{"id":33692,"date":"2014-11-03T11:15:55","date_gmt":"2014-11-03T16:15:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=33692"},"modified":"2021-05-17T10:35:16","modified_gmt":"2021-05-17T14:35:16","slug":"seasonal-affective-disorder-tracker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/tech\/seasonal-affective-disorder-tracker\/","title":{"rendered":"Can This New Tracker Fight Seasonal Affective Disorder?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"SunSprite
Photo: SunSprite.com<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In case you haven\u2019t noticed, the sun is setting at 6 p.m.<\/i>, people. Daylight savings time<\/a> has come and gone. And our gripes about the lack of light in our lives are not without merit \u2014 humans truly are solar powered. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe were meant to get daylight, and it is only an accident and byproduct of modern life \u2014 sitting at computers indoors all day \u2014 that so many people don\u2019t get daylight at all,\u201d says Jacqueline Olds, M.D., associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. \u201cBright light is what keeps our circadian rhythms in good order.\u201d And our circadian rhythms are something we want to keep on track \u2014 they affect body temperature, digestion, alertness, sleep patterns and mood, she says.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, many of us don\u2019t get enough bright light to keep our circadian rhythms stable \u2014 especially in higher latitude countries, like the U.S., where the days get short come winter. Enter, restless nights, sluggish days and seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which hits about one in 10 Americans each winter, according to a study by the National Institutes of Health<\/a>. Meanwhile, the less severe \u201cwinter blues\u201d affects another two in 10 people, according to Richard Schwartz, M.D., associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.<\/p>\n

\"SunSprite
Photo: SunSprite.com<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Can a Tracker Fight Seasonal Affective Disorder?<\/b><\/h3>\n

One treatment for SAD involves increasing your light exposure \u2014 but it can be difficult to tell how much you\u2019re getting each day. So this fall, Schwartz, Olds and the other scientists behind GoodLux Technology, released the first light-tracking wearable device for consumers. Called SunSprite<\/a>, the tiny Bluetooth-enabled gadget (which is selling for $149) fastens onto your clothes and detects any broad-spectrum white light that hits it and, thus, you.<\/p>\n

For people with SAD, or a bad case of the winter blues, doctors might prescribe a certain amount of light exposure. The \u201cgold standard\u201d dose is 30 minutes of 10,000 lux light, one hour of 5,000 lux light or two hours of 2,500 lux light. (Note: \u201cLux\u201d is a universal unit of light intensity.) To put that into perspective, indoor lighting is about 100 lux, while a bright, sunny day can hit 50,000 lux or more. However, an overcast sky (like you see often during the winter) usually ranks at only 1,000 lux or lower.<\/p>\n

To track your light exposure and progress, simply take a peek at the 10 LED lights attached to the face of the device. Each light represents 10 percent of your daily bright light goal. Light up seven and you\u2019re 70 percent of the way there.<\/p>\n