Sometimes, knowing a dark and gloomy winter is coming can be more depressing than the season itself. If you’re someone with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), you may already be brainstorming ways to combat the winter blues. One common (and science-backed) method for easing the symptoms of SAD is light therapy, which can involve sitting or working in front of a lamp that mimics natural light, or swapping your smartphone alarm for a wake-up light.
Not any old light will do, however. According to the Centre for Environmental Therapeutics (CET), there are important criteria that you should keep in mind when purchasing a SAD light or alarm lamp
— especially considering that the NHS doesn’t provide or regulate SAD lights (it does recommend light therapy but notes that it is up to the individual to choose a fully certified manufacturer and product). As Mind explains: “The NHS doesn’t usually provide light therapy because there isn’t yet much evidence to show it works, although some people find it helpful.”
The CET states that your chosen light should provide 10,000 lux (the measurement used for light intensity) at a comfortable sitting distance of 16 to 24 inches away from your face. It should be white, not coloured, because blue light doesn’t have therapeutic benefits. If the lamp uses fluorescent bulbs, it should also have a screen over it to filter out harmful UV rays. And in order to reduce glare, aim the light to shine over your eyes — not directly into them.
If you want to try a SAD lamp or alarm light, it’s best to check first with your doctor who can advise whether it’s a suitable treatment. Likewise, if you have any problems with your eyes, talk it through beforehand with your optician.
That just leaves the small task of choosing the best SAD or light therapy lamp for you. To help, we tested out the very best models on the market, from the industry’s top brands. Read on for our honest reviews after a month of using our lamps.
At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by us. All product details reflect the price and availability at the time of publication. If you buy or click on something we link to on our site, we may earn a commission.
Lumie Halo, £219
Name: Esther Newman
Position: Affiliate Review
“This is undoubtedly the most stylish SAD lamp on the market — it looks more like a sleek piece of Scandi decor than the solution to my November-to-March slump. It’s not all style over substance, though. Since unpacking this bad boy and installing it in front of my desk, I’ve noticed a huge difference in my energy levels and emotional stability.
I haven’t been diagnosed with SAD but I am definitely the poster child for sad girl winter (it’s all Taylor Swift’s evermore on repeat, crying randomly every day, no energy past 3pm and rewatching Gilmore Girls for the hundredth time because that’s all my poor brain can cope with). I live in a basement flat so even though my desk faces the window, on the brightest of winter days I barely see any sunlight once it dips down behind the houses. Usually I’m okay in the morning — I take my multivitamins, vitamin D gummies and ginger shot, make a coffee to go and head out for a walk (I find getting actual sunlight on my face, fresh air and exercise is a lifesaver in the winter). It’s in the afternoon when the sun disappears that the Halo comes into its own for me. Since using it I’ve been managing to get through the mid-afternoon dip without caffeine to prop me up.
Using the Halo is easy. Once it’s set up (all you need to do is slot the legs into the body and plug it in), you can play with the touch-sensitive buttons to find the right balance for you. The Halo offers a combination of cool and warm light, which is ideal for those, like me, with light-sensitive eyes. I only really use the softer, warmer ‘evening mode’ light as I find the alternative can give me headaches, especially as I tend to have my Halo on for most of the afternoon and evening (it doubles up as a general lamp).
The Halo includes an orange backlight, which isn’t therapeutic, more just for vibes. My only criticism is that this is tricky to turn on and off: it needs a good whack on the outer body. All in all, though, I’m thoroughly impressed.”
Lumie Halo, $, available at John Lewis
Beurer TL 50 SAD Therapy Light, £79.99
Name: Alicia Lansom
Position: Associate Editor
“I don’t know if I can actually classify myself as having SAD. There are a lot of reasons to feel grim come winter but I do think that dark mornings have a lot to do with it, especially because I normally begin my work day at 7.30am.
This SAD lamp was incredibly easy to set up and I popped it straight on my work desk in the hope of brightening my mornings. As silly as it sounds, I do think I have tricked my brain into thinking this little light is the sun after months of use. I sit facing no windows so on dark mornings I shine this bad boy straight ahead and bask in its brightness. Initially, I felt the glow was harsh and artificial but the more I used it, the more it felt natural in the space (though I make sure I don’t stare straight into it for too long). No, the big circle light doesn’t look like a golden sunrise but it does make you feel AWAKE, which for those of us who can’t handle coffee is much appreciated in the morning. The instructions suggest two hours of use a day but I keep it on for the entire work day as it feels like it keeps me more engaged.
Previously I would have said that SAD lamps were a gimmick but working from home in my bedroom, in the dark, made me willing to try anything and I actually think I would feel a little lost without it now. Call it a placebo but it has made my mornings easier and I look forward to turning it on and plunging my room into brightness. It doubles up as a great selfie light, too!”
Beurer TL 50 Daylight Therapy Lamp, $, available at John Lewis
Lumie Vitamin L Slim SAD Light, £99
Name: Maybelle Morgan
Position: Senior Editor
“Look up SAD in the dictionary and you’ll likely find a photo of me, faded and curled at the edges, all glazed eyes, dour expression and pallid complexion. It’s just my winter state of being. I really struggle in the colder seasons, with low energy and low motivation to go out and do anything. So I was so excited to test out the lamp.
First thoughts: the design, with its plug-in and on/off button function, is very simple and easy to set up. The instructions advise you to use it for half an hour every morning, pretty much as soon as you wake up. So on days when I’m working from home, I’ll have a shower, make my coffee and sit in front of it while going through my emails. After using it for a month, I can genuinely say it works. It’s not to say that I don’t get tired but after using it for half an hour every day, I feel wide awake, with very little of the groggy, creaky feeling I have in the mornings. And I struggle less to get through the day, including that little mid-afternoon hump.
It has worked so well on me and my boyfriend that he started using it on our little lemon tree (she’s an outdoor gal but has been losing leaves due to the cold) and I could swear that she’s looking a little perkier these days. It’s now a daily staple of my life. I 100% recommend.”
Lumie Vitamin L Slim SAD Light, White, $, available at John Lewis
Lumie Bodyclock Glow 150 – Wake-up Light Alarm Clock, £119 £99.99
Name: Kelly Washington
Position: Social Editor
“I am a summer girlie at heart. A sufferer of dry skin and eczema, the cold weather and lack of vitamin D just isn’t for me. Don’t get me wrong, I like cosy, pumpkin-spiced autumn and the run-up to Christmas but if it were up to me, I’d permanently be on a beach. I feel particularly affected by winter’s dark mornings and evenings, and often find myself aggressively jolting awake with each chime of my phone alarm, grumbling to myself like The Grinch. So I was super keen to try Lumie’s Bodyclock.
It took some getting used to but once I got the hang of it, it was super simple to use. The light gradually comes on 20 minutes before my alarm (designed to regulate our circadian rhythms) and I now wake to the pleasant sound of birds chirping rather than the violent siren of my phone. I absolutely love it. Catch me floating awake from my slumber like someone in a Disney film or cartoon Sandy in the intro of Grease. I pop the Bodyclock on my desk as I work from home to double as a SAD lamp, giving a warm glow that I’m convinced has helped boost my mood significantly and therefore my productivity. At night I set the gradual fading sunset for 20 minutes and quickly drift off. 9.5/10 for me, it’s changed my life!”
Lumie Bodyclock Glow 150 – Wake-Up Light Alarm Clock, $, available at Amazon
Beurer TL45 Perfect Day Daylight Table Lamp, £89.99
Name: Venus Wong
Position: Senior Travel Writer
“I’ve always struggled with getting out of bed in the morning and it’s so much worse in winter, when daylight is scarce and there’s misery hanging in the air. I often wake up at a reasonably early time, scroll through Reddit and TikTok, and go back to snoozing until it’s absolutely time to get up. With this Beurer lamp I hoped to break my toxic AM routine and develop better habits. The light is pretty easy to switch on, with three modes: active, therapy and relax. The relax mode is a warmer low light, while active gives a colder, white glow. Therapy mode is the brightest setting.
In the mornings, I place the light on my bedside table and turn it on to active for at least half an hour as soon as I open my eyes. Since it’s getting dark so early, I also use the relax mode when I’m working in the afternoons, instead of turning on the overhead lights. I wouldn’t say the lamp has completely cured me of my SAD but it’s very helpful to have a gentle but bright light source at eye level. In some ways, it’s like having an accountability partner: I feel more awake and alert, and I don’t drift off to check my phone as much when it starts getting dark. I also appreciate the price point of this lamp, which is considerably cheaper than many high-tech SAD gadgets out there.”
Beurer TL45 Perfect Day Daylight Table Lamp, White, $, available at John Lewis
Beurer WL50 Wake Up to Daylight Table Lamp, £79.99
Name: Kristine Romano
Position: Associate Editor, Photo & Design
“Despite being Scandinavian, I have yet to hack cold and dark winter mornings. Getting out of bed has always been a struggle for me so I was pretty disappointed when the Beurer WL50 didn’t live up to my expectations. Don’t get me wrong, the lamp looks great on my bedside table and doubles nicely as a portable speaker/light but that’s about all I’ll use it for. Though beautifully designed, it is quite small, meaning I had to place it on top of a stack of books for it to be level with my bed. Even still, I spent many mornings being jolted awake by the alarm sound, wondering whether the sunrise simulator had come on.
At first I thought maybe the light just isn’t bright enough but then I asked my boyfriend (who wakes up earlier than me) if he had ever noticed the light come on and he said no. After triple checking I had it set up correctly, I’ve settled on the fact that I must have received a faulty device because to this day, whether the sunrise simulator comes on or not is up to fate. As for the alarm, the sound options are limited and the volume is fixed. I found it far too loud and was even concerned that my downstairs neighbours might be able to hear it through the floor. It’s a shame. I was really hoping to love this lamp but there are certain design flaws I simply can’t overlook.”
Beurer WL50 Wake Up to Daylight Table Lamp, White, $, available at John Lewis
Lumie Brazil, £199
Name: Zanny Ali
Position: Director, Commerce and Partnerships
“As a self-diagnosed sufferer of SAD (I know, I know — this technically doesn’t count), I was curious to see if Lumie’s Brazil could lift me out of my lethargy during the winter months. As I WFH, rarely venturing from a dark room with tiny windows during the day, and am usually sleep-deprived at night (young children), I am in perpetual need of a pick-me-up. I’ve been impressed. When I first switched it on, the warm glow emanating from the huge light box (it’s the biggest in Lumie’s range) gave me an instant boost. I’ve tended to use it in 30-minute bursts to avert the mid-morning or post-lunch slump and in order to recharge my batteries. Since introducing the Brazil into my daily routine, I have noticed an upturn in my concentration. A worthy replacement for nicotine and caffeine!
I would recommend this to others, despite its hefty price tag. The only drawback is that it is quite big and particularly ugly when it’s turned off, so you’ll want to keep it hidden away when not in use.”
Lumie Brazil, $, available at Amazon
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