4 Best SAD Light Bulbs [2021 Updated]

In this short buyer’s guide, we’ll currently look at the 4 best SAD light bulbs in the market.

We’ll also answer some commonly asked questions and talk about the benefits and disadvantages of having SAD light bulbs in your home. Let’s get started!

Disclaimer: All content found within this article, including text, images, or other formats, were created for informational purposes only. Please refer to your doctor before taking a possible risk.

Our Best Picks

HISOO THERAPY LAMP LIGHT BULB – $20

Why did we choose this product? The meaning of light inside a house is not only lighting—but it’s also for giving us energy and comfortable life. With Hisoo’s therapy light bulbs, you can own sunlight inside your home, and you can keep drowsiness, lethargy, and agitation away. The Hisoo light therapy bulb has unique LED chips that can help you improve your attention and positively affect people’s moods.

Check it out here

What are other users saying about this product?

  • Full-spectrum light bulb – The built-in full spectrum UV LED chip can eliminate ultraviolet rays and emit cool and active light, which reduces drowsiness and lethargy.
  • High color rendering – The LED light bulb is 95+ CRI, making red, green, and blue appear more clearly inside your home. Therefore, the objects you see are the closest to reality and full of vitality.
  • Energy-saving – The LED light bulbs are not only bright but also use less energy—they output 800 lumens, using only 15% of the power of a standard 60-Watt light bulb, saving up to 85% of the electricity bill. It can also run for almost three-and-a-half years.

NORB SMILE FULL-SPECTRUM “SUNLIKE” LED LIGHT BULBS – $20

Why did we choose this product? People respond to light. With the typical person spending 93% of their time indoors, people can quickly become deprived of the light nutrition they need because simple light bulbs do not provide those needs. NorbSMILE is a Nutri-orb, a unique white light with a specialized sunlike spectrum to lift your spirits and boost your energy all year round. We get even less sunlight during the wintertime, so brighten up your life by checking this product out here

What are other users saying about this product?

  • Feel more energized and productive – Sure, rainy days are aesthetically pleasing, but they can leave your body feeling sluggish and depressed. With the advanced sun-like spectrum, you can feel less drained on cloudy days or in windowless rooms.
  • Near perfect color rendering – Indoor lighting comes at more than a physiological cost; it also typically distorts the colors in the space around you. With advanced full-spectrum light, your work, art, and decor will appear more vibrant under high CRI lighting.
  • Fits most fixtures – NorbSMILE is an LED A19 bulb, suitable for replacing standard-sized incandescent, compact, fluorescent, and other LED bulbs. They are recommended for use in flood or table lamps, ceiling fixtures, and wall sconces.

MIRACLE LED 100-WATT LIGHT BULBS – $15

Why did we choose this product? Boost your day with the Miracle LED light bulbs! They are specialized in certain situations, depending on your need. Miracle makes LED light bulbs to boost your mornings (waking up), cool you down (calm, gentle color), engage in emotional time (love, emotion light), or get you ready for bed (relax for sleep). With each type of light, the light bulb replicates the sun around a specific time to boost your mood for that special occasion.

Check out more about it at here

What are other users saying about this product?

  • Safe and natural – With Miracle’s light bulbs, they replicate the sun’s energy safely and naturally to wake you up and get you moving in the mornings—even in a windowless room or on a rainy day.
  • Captures and replicates – The light bulbs are uniquely designed to capture the color of the sun at its highest and brightest—between 1 PM to 2 PM. It gives off a bright shade of light shown to be the most conducive to getting a positive, energized jumpstart on a day.
  • Standard size – E26 base fits into any common fixture in your home. Save money replacing traditional bulbs! Also, mix and match to create your own unique lighting experience.

WHITEPOPLAR LED FULL SPECTRUM LIGHT BULB – $20

Why did we choose this product? Enjoy sunlight at home with WhitePoplar’s LED full spectrum light bulbs. Built with full-spectrum and UV-free LED chips when it lights up, it stimulates the natural sunlight for you—great for boosting your mood and helping you get rid of those winter blues, jet lag, shift-working, and seasonal changes. Check out more about it here

What are other users saying about this product?

  • Boosts your mood – This bulb can help you improve concentration and affect your life positively. It helps to fight seasonal depression while boosting your energy and spirit for the day, every day.
  • High CRI – Built-in 95 of 100 CRI LED chips, it has a better color rendering index than other ordinary light bulbs in the market, which can make your eyes more comfortable and relaxed when you are working or reading.
  • Energy-saving – The power of this light bulb is 9 Watts, which replaces the 60-Watt equivalent incandescent light bulbs use, saving 85% of your electric bill. With a 5-second assembly time, it is stepless dimmable with a maximum brightness of 800 lumens.

Common FAQ

Who benefits from using SAD light bulbs?

People can benefit from using SAD light bulbs during winter and fall seasons when not experiencing enough sunlight, which is a common problem people experience that lead to seasonal affective disorder.

When these seasons or rainy periods hit, the human body lacks energy and craves sleep, promoting the sluggish and empty feeling of laziness.

During those months, many buy SAD light bulbs, which are specialized light bulbs that help combat SAD. By using special light rays, it can help boost the energy and moods of many that suffer from this disorder.

SAD light bulbs are for those who feel tired and out of energy during the night or when the sun is missing. Because the sun has nutrients that the human body needs, the human body wants to relax and sleep when it disappears. SAD light bulbs simulate sunlight to promote productivity in those who need it the most.

Are these light bulbs compatible in my house?

Most likely. Often, SAD light bulbs fit the standard size for lamps and light bulb sockets in US homes. To replace them, shut off your light, twist out the old light bulb, twist in the new light bulb, and you should be all set. Be careful, as light bulbs get very hot sometimes.

How do SAD light bulbs fight seasonal affective disorder?

SAD light bulbs fight seasonal affective disorder by emitting light in ways that the sun does. Replicating this light can promote a mood boost and energy within humans, as most people are conditioned to be more active during the daytime.

During darker days, since the human body may not get the right amount of nutrients, we start getting more sluggish and tired mid-day. SAD light bulbs help eliminate this sluggishness by throwing out rays similar to those of our sun to trick the body into thinking it’s getting nutrients from the sun.

Does the brightness level matter?

Yes, the brightness level matters. Since SAD light bulbs use light rays to combat SAD, the brighter the light bulb is, the more it can replicate the sun. SAD lamps require a very intense light source with a high color temperature to help mitigate the effects of SAD. The best range for these light bulbs will be around 5,000 to 10,000 lumens.

How does UV emission work?

UV radiation has enough energy to break chemical bonds. Because of their higher powers, UV particles can cause electrons to break away from atoms. This energy can also be used towards chemical bonds in the brain.

According to HealthLine, “Exposure to sunlight is thought to increase the brain’s release of a hormone called serotonin.” Serotonin is a chemical bond in our brains associated with boosting moods and helping a person feel calm and focused.

In darker settings, night or rainy days, dim lighting triggers the brain to make another hormone called melatonin associated with sleeping and tiredness.

Are SAD light bulbs safe for prolonged duration usage?

SAD light bulbs are safe for extended duration usage, but they shouldn’t be on all the time.

SAD light bulbs make an excellent substitute for those who cannot receive the proper amount of sunlight due to their living conditions or working conditions. SAD light bulbs make the perfect substitution for standard light bulbs to promote productivity and energy in these cases.

For those who choose not to be out in the sun on purpose, SAD lighting is a good substitute, but after a long time of usage, they can start feeling tired more often than others if the human body isn’t around the sun. For those with migraine issues, as SAD light bulbs are bright, it may not be a good idea to have them on all the time, but rather for a few hours during rainy or winter days.

What are the symptoms or side effects of SAD light bulbs?

The best side effects of SAD light bulbs are mood boosts, calmness, productiveness, and happiness. These are the side effects that we strive for when purchasing SAD light bulbs for the office or home. There are a few adverse side effects of SAD lights as well.

Overuse of a SAD light bulb can produce insomnia, eyestrain, headaches, migraines, hyperactivity, or agitation associated with bipolar disorders. As the SAD bulbs are incredibly bright, prolonged usage of the bulbs may not always be a good thing.

What is light therapy?

Light therapy isn’t a cure, but it’s an excellent fix to treat the seasonal affective disorder and other conditions by exposure to artificial lighting. During light therapy, you sit, relax, or work near a light therapy box which gives off a bright light that mimics natural lighting.

Light therapy is thought to affect brain chemicals linked to mood and sleep that ease SAD symptoms.

What does the difference in light do for us? (Red light vs. blue light vs. white light)

Red light therapy boosts blood flow in our bodies which improves skin tone and texture. Red light can also work in combination to create a regenerating effect in aging skin. This light has a longer wavelength, making it penetrate deeper into the skin than blue light.

Blue light therapy penetrates the pores and eliminates bacteria. While some bacteria are helpful, others promote blemishes and acne. Blue light can help reduce these harmful bacteria types. White light, by definition, is the sum of all of the colors on the spectrum. White light combines all of the colors to boost all of the positive things inside of the brain, such as happiness, energy, and mood.

Wrapping up

We hope that this article has helped you understand more about SAD and ways to fight seasonal depression. As this isn’t a cure, it can help some of those that don’t get enough nutrients or sunlight. We can all use a little more sun, but sometimes, that isn’t always possible due to working or living conditions. Use SAD lights instead!