3 SAD lamps to help you combat seasonal affective disorder this year

As autumn and winter approaches, one thing many people dread is the darker mornings and evenings. For some, the shorter, darker days can bring on the effects of Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD, a form of depression with a seasonal pattern – see signs you might be suffering from SAD for more details.

If you experience SAD, there are things you can do to ease the symptoms, including talking to a doctor, friends or family, working out regularly and trying stress exercises. As SAD has been found to be linked to the lack of sunlight, doctors and specialists recommend getting as much light exposure as possible – that’s where the best SAD lamps come in.

A SAD lamp simulates sunlight and has been found to greatly reduce SAD symptoms for some people. Where you can, you should get outside into the natural light as much as possible, but for those dark mornings and evenings, a SAD lamp can make a huge difference to your wellbeing.

But the tricky thing with SAD lamps is finding the right one for you. As they’re medically-approved devices and use intense lights, you want to make sure the SAD lamp you’re buying is specifically designed to help with SAD. T3 has tried its fair share of SAD lamps, so here are our three picks for the best SAD lamps that can help combat seasonal affective disorder this year.

1. Lumie Halo

Lumie is one of the most popular brands for SAD lamps and wake up lights. It has a full collection of SAD lamps in a range of sizes and budgets, but the best one we’ve tried is the Lumie Halo.

It’s not the most conventional looking thing, but the Lumie Halo offers 10,000 lux at 20cm for SAD light therapy, and warm and cool LED options for boosted mood and energy in day mode and relaxation in evening mode. The brightness and colour temperature is adjustable, and it’s compact enough that you can use it anywhere, from your bedside table to your desk.

We gave it five stars in our Lumie Halo review, and found it to be the best Lumie SAD lamp we’ve tried. It’s pricey at £219, but Lumie has plenty of cheaper options available, like the newer Lumie Dash.

2. Beurer TL50 SAD Lamp

Like Lumie, Beurer is another well known SAD lamp brand, and it has a good variety of budget-friendly options. Our personal favourite – and the one that holds the number one spot in our best SAD lamp guide – is the Beurer TL50 SAD Lamp.

It might look simple, but the Beurer TL50 SAD Lamp provides 10,000 lux at 15cm and uses energy-saving LED technology so you can use it all day while keeping the costs down. The large panel of the Beurer TL50 SAD Lamp helps you get the most out of it from a longer range, and it's compact and lightweight so it can sit wherever you want it to.

In our Beurer TL50 SAD Lamp review, we commented that it’s an “affordable and impressive SAD lamp that looks much nicer than most of its similarly priced rivals.” While it only has one setting, the Beurer TL50 SAD Lamp has been found to vastly improve SAD symptoms – which is the most important thing when looking for a SAD lamp.

3. Osalis Daylight Therapy SAD Lamp

To avoid giving you another Lumie or Beurer recommendation, we did some research and found many retailers and publications recommending the Osalis Daylight Therapy SAD Lamp. A cheap SAD lamp that actually does the job, the Osalis Daylight Therapy SAD Lamp offers 10,000 lux and customisable brightness settings to combat SAD.

The Osalis Daylight Therapy SAD Lamp has a rectangular panel-like design which is great for travelling with so you can use it on the go if you need to. It comes with three lighting modes so you can find which light therapy works for you, and it filters out UV light. Before you worry about its price reflecting its effectiveness, the Osalis Daylight Therapy SAD Lamp is recommended by the NHS for SAD relief so you can trust its results.

After you’ve bought one, check out how to use a SAD lamp to ensure you’re using it correctly and getting all the benefits from it.