Will Light Therapy Work for Patients With CFS

The purpose of sunlight and darkness is so we can keep our internal time clock in check. It allows us to be awake during daylight hours, and sleep during the dark ones. If you are at all like me, you have a severely messed up inner clock. I am most alert between the hours of 3:30 and 7:30 am. No matter what I do, I can’t change that fact. I have to concentrate extremely hard to get anything accomplished after 10 am. There is nothing I can do about it. I have tried all sorts of medications, and I experiment with different sleep schedules. It doesn’t help. I just have to face facts that I am a very early morning person.

On occasion, when my doctor is frustrated with my lack of progress he suggests that I try light therapy. Now, I have a problem with this. I am very sensitive to light, both natural and artificial. You will find me wearing sunglasses everyday of the year. Including rainy days. I live in Vancouver, and it rains a lot here….but I still need my “sunnies”. In fact I have days, where I have to wear sunglasses indoors. I take a lot of flack for wearing sunglasses at work, but I just have to deal with it….either I get made fun of, or I can’t work because I can’t see. So I am skeptical of what a light box can do for me. That said, I have heard that it helps many people. Including ones that suffer from CFS.

For those of you who don’t know what light therapy is, let me try and explain it the simplest way possible. Light therapy involves exposure to intense light. This light enters the eye, hits the retina and is sent via nerve impulses to the gland which controls melatonin secretion. Light therapy drastically reduces daytime melatonin levels to strengthen your serotonin levels. Light boxes need to be at 10, 000 lux (measurement of light), and you need to sit within 20-24 inches in front of it for about 30 minutes every morning. Keep in mind, that you do not have to look directly into the light. You can read a book, or eat your breakfast, even meditate (although I am not so sure how to meditate with your eyes open….I have to close my eyes when I meditate).

What this does, is regulates your circadian rhythms (so you will feel sleepy or alert depending on what time of day it is). This will re-set your inner time clock, in order to experience regular patterns of restful sleep. Sound good, doesn’t it….keep reading.

A person can sustain side effects from using light boxes. However, symptoms are short lived and will disappear within a few days. Side effects can consist of the following: eye irritation, nausea, dry skin, headaches, anxiety and feeling jittery (like you have had a few too many cups of coffee). Like I said, these symptoms will only last a couple of days, while your body adjusts to the light. In case you are wondering, these light boxes should be covered by your health insurance. At least in the US, I believe it is. I have no idea about Canada, or any other country.

We all know that sunlight is beneficial to PWC’s, its usually why our symptoms are lessened in the summer. With light therapy, you can get almost the same amount of light as you can during the months of June and July. Plus you don’t have to be outside and be bothered by all those pesky mosquitoes.

Oh it must be said, if you are interested in getting a light box, it is not necessary to purchase full spectrum. You may be told differently, if you go looking for one. I have it on the best authority, that full spectrum is not needed. So you can trust me on this.