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by Pertti Olavi Jalasjaa

Spend a winter in Finland, and you’ll likely gain a profound appreciation for daylight. Lying above the 60th parallel, the southern boundary of the Arctic Circle, northernmost Finland receives little sunlight during the winter, which typically begins in November and lasts at least until May. Throughout all of Finland, winter days are remarkably short, with the sun low on the horizon even at midday. In the far north, the period known as “kaamos” or polar night, during which the sun never rises above the horizon, is nearly two months long.

Light deprivation is a serious concern during Finnish winters, particularly in areas where continuous darkness stretches several weeks. Many experts believe it could explain why Finland has one of the world’s highest suicide rates. According to Finnish statistics, 33.7 males and 10.6 females of every 100,000 inhabitants killed themselves in the year 2000.

Residents of Finland, however, are not the only people whose moods are thought to be adversely affected by a lack of daylight. Each year, 14 percent of northern populations reportedly experience the “winter blues,” and another six percent suffer from the more serious Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a type of clinical depression that, by definition, afflicts people only at certain times of the year. Interestingly, while the rate of SAD among Finnish residents is about 9.5 percent, it varies in the U.S. from less than one percent in Florida to about 10 percent in Alaska.

In addition to depression, common symptoms of SAD include anxiety, fatigue and low energy, irritability, increased sleeping, difficulty concentrating, and changes in appetite, most notably carbohydrate cravings.

For many people, Seasonal Affective Disorder is a seriously disabling illness that prevents them from functioning normally without continuous medical treatment. For others, it is a mild but debilitating condition that causes discomfort but not severe suffering. This milder form of SAD, called Subsyndromal Seasonal Affective Disorder, is what most people perceive to be the aforementioned winter blues.

Yet another form of SAD is Reverse Seasonal Affective Disorder (RSAD), and it typically strikes during the late spring or early summer and lasts throughout the warmer months. Also known as summer depression, RSAD is characterized by decreased sleep, weight loss, poor appetite, and other symptoms. Because treatment options can differ for SAD and RSAD, it’s important to note that the information in the following paragraphs pertains specifically to SAD – in other words, winter depression.

According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, treatments for Seasonal Affective Disorder include monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOs), psychotherapy, and light therapy. Also known as phototherapy, light therapy has been defined as the administration of doses of bright light in order to relieve depression and/or normalize the body’s circadian rhythms or internal clock. Certain sources claim that, in addition to being used to treat SAD, insomnia and jet lag, light therapy can also be beneficial for people suffering from skin conditions such as acne, eczema, psoriasis and vitiglio.

For treating Seasonal Affective Disorder, the most commonly used phototherapy equipment is a portable lighting device known as a light box. The patient sits in front of the box for a prescribed period of time that can be as brief as 15 minutes or as long as several hours. The duration and frequency of light therapy sessions often depend on the patient’s physical needs and lifestyle. As one might surmise, light therapy sessions for SAD typically begin in the autumn months and continue throughout the winter, sometimes even into the early spring.

The light box may be mounted upright to a wall or slanted downwards and set on a table. The light from a slanted light box is designed to focus on the table upon which it sits, so patients may look down to read or enjoy other sedentary activities during their phototherapy sessions. Patients using an upright light box must face the light box, although they don’t need to look directly into the light. As for the brightness of the light utilized, the light sources in these light boxes typically range from 2,500 to 10,000 lux (units of illumination). In comparison, average indoor lighting typically ranges from 300 to 500 lux, and a sunny summer day is roughly 100,000 lux.

Before undergoing any light therapy treatments for Seasonal Affective Disorder, be sure to discuss your concerns and options with a qualified health professional. If you believe that you suffer from SAD, it is vital that you receive a proper diagnosis from a physician experienced in treating mood disorders. As well, certain risks (like potential eye strain, hypomania and headache, among others) are associated with phototherapy, especially for people who are photosensitive, so consulting with your doctor and an ophthalmologist could prevent additional problems from arising during or after your treatments. If you decide to pursue light therapy treatments without the assistance of a qualified health professional, be aware that different companies hold decidedly different stances on exactly what constitutes light therapy. Conduct thorough research before making any financial commitments.

Among the health-related companies that are now making light therapy part of their business are manufacturers and retailers of home saunas. It is a logical development since far infrared sauna therapy has repeatedly been proven to be an effective form of light therapy. The light found in a far infrared sauna is, of course, far infrared light, a type of invisible light located below the optical color red in the electromagnetic spectrum.

An indispensable part of life on Earth, far infrared light has long been used by humans to purify polluted air, keep newborn babies warm in hospitals, promote growth in plants, and more. Equally impressive are the benefits far infrared light offers sauna bathers, which include increased blood circulation; improved cardiovascular functioning; strengthened immunity to illness; relief of headaches, muscle pain and joint stiffness; and the list goes on.

Given that the far infrared sauna is already a tremendously effective therapeutic device, it makes perfect sense that sauna manufacturers would decide to increase its value as a health aid by adding components that utilize light to treat a troubling mood ailment, Seasonal Affective Disorder. Little did the early sauna bathers of Finland realize centuries ago that their beloved heat baths might someday become a source of hope and healing, not just for the people of their own country but for everyone who finds the dark days of winter hard to weather.