Like many nerds, I bring out a stupid-bright LED array in winter. As lit suggests, I put it right by my head, just above my field of view, for ~30m. It's unpleasant, so I'd only used it when days are short and I'm obviously low-energy. That was dumb! (con't)
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Instead of using the LED array right by my head for brief durations, this month I've put it on a shelf and left it on *all day* to make the whole room feel like the outdoors, as suggested in benkuhn.net/lux/ (via ). I feel so much more energetic with it on!
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Much of the discussion around this stuff feels awfully hand-wave-y, so I won't try to make any kind of serious scientific case. But I've been super surprised how much it's helped me, even in the long summer months, and I feel silly for not thinking to try this sooner.
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This seemed like a silly thing to do bc my desk is bathed in natural light from windows—why use an LED to simulate outside light when I can use the sun? But in reality the windows are behind my desk; the blinds have to stay shut to let me see my screen! So the room's always dim.
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(I'll add because it wasn't obvious to me, even though it probably should have been): By putting the stupid-bright LED at roughly 4 or 8 o'clock (to my side and slightly behind), I can make the room very bright without generating any glare on the screen.
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Another observation that should have clued me in: when I'm doing pen-and-paper work with my sketchbook, I can of course open all the blinds. And I usually feel really energetic! I'd thought it was about the change in working modality, but it's probably also the lighting.
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Interesting! I have also always used the 30 min rule. I never had huge improvements. Especially in winter when I feel super down. I will certainly try to do more. Do you experience any eye strain or other effects? With some lamps I get some sort of scatter brain effect.
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Not yet. The SAD literature suggests that some people experience little response. 🤷♂️
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What type of array are you using here? I have minor SAD and found hue bulbs set to bluer light helps a little, but wonder I might try something more.
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has a post on this with some other design options & cost considerations:
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Disclaimer: several years out of date; there are better $/lumen options that are less build hassle. I’m also starting to be a bit concerned about the deep vs sky blues issue—but there’s no inexpensive solution for that currently. Cc @mchapiro
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