Not a SAD lamp

I recently moved to Seattle, WA – which was great over the summer! (Even during the pandemic). However the length of days has drastically shortened over the last few weeks and I’m dreading winter already. Which leads me to look into light therapy lamps. They seem a bit silly, but in an effort to stave off SAD (i.e. Seasonal Affective Disorder) or at least get more sunlight in my life, I’m willing to throw down a modest investment to get a lamp in my life.

And who knows, man. There seems to be some evidence to suggest: they work. Here, and here, and here, and here.

My main problem is that all of the so-called SAD lamps available seem like weak, poorly-made lamps that are capitalizing on a niche and trendy market. The literature suggests that lights should emit 10,000 lux to be effective (probably itself a number some researcher pulled out of a hat). SAD lamps that are ubiquitous on Amazon claim output of 10k lux but if you look at the fine print, you basically have to be inches from the lamp surface to get that kind of brightness.

Hence my DIY SAD lamp solution.

1. a HUGE 100W LED corn bulb that emits 10,000 lumen (Amazon)
   • lumen (brightness) are different from lux (brightness over area).
   • according to this calculator, I should be getting ~10k lux at just under 2 ft from the light
   • be warned that this lightbulb is like a foot long, so it doesn’t fit in normal lamps!

   

2. lampshade that fits this gargantuan lightbulb (Amazon)
   • The XL version is 18” in diameter so fits the lightbulb without the sides touching, which is good in case it melts (??)
   • this particular “puzzle” lamp was a pain in the ass to put together

   

And voila! A mega-bright fake sun in my apartment for ~$45. About the price of a lower-end SAD lamp but hopefully way brighter.