Description
- UV-Free, Full Spectrum Light – Light therapy lamp that delivers up to 10,000 lux for effective, safe, and natural light therapy
- Personalized Settings – Customize your experience with 2 brightness levels, 2 interchangeable lenses, and the detachable stand and wall mount
- Improve Sleep, Mood, Focus, Energy – Bright light therapy improves sleep, boosts mood, increases energy, enhances focus, and leaves you feeling revitalized
- Easy to Use & Practical – The HappyLight Full-Size is ideal for use at home and on tabletops like desks, nightstands, and counters, making it perfect for the winter blues, insomnia, sunlight deprivation, shift work, office employees, and seniors
- Life in a Better Light – With over 60 years in healthy lighting and the creator of the original HappyLight, our US-based team is here for you with live support and a 1-Year Manufacturer’s Warranty.
CourtneyAnn –
Works instantly and automatically changes my mood on gray days. LOVE IT!
vlc –
I like the brightness, lightweightness and ease of use. It has two settings and I find myself only ever using the brightest setting. It definitely improves the vibe of my dark and dreary apartment. The one issue I have with it is that there is a screw inside that jingles around.
D. Edwards –
The use of light for SAD is proven effective and I subjectively can attest to its efficacy. I have purchased three of these for my family members. The days get dark and wet in the PNW in October and this serves to support our energy and mental health. I am always excited when we can use non pharmacological treatments for our health. Great investment.
Jeffrey Rainey –
I suffer from depression and anxiety and I was prescribed by my doctor to get a UV therapy light! I had heard about them but never really knew anybody who’d used one. She swears by it and also has family as well who have had success with it so….I did some searching and chose this light! I like that it has the max amount of brightness that she prescribed but can also be adjusted to be slightly less bright as well as the option of using a ‘comfort lens’ over the front! I use mine in the morning either on my bedside table or on the kitchen counter while eating breakfast and getting my day started! I start the timer on my phone and try to get 15-30 mins a day! I have only been using this light a couple of weeks now and notice a subtle difference in my wakefulness and overall mood! We are still having more sunny days than darker at this time but I will continue to use it through the Fall/Winter especially as this is when I notice an increase in my symptoms! The research is there, it’s easy to use and a slim, easy to store design that helps it blend in with the rest of my decor and electronics! Anything that helps with this mental health battle, is worth the investment!
Left Handed Leo –
I bought the Happy Light Liberty 10k in September of 2014 after doing extensive research about Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.). I live 30 miles West of Pittsburgh, PA. It is absolutely beautiful here in the Spring, Summer, and Fall but this region of the country is notoriously grey and gloomy during the winter months. For years I have dealt with feeling depressed, lethargic, tired, and uninterested in social settings during winter. I’ve always felt like a there is a Summer version of me (happy, active, social) and a Winter version (sad, tired, lazy, reclusive). Typically my energy begins to decline in November but I usually stay in a good mood until January. Mid January through mid March is when S.A.D. hits me the hardest. Jan and Feb are the months with the least amount of Sunshine in the Pittsburgh region. It’s cold, dreary and very easy to talk yourself into staying indoors until Spring. After reading “Winter Blues” by Norman E Rosenthal I decided to take positive action in dealing with S.A.D. I started using this light in November 2014 to get a head start for Winter. I’ve used it for 20 to 40 minutes once a day (on cloudy days). I felt a difference immediately when I started using it. It made me anxious and wired with energy at first. After about a week the energy effect wore off from regular use. However, I haven’t been depressed once this Winter. So while my energy has been lower during the roughest months of January and February, I still have managed to keep the happy and optimistic disposition that I maintain during the rest of the year. To ease and/or eliminate the symptoms of S.A.D., I use this light in combination with healthy nutrition, regular exercise, meditation and a regular sleep schedule always aiming for 8 hours of sleep each night. At the time of writing this review, it is now the end of February 2015 and this is the first Winter season in years that I have not been depressed. I partake in social situations and have more energy than in recent winters. I haven’t used the High Energy lens (10k Lux) either, I’ve only used the Comfort Lens which lets 5k Lux through. Truthfully, this light has not given me the energy and zip that I feel in the Spring and Summer, but it has given me more energy than I would feel in the Winter without it. I wonder if I were to try the 10k Lux lens if my energy would sky rocket. The only reason I’ve held off from that is because I did experience eye strain when I first began using the light until I adjusted to it. I’m concerned that eye strain will be more prevalent with the High Energy Lens and since the Comfort lens has kept depression away I’ve been content with it. Overall, this is a well built product and easy to use. I highly recommend it to anyone with Winter Blues or Full blown S.A.D.. It has truly made a positive difference for me this Winter season! (The following is Additional info added in Jan 2017) I quit a day job at which I was miserable in 2014 and began following my passion of music and started my own business. Doing something I love has eliminated winter depression for me and I did not use the light at all in 2016. I’ve also added Yoga to my life on a regular basis for the past 8 months and it is a major happiness booster and stress reliever. However, it is the end January 2017 and we’ve been having very long stretches of short and grey days. Still no depression but I’ve been incredibly tired. My sleep pattern at night is sporadic so I’ve been napping frequently and have lost interest in doing anything extra the last couple of weeks. Some days I’ve had to force myself to do the things that “NEED” to be done. I’ve begun to use the light again because it does boost energy levels and helps achieve a steady sleep pattern when used as directed in the mornings and afternoons. Just don’t use it at night : ) You might not sleep at all. Just wanted to update this review to help anyone suffering with S.A.D. or just mild winter blues. It’s helpful to have someone who understands what this condition feels like. Many people seem to cruise along just fine during the Winter months. Some of us however, have a rough time without warm, sunny days. I’d like to re-iterate: do yourself a favor and read Winter Blues: 4th Addition by Dr Norman E. Rosenthal. Sending happiness, light, and peace. Namaste
Customer –
The lamp is perfect for short days in the winter, I’ve had it for several years now and use it in the fall/winter whenever I’m working from home. The customer support is also great
LawyerMom –
I don’t know why it took me so long to look into getting a full spectrum light and have light therapy despite knowing that my mood turns down every fall and winter. I’ve been using this lamp about 5-6 times a week for about 3 weeks now and it has really improved my mood, so much so that I plan on discussing with my therapist easing off my medications next appointment. And thanks to improved mood, I have more energy and follow-through on those “best laid plans” that I always end up finding excuses not to do when I’m feeling depressed, like going for a hike or quick walk, or socializing with girlfriends. And this ends up snowballing the positive effects, b/c of the additional exercise and social connectivity, I’m also feeling better.
The lamp itself is small enough not to take up a huge footprint on your desk or counter. It has a long power cord, so it can reach outlets further away. The lamp swivels forward and back in its base, so you can place it on a surface above or below eye level and adjust its position accordingly. I often use it in the kitchen while I’m prepping meals–you can easily get in 10-20 minutes of light therapy while chopping, sauteeing onions, and packing the kids’ lunches. I also get in some light therapy by moving the lamp (again, bonus for being a lightweight and small device) next to my desk and getting some rays while I binge watch Netflix, read the news, or watch a few clips on YouTube. Which brings me to my next point, don’t feel like you have to sit down and do a one hour session at some appointed time daily. You can break up the light exposure into 10-20 minute increments, mimicking your exposure to actual sunlight during a summer day when might go in and outdoors throughout the day. You should not stare at the light itself; the lamp should however be pointed somewhere towards the front of your face. There is only one switch, which turns the device off, high, and low. And there are two lenses (the plastic covering to the bulb) which can be snapped on and off pretty easily and are held in place magnetically: the high-intensity lens and the comfort lens. The amount of light you can receive on this light are as follows:
High energy lens on high setting: 10,000 LUX
High energy lens on low setting: 7,500 LUX
Comfort lens on high setting: 5,000 LUX
Comfort lens on low setting: 3,500 LUX
For perspective, a clear spring morning sunshine gives you around 10,000 LUX while exposure to the sun at noon on a summer day is over 100,000 LUX. My therapist and numerous studies say that you need a lamp to provide at LEAST 10,000 LUX to be therapeutically effective, but I recommend experimenting with the levels and exposure. For some people, the bright light can give headaches or nausea. The product manual recommends for those folks to start low and work your way up to higher light settings. You should also consider the time of day that you are using the light. I like to use a high setting during the morning, but if it’s already 6 pm when I get to sit down in front of Netflix (and it’s already past sunset outside), I’ll turn on the light on the lowest setting so I get some exposure. You don’t want to use the lights too late into the evening or you’ll mess with your internal circadian system and make it difficult to regulate sleep. I just try to use the lamp to mimic a late spring/early summer day during these fall and winter months.
Final warning, my therapist was adamant to warn that those suffering from bi-polar disorders have been shown to be negatively impacted by using light therapy. So if that applies to you, approach with caution.
If you found this review helpful or have questions, please let me know!
Christel Laguerre –
This lamp will be used to help relieve seasonal depression. It’s my first day used so I will return later and say how it worked. The lamp is very well built and extremely bright. The tilt feature works very well and stays at the angle I adjust it to. Electrical cord is 6 feet long – plenty long enough to plug it in and have it on my desk where I want it it. It comes with two different lenses – one a light blue color that has slightly dimmer light, and a clear one that allows for maximum brightness. The on/off switch has settings for additional selections for brightness. Also comes with a user’s manual that explains how to exchange the lenses or to replace the light bulb. All in all very pleased with the lamp – will return to update on how much it actually helps me overcome the Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Francis –
I first saw Verilux on Amazon while looking at light boxes and their use in dealing with circadian rhythms and seasonal affective disorder. I was born with Retinopathy of Prematurity which left me totally blind, apart from light perception.
Starting in my teens, I’ve found it increasingly difficult to keep a constant sleep schedule going. A long time ago someone had suggested that it might be because of being unable to internally distinguish between night and day based on the environment. Later it became clear that this is referred to as non-24 hour syndrome. I dismissed it right away, as “Well, I can see light, so surely that’s enough. I know when it’s night or day, so why am I only getting X amount of sleep even though I know what time it is. Plus, anybody can have a bad night or exciting weekend.
In order for me to get a good pattern going, I needed a very consistent schedule. Any throw-off, for example a late night gig in a pub, could suddenly change my sleep patterns all together. I would only stop to look at this situation when in a time of troubled slumber, but finally it felt time to address it squarely and consider it could be pushed in the right direction. Additionally, I didn’t want to instantly head straight for meds. I already take pills for seizures, and if there’s one thing I”ve learned it’s that your sleep schedule is definitely thrown off when a dosage is increased and the body is still developing the tolerance.
I’ll admit it, I chose the Verilux Happylight over other light boxes on the market because it was one of the top results on Amazon which checked all of my check boxes, including price range. I do not hold it in higher regard over the competition; how could I, when I have nothing to compare it too. All of the reputable brands in this market are driven by years of scientific research in order to improve one’s well being and overall quality of life. I do, however, applaud Verilux’ customer service for their willingness to take time and research the specifics of my query. I got regular updates throughout their quest for answers.
It’s the beginning of August at the time of this initial review, so we are a length’s way from the winter blues. However, over the past two weeks since I received the light box, I have been sleeping beautifully. Add in the fact that I am not a morning person, yet I have an easier time getting going in the mornings after sitting in front of the light. I follow Verilux’s recommendations of 15 to 60 minutes in the morning, along with shorter sessions in the afternoon if necessary or for enjoyment. As many other customers have pondered, I wonder if it’s a proven science or if the changes are psychological. Regardless, they are certainly welcomed.
If anyone I know wants to try light therapy based on my success story, I strongly encourage it. However, just like the Verilux team, I suggest they consult their eye doctor first to see if there are any long term side effects of staring into a bright fluorescent light of this caliber. I am not educated in the world of optics, let alone specific eye conditions. Hence, I do not feel I have the right to toss around blanket statements.
LawyerMom –
Works well. Nice to have in my office which has no wimdow.
Dee DeJesus –
Wasn’t really sure if this product was a hype or legit but, I decided to try it after reading up on SAD condition! Winter months are long and dark. I find myself more down less energetic in Winter. I’ve used it so far 2 weeks 1 hour a day and I noted the difference in my mood instantly! It was family members who pointed out my cheerful mood! Of course if one suffers from depression or extreme symptoms they should go see a professional licensed mental health provider first and right away!
I am so far liking this light and plan to keep using it! I’ve recommended it to many friends. Extra light doesn’t hurt and can be a game changer!