure to light therapy. This is particularly beneficial for individuals who require longer periods of light therapy. Overall, opting for a larger lamp can provide a more comprehensive and effective solution in alleviating the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder. In short, the larger the surface, the more benefit you are going to get from your light. There were 3 lamps in this category.
- I’ll start with the Boxelite Desk Lamp from Northern Light Technologies, as this is one I currently use myself.
- The screen size of this lamp is 12*15 inches, and it has the ability to provide 10,000 lux of light in just 20 minutes when you sit 12 inches away from it.
- It features a simple on-off button, without any complicated color or brightness settings.
- However, one minor drawback I've found is that the stand on the back doesn't always feel very stable to me.
- Despite that, this lamp is designed to be functional rather than decorative, and it is actually the lightest and easiest to use out of the three options.
- Plus, it comes with a generous 7-year manufacturers warranty.
- The Carex Day-Light Classic Plus comes with a stand that allows you to easily adjust the height and angle, ensuring that you can use it as both a light therapy device and a desk lamp.
- With two different light settings and a warm color temperature of 4,000K, this lamp creates a soothing ambiance.
- It also emits a powerful 10,000 lux of light from a distance of 12 inches, providing you with effective light therapy.
- To give you peace of mind, the manufacturer offers a generous 5-year warranty on this product.
- The NorthStar 10,000is the largest and brightest of the three in this section.
- This lamp would be suitable for wall-mounting and can be used either vertically or horizontally depending on your space and set up.
- Despite being the heaviest of the three lamps at 10lb, it comes with a convenient carrying handle for easy portability.
- The Kelvin rating for the NorthStar 10,000 is 4100 K.
| BOXelite Desk Lamp | Carex Day-Light Classic Plus Light Therapy Lamp | NorthStar 10,000 | |
| Screen size (h*w) | 12*15 inches | 16*13 inches | 12.5*22.5 inches |
| Range for 10,000 lux | 14 inches | 12-14 inches | 24 inches |
| Weight | 8 lb | 9.35 lb | 10 lb |
Best Wake Up type
These types of lights are very popular. Often doubling as alarm clocks they can be set to wake you up with light gradually increasing and often have a nighttime setting which gradually dims the light as you fall asleep. They are usually at a much lower lux and best used as an adjunction to your light therapy routine. From personal experience waking up to one of these is much nicer than waking up to a strident alarm clock!
Of all the articles I read the Wake-up Light HF3520/60 by Phillips was the light which consistently was the #1 pick.
- To look at, the design is very streamlined , and would fit into most bedroom designs.
- First benefit is that the light simulates the morning sunrise and over 20-40 minutes changes from red, to orange to yellow mimicking the colours of dawn.
- Also there are 5 different wake-up sounds. You can choose from Forest birds, Buddha, Yoga, Ocean waves, and Nepal bowl sounds or FM radio. These start off quietly and over 1.5 minutes will increase to your desired volume so waking you gently and naturally instead of abruptly.
- There is also a snooze button which gives you an extra 9 minutes to come to terms with getting up.
- At night time, the light dims gradually to send you to sleep, and the clock display automatically dims as the room gets dark which I think is a great feature.
- There are 20 different brightness settings for the lamp and 4 brightness settings for the clock.
I can certainly see why this one is consistently rated high although my ADHD might never find the 'right' brightness setting. Sometimes less is more 🙂
Best Portable Lamp
I spend a lot of time traveling so when I think portable I think of packing, so my criteria is, light, effective, and easy to set up, and take down.. As a general rule you may need to spend more time – up to an hour – to get the same benefit as 20 minutes with a larger display size lamp so personally I wouldn’t use any of these as my main therapy lamp but for when I am not at home but visiting or travelling.
There were 3 that met my needs.
- This is a smaller version of the BOXelite and can be used horizontally or vertically.
- The TRAVelite Desk lamp gives 10,000 lux at 12 inches distance.
- It is available in beige or black edging, weighs just 3lb, and measures 7.75 inches high by 2.5 inches wide.
- It has a 8 ft power cord and packs a mighty punch for a small size.
- The HappyLight® Luxe is a very popular small lamp.
- It is available in three attractive shades: white, white marble, and champagne gold.
- With four different brightness levels and three color levels, you can customize your lighting experience to suit your needs.
- Plus, it even has a convenient countdown timer that can be set in five-minute increments.
- The lamp comes with a detachable stand, making it easy to position and use.
- Best of all, it weighs just 2 pounds, so it's lightweight and portable.
- With dimensions of approximately 12" by 8", it's similar in size to a tablet computer.
- This would be my pick.
- The Lumos 2.0 is deceptively simple and looks good whether it is in use or not.
- When you open it vertically, you have the flexibility to swivel the head 360 degrees, allowing you to direct the light exactly where you need it.
- It has a simple one-touch button to set and turn off/on with 3 brightness settings up to 10,000 lux.
- In terms of size, it measures 14" x 1.5" x 3.5" and weighs just 1.3lb, making it convenient to carry in your hand baggage.
Special mention – designs
These are just a few of the many lamps that are out there, and a lot of it will come down to what you need, and your lifestyle choices but there were two that I have to give a special mention to simply for their stylish designs. These are both functional and decorative, so you would not feel embarrassed to have these on display when not in use.
I'm not familiar with this company but I really liked this light when I saw it featured. It does not appear to be on the Fascare.com website any more but it reminds me of hands holding the sun. It is still available on Amazon at the time of writing.
- This lamp delivers up to 10,000 lux with 152 LEDs to increase the light intensity,
- It comes with 5 brightness levels and 3 colour temperature levels of 3000K, 4200K and 5700K.
- There is a smart memory so you can switch it back on at the setting you left, and there is a timer that counts in 15 minute increments to 60 minutes.
- I also liked the large buttons and that it can also be used on a dimmer setting to send you to sleep naturally.
Kala Therapy Lamp For Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) (my pick)
Kala Therapy are primarily developers of red light therapy devices but I really liked this SAD therapy lamp.
- It is a very minimalist design consisting of just a ring of light.
- With 10,000 lux you can sit as far as 24 inches away from the light and still feel the benefits.
- It is portable, with a timer up to an hour, and can also double as extra lighting for on-line calls.
- It can be set to 3 colour temperatures, from 3000K to 6000K and can be dimmed from 100% down to just 5% brightness.
- And for those who need it, it comes with its own mobile app to turn it on and off.
It is certainly not one of the cheapest therapeutic lights around but I'm in love with it.
Best SAD Light Overall
As the SAD season approaches, it is important to be prepared with the best light therapy lamp for your needs. After thorough research and reviews, it is clear that the top brands for good quality light therapy lamps are:
While each brand offers a variety of options, the Carex Day-Light Classic Plus and Northern Light Technologies BOXelite Desk Lamp stood out as the best overall lights. With their high quality and effectiveness, these lamps are sure to help alleviate symptoms of SAD and improve overall well-being during the dark winter months.
For more reading about using your lamp.
Using Your Lightbox 101. This is not a substitute for the manufacturers instructions.
Optimizing Light Therapy for SAD: A Guide for First-Time Readers
