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How Does Light Therapy Treat Depression? 3 Other Reasons Why You Should Consider Light Therapy

Light therapy has been a medical professional’s go-to and cost effective treatment for seasonal depression since the 1980’s. 

It makes me wonder though, how does something as simple as an object shining light, cure so many symptoms of depression? Keep reading more to find out:

  • How Does Light Therapy Treat Depression? 
  • 3 Other Reasons Why You Should Consider Light Therapy
  • Think of It This Way
  • And Much More!

How Does Light Therapy Treat Depression?

To put it simply, light therapy helps target our body’s circadian (sr·kay·dee·uhn) rhythm. A circadian rhythm is our body’s internal clock. It is the physical, mental and behavioral changes you experience in the amount of natural light received over 24 hours. 

This cycle is largely affected by changes in light. Take a look at the circadian rhythm of a typical teenager, for example:

Your internal body’s clock is usually in sync with the outside world, that is, the rising and setting of the sun (usually). All of this is controlled by a special part of the body called the master clock. 

Circadian Rhythms – The Master Clock

Our circadian rhythms are controlled by a group of proteins (the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus) called the master clock. The master clock is responsible for influencing our:

  1. Sleep patterns
  2. Release of Certain Hormones (e.g., the sleepy hormone “melatonin”)
  3. Appetite 
  4. Temperature

The picture below shows how the master clock is able to get different organs to function at specific times to make sure that you wake up, get energized and fall asleep according to the light-dark cycle of nature. 

How does depression affect the master clock and circadian rhythm?

How Does Light Therapy Treat Depression?

People experiencing depression often report feeling tired throughout the day, having trouble sleeping at night, or even both! 

Research tells us that depression is greatly associated with an altered circadian rhythm and master clock. This means that our body’s internal clock works at a different time to the day and night around us. 

Think of it this way
With seasonal depression, your eyes do not receive a lot of sunlight during the winter time which tells your master clock “Hey, It’s morning time. Let’s get that energy up!”
The lack of light cues during the day might tell your master clock that it’s time to sleep. It ends up producing sleepy hormones, dropping body temperature, and reducing appetite during the day. All of this signals your body to sleep and could make you feel tired in the process. 
This causes a shift in your internal clock’s rhythm and could likely result in your body producing wake-related (and even stress-related) hormones at night, preventing you from falling asleep then. 
This is why a lot of people with depression can report excessive fatigue, difficulty sleeping, changes in appetite and a lot more. 

Interestingly, this relationship can go both ways. Depression can alter our internal clock and changes in our internal clock can affect our mood as well. 

So, how does light therapy help?

Light therapy, ideally in the morning, gives your eyes and master clock the necessary light cues that signal your body to wake you up according to the day-night cycle in your region. So we can say that it helps regulate and bring our internal clock back in sync with where we live. 

Regulating our circadian rhythm and master clock means that the body:

  1. Produces the appropriate hormones at the right time of day/night – melatonin, serotonin and lesser cortisol overall. 
  2. Is able to regulate our sleep-wake cycle better. 
  3. Regulates our body temperature appropriately
  4. Regulates our appetite according to the day-night cycle appropriately.

By being able to sleep, wake up, feel hungry, energized, tired, happy and even somewhat stressed at the appropriate times, we are less likely to feel depression. Consistently regulating these can help significantly improve depression as well! 

Also Check Out: Trauma Care for Children

3 Other Reasons Why You Should Consider Light Therapy

1. It Works for Perinatal Depression

You might be wondering why I’m writing about depression repeatedly. This is because there are various kinds of depression and addressing as many as possible is important. 

Such is the case with perinatal depression – depression that occurs during pregnancy and weeks and months after childbirth. Many expecting mothers are often unable to take psychiatric medications during pregnancy. 

This is where light therapy can help reduce symptoms of depression – particularly sleep- in pregnant women without medicines. 

2. It Works for Non Seasonal Depression

We now understand that light therapy works wonders for seasonal depression. But there is evidence to suggest that it works for non seasonal depression as well. There are reports of light therapy improving sleep, mood changes and even cognitions (the ability to focus and remember things in this case). This should be researched and considered after consultation with a medical professional as the evidence on light therapy’s effectiveness on non seasonal depression is relatively limited. 

3. It Works for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Children and adults with ADHD often find themselves having trouble sleeping. A large number of people often report experiencing Delayed Circadian Rhythm Sleep-Wake Disorder which can cause people to sleep late and wake up later. Light therapy has been shown to help regulate the circadian rhythm with melatonin supplements for people with ADHD, resulting in overall better and timed sleep for both children and adults.

Conclusion

Light therapy has proven to be an effective treatment intervention for people with seasonal depression. 

It works by artificially providing our eyes with light cues at the normal day-night timings of our regions. This signals our master clock to produce the necessary hormones, energy, temperature and appetite to start our day. 

Studies also show that light therapy has been effective for people with perinatal and non seasonal depression, and even attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

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