Serotonin: Light Up My Life

How do you get your "fix"? Caffeine, carbs, smokes, booze? Wouldn't you like to get your "get-up-and-go" in a more natural, more permanent way? I certainly would. Bright light is one of the ways you can naturally and permanently achieve boosted serotonin levels.

In Scandinavia they have what you call light cafes, where they have learned that light not only boosts vitamin D, but serotonin levels. The movement has become so popular it has moved to the UK and other areas of Europe. Perhaps we will be seeing them in the US soon as well.

According to a study of healthy women with acute tryptophan depletion, bright light of 3000 lux can completely block the effects of lowered serotonin levels. Of course, establishing such a level of light in your home would be severely expensive. But positive results have also been show in exposing elderly women to 1000 lux of light for 1 hour a day in their homes. Participants reported several positive affects associated with higher serotonin levels after just a few days of exposure: improved mood, self-confidence, motivation, alertness, and sleeping habits.

Source: How to increase serotonin in the human brain without drugs, Effects of moderately bright light on subjective evaluations in healthy elderly women