Light therapy lamps available to help with Seasonal Affective Disorder

Four City libraries equipped with lamps

January 20, 2020

If the winter months have you experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder, Winnipeg Public Library has an option that might work for you.

Full spectrum light therapy lamps are available to be used for free at select City libraries during regular hours.

“They are intended to help alleviate some of those symptoms you might get when it starts to get darker a little bit earlier and the sun doesn’t get up quite as early and we have days when it’s snowy and cloudy,” said Megan O’Brien, a Librarian at Millennium Library.

The lights were initially installed in two libraries in 2016 and can now be found in four libraries: Millennium Library, St. James-Assiniboia Library, St. Boniface Library, and Harvey Smith Library.

She suggests first time lamp users should spend between 15 and 20 minutes beside the light to start.

“You don’t have to book the lamps,” said O’Brien. “If it is free, you are welcome to grab a seat, maybe grab a book or magazine to flip through, and turn the light on.”

Full spectrum lights are not for everyone, including people with glaucoma, cataracts, or bipolar affective disorder. You should consult your family physician before considering light therapy.

Originally posted on January 21, 2019

Libraries, Recreation and Leisure

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