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How do sun lamps work


Sun Lamp: Uses, Treatments, and Costs

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What is a sun lamp?

A sun lamp, also called a SAD lamp or light therapy box, is a special light that mimics natural outdoor light. Light therapy, also sometimes called bright light therapy, is an effective treatment for seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

SAD is a type of depression that occurs during the fall and winter when there are fewer hours of sunlight.

The light from a sun lamp is believed to have a positive impact on serotonin and melatonin. These chemicals help control your sleep and wake cycle. Serotonin also helps reduce anxiety and improve mood. Low levels of serotonin have been linked to depression.

A sun lamp is most commonly used to treat SAD, but light therapy is also used to treat other conditions, including:

  • depression
  • sleep disorders
  • dementia

Read on to learn more about these conditions and how sun lamps can help.

SAD is a type of depression that begins and ends at around the same time every year when they days become shorter. People who live far north of the equator are considerably more susceptible than those who live in sunnier climates.

SAD can cause debilitating symptoms, such as feeling depressed most of the day, low energy, and suicidal thoughts. Oversleeping and weight gain are also common signs of SAD.

Sitting in front of a sun lamp within the first hour of waking up every day can improve symptoms of SAD within a few days to a few weeks.

A 2009 study found that results may be seen as quickly as 20 minutes into the first session. Since light therapy works quickly and with minimal side effects, it’s often the first line of treatment for SAD, rather than antidepressants.

According to research, light therapy appears to improve serotonin activity and melatonin production, which improves mood and helps to restore circadian rhythms for improved sleep.

Light therapy is sometimes used to treat some types of nonseasonal depression. A 2016 study on the effectiveness of light therapy used on its own or in combination with antidepressants found that both approaches were beneficial.

Participants in the study were divided into three groups:

  • one group received light therapy and a placebo pill
  • one group received a placebo light device and an antidepressant
  • one group received an antidepressant and light therapy

Researchers found that light therapy, when used alone or combined with an antidepressant, was better able to combat depression symptoms compared to the placebo.

Bright light therapy is an effective treatment for certain sleep-wake disturbances.

Certain sleep disorders, jet lag, and shift work can upset your body’s circadian rhythm. This is your internal “body clock” that helps you be alert during daytime hours and sleep at night.

When your body’s circadian rhythm is upset, it can cause insomnia and extreme fatigue. It can also interfere with your ability to function.

Exposure to artificial light from a sun lamp during certain times can help align your circadian rhythms and improve your sleep and wake times.

Studies have found that light therapy may help treat sleep disturbances related to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

Sleep disturbances are common in people with dementia and often lead to agitation and depression. Light therapy may improve these symptoms.

The effect of light therapy and the use of 24-hour lighting schemes in care facilities is also being evaluated. According to a recent study, insufficient exposure to high-intensity light during the day can negatively affect the health and well-being of residents with dementia.

It’s important to note that sun lamps for tanning and those used to treat skin disorders are not the same as those used for SAD and the other conditions mentioned in this article.

Sun lamps used for SAD filter out most or all ultraviolet (UV) light. Using the wrong type of lamp could damage your eyes and cause other side effects.

The type of sun lamps used to treat SAD will not give you a tan or increase your vitamin D levels.

Sun lamps are generally considered safe because they don’t give off UV radiation. If side effects do occur, they’re usually mild and go away on their own within a few days.

Possible side effects may include:

  • headache
  • eyestrain
  • nausea

You may be able to manage your side effects by sitting further away from the sun lamp, or reducing the time spent in front of the sun lamp.

Some people may have an increased sensitivity to light due to certain medical conditions, such as macular degeneration, lupus, or connective tissue disorders.

Light therapy may also cause a manic episode in people with bipolar disorder. Speak to a doctor before using a sun lamp if you have any of these conditions.

To get the best results from a sun lamp, the light needs to enter your eyes indirectly. Your eyes should be open, but you should avoid looking directly at the light.

Morning is the best time to use a sun lamp for light therapy, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

A sun lamp with an intensity of 10,000 lux is recommended for SAD. That’s 9,900 lux more than the average standard household light.

Different intensities are available and the time you should spend in front the sun lamp depends on the intensity. Here’s how to use a sun lamp for the best results:

  • Place the sun lamp on a table or desk 16 to 24 inches away from your face.
  • Position the sun lamp 30 degrees overhead.
  • Do not look directly at the light.
  • Sit in front of the sun lamp for 20 to 30 minutes or the time recommended by the manufacturer or a doctor.
  • Try to use the sun lamp at the same time every day.

You can purchase sun lamps in retail stores and online without a prescription. The average cost of a sun lamp is around $150, but the price varies depending on the retailer, brand, and intensity.

Check out these lamps available on Amazon.

Choose a sunlamp that uses bright white light for the best results.

Consistent use of a sun lamp may help improve your mood and other symptoms of SAD. Speak to a doctor before using and always follow the manufacturer’s guidelines.

Will a SAD Sun Lamp Actually Make You Happy? – Cleveland Clinic

The dark, cold winter months can take a toll on your mental health. If you’re sleeping too much, feeling depressed or have your days and nights mixed up during the winter months, you might want to consider using a sun lamp.

The light delivered through sun lamps is often particularly effective for people suffering from seasonal affective disorder (SAD), according to family medicine practitioner Robert Cain, MD.

“Long periods of dark and a lack of sun exposure gets your sleep-wake rhythm thrown off and sun lamps help reset it,” says Dr. Cain.

Sun lamps positively impact your body’s regulation of melatonin, a hormone that helps control your sleep-wake cycle, as well as serotonin, which helps regulate your mood by relaying signals in your brain. One study reports that bright-light therapy is now considered to be the first line of treatment for SAD. 

Do I need a prescription for a sun lamp?

No prescription is necessary for a sun lamp. Sun lamps are available at many retail stores for a variety of different price points. 

“Any doctor who treats depression — a primary care provider, psychiatrist or psychologist — can recommend light therapy, but you don’t need a prescription to buy a sun lamp,” says Dr. Cain.

If you are considering trying sun lamp therapy, it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor about whether it’s right for you. If you do decide to buy one, look for a sun lamp with bright, white light. The Skin Cancer Foundation reports that full-spectrum light and blue light provides no known therapeutic advantage and causes glare.

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Are sun lamps safe?

“Sun lamps don’t give off ultraviolet radiation, so they pose little risk to most people,” says Dr. Cain. “Be sure to ask your doctor if any medication you take makes you more sensitive to light. ”

Avoid using one if you have:

  • Macular degeneration.
  • Connective tissue damage.
  • Existing skin cancers.
  • Diabetes.
  • Lupus.

If you have bipolar disorder, Dr. Cain recommends using a mood stabilizer with a sun lamp because the added light exposure can cause a manic episode. Children can suffer from SAD, too. While there are other effective treatments to treat SAD, talk to their doctor about sun lamp therapy and if this treatment would be the best route for your child.

“If a child has been diagnosed with depression, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it,” he says. “I think it’s pretty safe. Just make sure they don’t look directly at the light.”

How do I use a sun lamp?

No matter if you use a small sun lamp for your desk or one that you extend from the ground, position the lamp about two to three feet away from you. Never look directly into the light. 

It’s common to see improvement in your mood within two to four days if you use a 10,000 lux bulb for about 30 minutes every morning.  

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“Light therapy via sun lamps is most effective in the mornings,” says Dr. Cain.”Try to use the lamp daily while you eat breakfast or have coffee.”

Even though it’s a light-based therapy, sun lamps don’t impact vitamin D production. Be sure to get your vitamin D through your diet and/or supplements as your doctor advises.

Do sunrise alarm clocks work, too?

Sunrise alarm clocks are similar to sun lamps. 

“These devices are basically alarm clocks that you set to mimic the sunrise,” says Dr. Cain. “They don’t emit UV rays and have equal efficacy to sun lamps. For maximum benefit, set the clock to resemble a sunrise in June or July.”

Your eyes can absorb the light through your eyelids, so you wake up gradually and may take care of your light therapy before you even get out of bed.

All in all, sun lamps can do wonders for your SAD. Remember to work with your doctor to keep them updated on your progress.​

How solar panels work

As part of international programs for sustainable development and global greening, experts are looking for alternative energy sources.

One such solution is solar panels, which are increasingly being used in new homes, including in Russia. T&Ps explain how to calculate the energy needed for solar panels and explain why they cannot be considered completely green.

Solar Panel Construction

According to Statista, global solar panel capacity has increased from 5 gigawatts in 2005 to 509.3 gigawatts by 2018. In Germany alone, the total amount of solar panels reached 42.4 gigawatts. This technology remains one of the most funded renewable sources, and the value of the solar energy market continues to rise.

A solar panel system can fully power an average home for several hours if connected to the grid. Even if the electricity is turned off, the batteries will continue to work.

The solar energy storage system consists of four main parts:

Solar panels - these provide electricity to the system when there is sufficient sunlight.

Solar Charge Controllers - Manage the power going into the batteries and prevent reverse current that drains the batteries when the sun is out.

Batteries - store DC energy from solar panels for later use in the home.

Inverter - converts DC power from solar panels or batteries into AC power for the home.

Two silicon wafers coated with different substances (boron and phosphorus). Free electrons are formed on a plate with phosphorus. They begin to move under the influence of sunlight. An electric current is formed, which is subsequently sent to the batteries themselves, where solar energy is accumulated.

The larger the panel, the more energy you can collect. Sometimes more power is collected than needed, so a voltage stabilizer is installed on larger panels to control the flow of power and prevent damage to the battery. When choosing a solar panel, you need to know how much energy it can store. You can then choose a solar panel that can recharge your battery based on how often you use a particular piece of equipment.

How to calculate solar energy

Theoretically, to calculate the energy of a solar panel, you need to multiply the watts (solar panel) by the number of hours in the sun. For example, if a 20W TV is turned on for two hours, its battery will require 20x2 = 40W per day.

In practice, this method does not work because there are many external factors such as seasonal differences, climate, and so on.

The British organization Solar Technology International gives an example: on an average winter day in the UK, the period of sunshine is only one hour, on summer days it is about six hours of sunshine. So in winter, a 10 watt panel will provide 10 watts of energy back to the battery (10 watts x 1 = 10 watts). And in the summer, a 10 watt panel will provide 60 watts of power back into your battery (10 watts x 6 = 60 watts).

Are solar panels environmentally friendly?

Solar panels require corrosive chemicals such as sodium hydroxide and hydrofluoric acid, and use water as well as electricity, which emit greenhouse gases.

According to National Geographic, panel maker Jinko Solar has faced protests in China and is being sued because one of its factories in eastern Zhejiang province was dumping toxic waste into a nearby river.

In addition, the problem of recycling solar panels has not yet been solved. Ben Santarriz, director of strategy for SolarWorld, said his company is making efforts to recycle the panels, but no results yet. According to Dustin Mulvaney, an assistant professor of environmental studies at San Jose State University, recycling is critical because of the materials used to make the panels, as they become environmentally hazardous when they end up in the trash. According to Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation, it will take at least 19years.

Lyubov Karas

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. Alternative power sources are widely implemented in outdoor lighting devices. What are the benefits of such devices?

9007 The lighting equipment market is constantly replenished with models created on the basis of the latest technologies. At the present time, solar-powered lamps are very popular. Products with alternative power sources are often used to organize the lighting of adjacent territories and industrial facilities. The luminaires are easy to use due to the fact that they do not require an electrical connection.

How do solar lights work? The principle of operation of the equipment is to convert solar energy into an electrical charge.

During the day, the accumulators of the devices are charged by the sun, and at night they illuminate the space. There are some subtleties of introducing innovative devices:

  • In order for the lamps to function smoothly, a place is selected for them where the maximum amount of sunlight falls during the day. In this scenario, the batteries are fully saturated with energy.
  • Lights work automatically: turn on when it gets dark and turn off as soon as the sun comes up. This mechanism of action simplifies the maintenance of the lighting system.
  • Do not use the equipment in an area where there is high humidity, otherwise damage may result.

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Luminaire design: what does the fixture consist of?

The following items are standard with the alternative power source:

  • solar panel;
  • lighting unit;
  • battery.

The main component of the device is a solar battery located in the upper part of the structure. It is silicon and film.

How solar garden lights work depends on the type of photocell. Silicon is characterized by high performance, but it costs an order of magnitude more expensive, film is a democratic option with lower efficiency.

The device has a built-in battery that is responsible for its operation - it is charged by sunlight or alternating current. Lanterns are equipped with economical lamps - LEDs. With low energy consumption, they provide high brightness. For the convenience of the user, some models are supplemented with remote control systems.

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Luminaire types

Demand creates supply. The demand for flashlights with an alternative power source among the consumer audience has led to the emergence of a huge selection of products on the market. Lamps differ in shape, size, technical parameters.

The range of stores includes various solar-powered lamps: see photos below. The design of devices can be autonomous or stationary.

Stand-alone devices move easily around the area.

Stationary lights securely attached to a pole or bracket.

The scope of use of a particular model depends on the type:

    • Wall lamps are installed on vertical surfaces. They are used to illuminate facades, terraces, entrances to the house.

    • Park lights are a massive structure: a high support, at the end of which there is a lamp shade. Such models are designed to illuminate parks, pedestrian areas, driveways.

    • Garden lamps are mounted along paths, on lawns, near flower beds. Devices help to mark the limits of the pedestrian zone, decorate landscape elements, architectural objects.

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Advantages and disadvantages of flashlights: what more?

Before replacing traditional outdoor lighting with batteries, it is important to understand the benefits. Advantages of the equipment:

  • Products do not need electricity, they can be installed in areas not connected to the power line.
  • The use of lamps is cost-effective. Once you spend money on the purchase of equipment, you will reduce the cost of paying for electricity.
  • Lanterns are safe to use, because there is no contact with electricity.
  • The operation of the devices does not need to be controlled: they turn on and off by themselves.
  • Lighting fixtures are durable (designed for 1000 inclusions), resistant to atmospheric phenomena.
  • Installation of products is extremely simple - no significant investments are required for wiring, grounding.
How a solar light works depends on where it is installed. Obviously, if the device does not receive enough sunlight, it will not be able to perform its function efficiently.

For this reason, it is difficult to use this technique in cloudy weather. Dependence on external conditions is one of the main disadvantages.

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DIY: how to assemble a lamp yourself?

There is a huge selection of luminaires in the catalogs of specialized stores. The price of equipment on batteries is an order of magnitude higher than analogues, therefore we suggest assembling the structure on our own. To mount a handmade work you will need: