8 Light Therapy Lamps That Help Treat Seasonal Affective Disorder, According to Experts

We updated this article in August 2022 to add more information about each featured product, based on extensive research done by our team.

As winter approaches and daylight begins to dwindle down to a few precious hours, some may start to feel a serious shift in their mood. It might also look like new levels of lethargy, unusual food habits, and an inability to feel pleasure. Sound familiar? Luckily there are things you can do to combat seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Enter: the best light therapy lamps, also known as SAD lamps or “happy lights.”

To elaborate, SAD is a pattern of major depressive episodes that correlate directly with the changing seasons. “This differs from winter blues in the syndromic quality and the durational quality of lasting two consecutive weeks with spontaneous remission in spring,” says Teodor Postolache, M.D., a professor of psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Whether you have a clinically diagnosed case of SAD or simply the winter blues, bright light therapy (BLT) is a treatment worth considering.

Since gaining recognition in the 1980s, BLT has become “a first-line clinical standard for treatment of SAD,” according to a 2003 article in the journal, Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience. But BLT is also an effective treatment for less severe forms of depression and sleep disorders, making the lamps an investment that pays off.

How we chose the best light therapy lamps

We consulted the expert input of Dr. Postolache and the Yale School of Medicine to narrow down the best lamps for every type of user. We also scanned hundreds of customer reviews to include buyers’ favorites.

Our top picks