Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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82 of 94 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I was skeptical at first but..., January 10, 2009
So after reading these reviews on Amazon.com, I was initially VERY skeptical about this product working. Most of these reviews come from people in the Vine program or the reviews were being released rapidly over a short time period and that had me very doubtful.
But before I go into that, let me give you a little background on my personal story. I am 21 years old, South Asian-American (and thus my body's genetic makeup is probably not appropriate for the cold winters of Vermont), and I've been having sleep problems since the age of 13 or 14.
For years, I would sleep in and miss classes, and would generally feel chronically fatigued and apathetic. I thought I had ADD/ADHD, so I self-diagnosed myself by eating better (lotta veggie, 2-3 cups of green tea, 2 fish oil pills, meat, not eating out, etc, exercising better (3 days of lifting, 3 days of HIIT running).
My problem got pretty bad to the point that I would miss important meetings or events. I was focused, and hardworking but I just could not wake up on time (and go to bed on time either)!
I would go to bed at say 11 PM, yet I would still wake up at 12 PM or 1 PM the next day. I would be like what the hell.
So then over this winter break (where I had a good 5 weeks off), I started letting myself go to bed at the time my body NATURALLY fell asleep (not when I *wanted* to). I found that I was going to bed at 3 AM.
And what happened? I STILL woke up at 11 AM!!!!
What did this show me? That I WAS getting 8 hours of sleep BUT it was at a later time (hence going to bed at 11 PM didn't do anything because I really wasn't falling asleep until 3-4 AM in the morning).
So why did this happen? Why did my sleep schedule get delayed (this problem is called DSPS or delayed sleep phase syndrome --- it's nothing serious it's just a big pain when trying to function in society, a normal 40 hour job, etc. etc.)?
Well in high school I had bad habits. I would go to bed late playing VIDEO GAMES, watching TV, doing intellectually stimulating activities that would make me stay up late.
Also the summer before college started, I had a job where I was working as a waiter at night (4 PM-10 PM) or (6 PM-1 AM), and thus I was sleeping later.
Also, genetics is probably at fault too. My dad has this problem but not as bad as me (I think this is also because he's a lot older, and he's been working decades waking up at 5 AM for work that his body got FORCED to wake up then. Nevertheless, he is always chronically fatigued, and if given teh freedom to wake up when he wants would wake up at 9-10 am or so).
Anyways, before I digress any further, this winter break, I let my body go to bed when it wanted too. But then something bad happened. I was going to bed later and later every day (going to bed at 8 AM!!!). And thus, I would end up sleeping my 8 hours during the DAY!!! It was terrible. So I looked into chronotherapy, and I did something where I would go to bed a little bit later every day (so instead of going to bed at 8 am the next day, I would go to bed at 11 am, then 2 PM, then 5 PM, then eventually 8 PM), and let me assure you it was the most DEPRESSING and MISERABLE experience of my life.
Staying up for a good one and a half weeks at night, with no contact with anybody else, and getting even less sunlight because I would be up at night and sleep during the day affected my mood, made me irritable, cranky, and at times manic.
SOOOO, I got desperate and started doing research online and learned about light boxes and how they were effective treatment for these circadian rhythm/SAD problems.
It piqued my interest and I eventually found this product (Apollo was the company that makes these products, but Philips bought them over).
I was getting desperate because school is starting in a week, and my sleep schedule was still messed up so I ordered this thing and used 1-Day Fed-Ex shipping (and I never do that, I'm a poor college student LOL).
Immediately after the first session, I found that I was waking up at 5-6 AM NATURALLY and going to bed at 9-10 PM PHYSICALLY/EYELID HEAVY SLEEPY.
WOW. WOW. WOW.
I also felt happier too and the reason why this happens is that the blue light increases the production of SERATONIN (the happy go-lucky hormone that is low in depression, etc).
I'm a senior now majoring in biology, and I'll briefly go into the details of the basic physiology of blue light.
Basically, your eye's retina (a thin membrane at the back of the eye-ball) has a couple of receptors. The ones you've probably heard of were the rod and cones.
Well, there's another one called the "MELANOPSIN" photoreceptor that scientists about 10 years ago discovered. And these are on the edges of the retina (not centric like the rods and cones).
These melanopsin photoreceptors absorb light of a specific wavelength and that is BLUE (460-480 nm).
Older light boxes used white light (which contained blue light) that mimicked light from the sun, but apparently those are superbright.
So why can't you use a regular old BLUE lightBULB then? I don't really know maybe someone can comment on this as I'm not a physicist.
Other notes: This thing is expensive, so if you want something a BIT cheaper you can go with the slightly older Philips/Apollo units some of them are as low as $80. I bought this one, I'm not going to lie, because of the ipod-esque/futuristic features (plus apparently the light on this unit is supposed to be a lot softer then the earlier ones [where people would often get headaches, eye pains, etc]. Some people have expressed concerns about macular degeneration and other eye damage that can be associated, but all the literature that I read showed that this was due to HIGH INTENSITY light being used for 6 HOURS a day for a time period (don't remember how long). The Philips GoLite Blue unit claims to be safe, and the other thing is that you're only going to be using it for 15-30 minutes in the morning anyways.
Ok, this review is getting long, so I'll end this on one specific note and that is it feels great to be able to fall asleep like everyone else and to wake up at 6 AM in the morning (even on the weekends!) NATURALLY.
If you have problems waking up on time, have chronic fatigue, depression, SAD, ciracadian rhythm disorders, then this is an EXCELLENT investment on your quality of life.
P.S. You might be able to make a deduction on this unit with your health insurance or through your taxes, just a heads up, but I'm not 100% as of yet.
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35 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazingly small but a very powerful light, December 6, 2008
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Length:: 2:25 Mins
Many people feel a little less energetic in the winter, while others get the winter blues. It has been shown that the decrease in natural sunlight may be the culprit in this seasonal change on our bodies. In fact, it has a name - Seasonal Affected Disorder (SAD).
The Philips goLITE BLU light is designed to help sufferers of SAD by mimicking the effect that the sun has on your body.
A few pointers - tips about the light (Many were not included in my video)-
- It uses all LEDs therefore it is very unlikely that any of the "bulbs" will burn out.
- LEDs generate much less heat than other forms of light, so there is a very low risk of fire.
- You must (on occasion) look into the light. The effect of the light works through your EYES and not your skin, therefore you must glance directly into the light (about once a minute for me).
- The unit MUST be charged for 8 eight hour prior to the initial use.
- There is no access into the unit - meaning there are no screws or bolts that can be used to access the light, batteries...etc.
- Surprisingly small - probably measures 8"x8"x1" and weighs less than 2lbs.
- Has a built in alarm feature.
- Do not use two hours before you go to bed, since your hormonal response to the light may keep you from sleeping.
- Built in timer lets you preset how long you want the light to operate (up to 1 hour)
Final verdict - the Philips goLITE BLU is well designed and has loads of built in functionality. While it is not it not inexpensive it may very well hold the key to helping you feel more energetic in the winter months.
5 stars.
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30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Happier Customer, November 24, 2008
I have been using the go lite blue for about a month now, and am completely convinced of its effectiveness in helping me fight the winter blues. I am a native of Southern California and now live in Massachusetts. Every winter I seem to lose my energy as soon as the seasons change and the weather gets colder and darker. I did a lot of research on the subject of seasonal affective disorder and found that many of my symptoms matched. I bought the go lite blue began using it every morning for 15-30 minutes while I read the newspaper. Since I started I have been sleeping more soundly, felt more energetic during the day and found myself not dreading getting up in the morning and facing the cold, dark winter new england climate. It has really had a significant positive impact on my daily routine. I would recommend this to anyone who has difficulty dealing with the dark winter months. I hope this helps, it is definitely working for me.
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