Health Promotion Office offering sunlight therapy to students
CMU Health Clinic sits on the second floor of Foust Hall on Nov. 15.
The Health Promotion Office is offering free light therapy sessions to help Central Michigan University students combat the effects of Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that occurs each year around the same time, usually starting in fall or winter and ending in spring or early summer, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Symptoms include fatigue, difficulty concentrating, weight gain and an increased desire to be alone.
Light therapy has been proven to help battle symptoms of SAD. According to Healthline, sunlight has beneficial effects on our body and mood. Exposure to sunlight increases the brain's release of a hormone called serotonin. Serotonin is responsible for making us feel awake and energetic. When we don’t have enough serotonin, that’s when we start to feel the symptoms of depression.
The Health Promotion Office offers 30-minute light therapy sessions in which the patient is exposed to a light source simulating sunlight. The student can read, do homework, play on their phone, anything they’d like during these sessions.
Regular office lighting found in classrooms is around 500 lux (unit of illuminance) and an overcast day is about 2,000 lux. The lamp used in the light therapy sessions contains about 10,000 lux, the same amount of lux as a bright sunny day.
“The main objective is to expose the eyes to the sunlight,” said Lori Wangberg, Director of the Health Promotion Office, “The eyes are the receptors to the brain."
Wangberg said Ultraviolet rays are filtered out by a protective screen, so there will be no damage to the eyes or skin from the light.
“It is safe to use every day," she said.
Wangberg said SAD doesn’t affect everyone in the same way. Some students might need multiple sessions each week to start feeling better, while others may notice a difference after just one session.
Around the month of November is when Wangberg sees the most students coming in for sessions. She tries to keep her office “person-centered," meaning the students get to control how often they come in for their sessions.
Wangberg also partners with the Counseling Center. If a student decides that light therapy may not be working for them, she can still give them the resources or connections that they need.
For more information, or to schedule an appointment, call the CMU Health Promotion Office in Foust 205 at (989) 774-4446.
