really enjoying following this mrsD

and how cool to see you

Mrsd do you think someone with Lupus can use that light therapy?

except for people with retinal diseases..

The only warning regarding the eyes, is that if you see alot of after images
when using, you should consult a doctor.

If you use Plaquenil for lupus, it might be a good idea to ask your eye doctor
if the light visors are safe for you. If you have other visual pathologies, it would be a good idea to clear it with your doctor as well. There is a 30 day
no questions asked return policy. You could take the visor to the doctor even...I don't expect many doctors to be familiar with them at all.

There is no UV emitted from these lights. They have been designed to
be easy on the eyes. But everyone is different.

Today, is day 5... and I have much less pain, and more stamina (at work). I am not sleeping as much (I was really having hypersomnia)...but I am having some very
unusual dreams, esp last night. I have alot of chronic pain, from my feet, knees, injured left leg and lately stiff neck/headaches. These are very
minimal today. I did not expect the pain reductions at all.

I am wondering if I will hit a plateau, and start to slip back. That is what happened with SAMe, until I reached 600mg/day.

One thing you need to monitor is mood enhancement. Over stimulation
with light can cause hypomania or mania in bipolar patients. Some people may
have bipolar tendencies, so starting slowly, each day is best.

Oh, and my "carb" cravings are going down. I always crave carbs in the winter!

Thank you mrsD

Now I notice definite sleeping changes.

I am still doing 1/2 hr at the lower 8000 Lux setting, first thing in the
morning.

The past two days, I've noticed a big change in my sleeping.

Prior to the light experiment...I was falling asleep very easily..say with
reading, or attempting a nap. And HOW I felt before the light, and now,
are different somehow. Before--- I'd sink into a big well, sort of like falling.
And waking up was like clawing out of the well.

Now I seem to just lie there and one minute I am awake, then next, poof,
asleep! When I wake up I am just awake, no sensation of "trying" to wake up.

The dreaming is still there. I was having very lucid intense dreams before, like TV/movies. Now the dreaming is more objective, less intense, farther away psychologically somehow. I am not bringing the "dream" into my day, in the same way as before. So I am starting to wonder if I was stuck in REM too much before. And now I am going thru the stages more effectively, and that is why the pain issues are better? (this is like the issues Fibro people experience).

And I am still waiting for that "plateau"... there is ALWAYS a biological plateau...I just don't know when it will arrive!

are soo encouraging Mrs D., I am sure you didn't just JUMP in and try such a 'therapy' without a whole lot of thought and re-thought.

It's the type of thing I, right now am beginning to consider, consider, then consider....as, my pseudo 'non-aura' migraine has returned in the last few days...I'm really beginning to see a pattern in that it starts just as 'days are darkest' and then change. IF such a light 'enhancer', for lack of better phrasing could help reduce the stress such peculiar events result in...well. I'm willing to try, and share to almost anyone in my 'urbs' region. No need to be stingy w/this stuff as you don't really use it 24/7/365.

Also, normal wake/sleep/dream patterns sure would be nice to encounter now and then! I've realized LIGHT: it's types and quantities do play a number on our now sort of 'interior-ized' lives, but just reading your blow-by-blow reactions, is well...really getting/hitting home! And, here, I've always blamed the wake/sleep/dream stuff on the MEDS! Could be a horse of a totally different color!

For the meantime, Mrs. D., Brave Person: ! - j

I am hitting a plateau...as I expected.

The mood/pain relief results are remaining stable, but my sleeping is
going back to the hypersomnia.

So yesterday, I did the light in the afternoon instead. Still at 8000 lux (the
lower setting).

I did sleep thru the night well with the afternoon time. So I am going to
keep it at this time to see what happens. (I was waking up in the night, and doing naps during the day).

It is amazing how the pain levels have dropped tho. Esp the neck/headache that was becoming chronic for me. I've been getting out more, even in this bitter
weather, and doing more. So I am pleased with that. My leg is better too, and I am walking better.

All in all I am quite pleased!

Still doing 1/2 hr at 8000 lux ...

I skipped one day, when had a brief hyper reaction (maybe too much coffee that day--2 cups instead of 1 typically)...but I skipped the following day,
when I had trouble sleeping the night before.

My excessive sleeping is really going down, now. No naps needed anymore.
I am reading more and more engaged in general (I couldn't even read recreationally before).

My headache/neck pain is still gone. I am still taking the B-complex.

One thing that is interesting, is my appetite is really up... gotta watch that!

All in all my symptoms of "depression" are going away. And I am more stable on a day to day basis than when I started. I still have some leg pain...but it does not really intrude much.

I don't intend to increase the light strength or time period of 1/2 hr at this
point. I am very satisified so far

Mrs. D..this is such good news to hear. Maybe you were dealing with some fibro pain and the better quality sleep has helped the pain issues. I know fibro is miserable, I have some of this now and you absolutely hurt all over. Glad this is working for you and I really like reading this thread.

Billye

I think you are right. I don't know if "fibro" is the correct word tho.

There are studies showing that growth hormone requires certain sleep patterns in order to repair the body:
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/art...?artid=1188300

I know there is a theory that poor sleep leads to more pain.
So here is the Wikipedia entry on sleep and growth hormone:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep

I know my job stresses the neck/back of the head and eyes for me. So if they
were not getting restorative sleep.. that is why I felt so badly?