Uplift Technologies DL930 Day-Light 10,000 Lux SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) Lamp
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Customer Reviews of Uplift Technologies DL930 Day-Light 10,000 Lux SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) Lamp
Customer Review: Does the job - Stands above
Summary: 4 Stars
I needed to try Daylight Therapy for altered mood that started as fall set in and we had many rainy days in succession. With a minimal amount of Google research, I learned to look for a light source that measured 10,000 lux. This would mean my morning sessions 12 inches from the light could be accomplished in 30 minutes. This was the least expensive option I could find on the internet. Additionally, my computer work area is always cluttered, so I needed a stand that raised the light to shine in my eyes while I surfed and that took up minimal space on my real desktop. I can tilt the light box if I need to reach something behind it...tilted to horizontal plane, the box clears 12" off the table top and has a footprint of 16" deep by about 19.5" wide. The forked leg bases each occupy 8.5" back to front and about 9/16" side to side with space between them measuring 18.75". An unusual configuration but it does allow it to fit on a 50" wide desktop along with a computer tower, flatscreen monitor and Canon Pixma fax/scanner/printer, an extended wireless keyboard and wireless mouse along with lots of old cd's I'm sorting and archiving, supplement bottles and even a Macbook can sit there when the under-desk keyboard shelf holds keyboard and mouse. I have definitely benefited from the light therapy but am also using Prozac, supplements, b-12 injections, bio-identical hormone replacement, trigger point therapy and slow stretching to recover from shingles, anxiety and the muscle tension that increases this time of year. I figured the price was worth a chance of it not working and feel like it helped me dig out of my hole. The stand is light weight plastic with metallic paint...tightening devices are also plastic with faux chrome paint, as is the switch on the box. The box is made of plastic... have had it 6 weeks and don't have expectations of it lasting forever, but I may not need it but 4 or 5 months of each year.Customer Review: So far, so good
Summary: 5 Stars
I have only been using this for about a month now. I have suffered from seasonal depression for the last 8 years(with the exception of the last two years which I spend in a sunnier area), and have tried many things to avoid it with minimal success. Diet and exercise, abstaining from alcohol, and at times antidepressants. I was very nervous about moving back to Michigan with its gloomy days and I felt like I could not stand another year of being depressed from October to March.
I read such great reviews about this product and it was a great price. The good news is that it seems to be working! My depression symptoms that usually show up in late October just havent! I use it in the mornings for 30 minutes before work and thats it. It is easier to get out of bed, I am not crying all of the time, I have more energy. But its not like it makes you hyper, I just feel like my normal self. I am so so happy I bought this and I would recommend it to anyone. For what we paid for it, it is more then worth it.
Being pregnant, my options to fight depression were somewhat limited and in doing research I was excited to see that many doctors recommend this for pregnant women to treat even non-seasonal types of depression. So I was glad to hear that it was safe.
I received it very quickly and I was able to set it up in about 5 minutes. I have used it almost every day, and have yet to notice a smell that other reviewers talked about. I am about 6 months pregnant and normally have a great sense of smell anyway, but still no smell.
The only downside is that when put together it is kind of big and awkward and somewhat hard to find a spot to store and use it.
I ended up putting it behind my computer monitor and use while I check my email.
I only hope that it keeps running year after year. And if not, I would be more than glad to buy a new one.
Customer Review: Does the job
Summary: 5 Stars
This light worked for me. Easy to use. I put it next to the kitchen sink while I packed lunches in the morning. I put it by the computer if I was there or on the kitchen table during my breakfast. It all worked.
I felt a difference within a week.
One symptom they mention in the booklet was true for me. .. if I sat in front of it too much I got a slight headache or slightly nauseous. But once I turned the light off those went away within a few minutes.
One funny thing I noticed. . . when I turned the light on I felt good being around that much brightness, but family members who do not have SAD issues couldn't be in the same room with it, it was too bright for them.
Update - one year later.
It changed my life. The last 2 or 3 Decembers I was so down. I couldn't get myself to shop or decorate or bake or plan for anything. It was awful. I just couldn't. So frustrating.
This year I got my lamp out the last week of October when the shorter days were starting to bother me, and I have noticed a HUGE difference. I have it on my kitchen counter. I turn it on between 6:30 and 7:15 am - whenever I'm in the kitchen packing lunch, feeding the cats, and making breakfast. I don't even need to be right in front of it, just in the area (since my kitchen is so small). I will pack lunch on the counter where it is so I am right in front of it part of the time.
I feel so much like my old self. Not Scroogy at all, I've made social plans and kept them. I've done things. I've been able to plan ahead and look forward to it. It is a HUGE difference!
I also chose this lamp over the other styles available because of research I did online - reading Consumer Reports, customer reviews, etc. I've been very happy with my light. It is worth the investment for your sanity and happiness!
Customer Review: High On Light
Summary: 5 Stars
My psychiatrist had been trying to get me to try a light box for years, but I was too skeptical to be bothered with it... until I got fed up with being depressed and energy-less.
The Uplift Day-Light has been unbelievable. I get up every morning with ease, I'm energetic, I don't need to nap; I'm finally free of debilitating depression. Wow! And it only took a couple days (literally) for me to realize all these beneficial effects. Day one, I used it for only 15 minutes (manufacturer recommendation is 20-30 minutes), so that's probably why it didn't really take effect. Day two, I used it for 20 minutes, and I immediately knew I was onto something good. Over the next couple weeks, I inched up to 28-30 minutes and that's where I find I'm at my best (i.e., not having SO much energy that it's difficult to fall asleep).
The only criticism I have is that the light, when on it's stand legs (it also has a built-in stand on the back but it puts the light at the wrong angle and height if you're using it on a table) is top heavy. Not so top heavy that it will tip over on its own, but care needs to be taken when moving the device. If I'm doing more than sliding the whole thing forward (or backwards) more than a few inches, I just grip the bottom of the light and the top of the stand legs at the same time, and the imbalance problem is solved.
The only warning I have I is that it's tempting to use it inappropriately. That is, it has such a dramatic feel-good effect, that you might find yourself wanting to take another "hit" during the afternoon when your energy may taper off a little. It's hard to resist, but will undoubtedly mess with your sleep. (I speak from experience.)
Best of wishes to anyone who purchases the Uplift Day-Light. Happy days!
Customer Review: Product Exactly as Described
Summary: 5 Stars
A few other reviews commented negatively on both an initial smell and a "flimsy" stand, so I thought I would respond to those concerns.
(1) Quality of construction: I would say 8 out of 10. The product is fine, but not something like Apple would make. No sharp edges or anything. The legs are lightweight but work fine. Bumping it won't knock it over.
(2) Works as described: 9 out of 10. Plug it in, turn it on, get bright, even light instantly. For some reason, I though I could put this on the floor. Nope. Has to be on a table unless you plan to lie down on the floor in front of it. I would have liked them to say "Table Lamp" somewhere in the Amazon product description.
(3) Assembly: 7 out of 10. The legs screw on in about five seconds each. The main reason I wouldn't go higher is that the packaging is not very good and the instruction manual isn't either, so it took five times as long to unwrap and another five times as long to make sure I was doing it right as it took to actually assemble.
(4) Packaging and User Manual: 5 out of 10. The best adjective is, "adequate." At least it was in English. The assembly instructions are buried in the middle. The unit has a single on/off switch as it's only control, and adjustable legs. Any instruction manual longer than this review is too long. Their manual goes on for pages.
(5) Smell: Having been warned of a possible "burnt plastic" odor (the instructions with the unit warn of this, too) I placed it outside for the first two hours. I don't know if it smelled or not, there. Then I brought it inside and there is absolutely no smell at all with use.
I gave it 5 stars because there is no 4.6 star rating.