BEEN DRAGGIN'?

Now that the days are shorter, have you noticed having a harder time getting it cranked up in the morning? Do you feel like carrying a machete around so you can reach around and cut off the part that's dragging? Perhaps you feel like you were at a big party the night before but you can't remember being there.

Well, I've got good news for you. Are you aware that often times during the winter we feel really drowsy in the morning for the simple reason that your body temperature hasn't risen fast enough due to
lack of sunlight? A secondary reason is we can feel drowsy is because we haven't started the day with the proper amount of exercise. 'Yea, right' you say. 'Who is going to exercise in the morning? I'm happy just getting to work.'

They (meaning whoever makes up these names) actually have an official name for what ails you. SAD stands for Seasonal Affective Disorder. And all this time you were feeling left out because you didn't have a legitimate disorder like all your co-workers. And, of course, if they have a name for your disorder, they have to have a cure for it.

A 'Bright Light Box' can put you on the mend. 'What in the world is a Bright Light Box?' you ask. Bright Light Boxes are machines that artificially produce light at high intensities. Light is measured in luxes. The box generates light from 5000 up to 10,000 luxes.

Did you notice how the word luxes just rolled off my tongue as if I knew what I was talking about? Well, get ready for this:


lux (lks)
n. pl. lux·es or lu·ces (lsz) Abbr. lx
The International System unit of illumination, equal to one lumen per square meter.

[Latin lx, light; see leuk- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

The light units cost from between $150 - $300. Not really cheap but worth the investment if the disorder is dogging your trail. Bright light therapy also has a connection with our emotions and daytime mood. It has been known to cure depression and other mental disorders. Lack of light in the winter is one of the main causes of winter depression. It's a fact that many people sleep longer in the winter months.
While writing this article, I Googled 'bright light box' and a sight came up with lots of useful information. I have nothing to do with these folks but their site has interesting material. I found it at http://www.lightbox4therapy.com/ If you are having one of the problems discussed here, it would be well worth your time to check out this company. I'm sure there are other fine companies out there but this one was the first I came to.

Paidra Delayno is a Booklocker.com author and can be found at http://paidraspen.blogspot.com