Swedish Town Installs Therapy Lights to Curb Winter Blues
- 12 years ago
A town in Sweden installs therapy lights to help curb residents' winter blues.
Winters can be dull and depressing due to shorter days.
In the Swedish town of Umea, the local energy company recently installed phototherapy lights in bus shelters to curb winter blues for commuters.
Commonly referred to as light therapy, it includes exposure to light sources to mimic natural light.
Light therapy is used to help some skin ailments and psychiatric disorders, as well as treat Seasonal Affective Disorder. The exposure to light essentially helps to reset the body’s internal clock.
The company behind the lighting believes the new installation will help residents. The CEO stated “We wanted to show we care about the people living here at this dark time of the year, people get depressed if they don't see the light”.
With the sun setting at roughly 2 in the afternoon in Umea , it’s easy to see how the dark environment could be depressing. Approximately 30 local bus shelters are now housing the lights.
The lamps are run by renewable resources including solar and wind power. The effort is appreciated by many residents, however some bus drivers have complained about the brightness. Two of the lights have been removed for safety reasons.
What do you think of the idea?
Winters can be dull and depressing due to shorter days.
In the Swedish town of Umea, the local energy company recently installed phototherapy lights in bus shelters to curb winter blues for commuters.
Commonly referred to as light therapy, it includes exposure to light sources to mimic natural light.
Light therapy is used to help some skin ailments and psychiatric disorders, as well as treat Seasonal Affective Disorder. The exposure to light essentially helps to reset the body’s internal clock.
The company behind the lighting believes the new installation will help residents. The CEO stated “We wanted to show we care about the people living here at this dark time of the year, people get depressed if they don't see the light”.
With the sun setting at roughly 2 in the afternoon in Umea , it’s easy to see how the dark environment could be depressing. Approximately 30 local bus shelters are now housing the lights.
The lamps are run by renewable resources including solar and wind power. The effort is appreciated by many residents, however some bus drivers have complained about the brightness. Two of the lights have been removed for safety reasons.
What do you think of the idea?