| For individuals suffering from the seasonal mood disorder known as the "winter blues," the goLITE BLU Light Therapy Device from Philips offers natural, affordable relief. The goLITE BLU features the cutting-edge BlueWave light therapy technology, offering the most effective, natural treatment for winter blues and eliminating the need for artificial stimulants or drugs. And with its easy-to-use functionality and a lightweight, portable design, the goLITE Blu can go wherever you need it--at home, in the office, or on travels. | | 
The goLITE BLU Light Therapy Device from Philips offers natural, affordable relief from the "winter blues." View larger. |
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Features include an easy-to-use touch screen and a digital, backlit clock with a timer. View larger. | 
Simple functionality and a lightweight, portable design provides easy, anywhere use. View larger. |
Treat Winter Blues Naturally
Scientific research has shown that the natural rhythms of our bodies are regulated by light. Our exposure to sunlight in the winter, especially in more northern areas, is significantly reduced. For some individuals, this reduction in sunlight exposure can result in a mood disorder commonly known as the "winter blues," which can result in reduced energy, low moods, and disrupted sleep patterns. Research has shown that light therapy use, even for as little as 15 minutes a day, can significantly reduce these symptoms by providing your body with the required amount of light exposure otherwise lacking during the darker months of the year. The goLITE BLU effectively mimics the natural patterns and spectrum of sunlight that our bodies need most. And best of all, the goLITE BLU provides a natural and affordable method of treating winter blues without using artificial stimulants or drugs. Cutting-Edge BlueWave Technology
With 20 years of experience in light box technology, Philips offers the most cutting-edge and effective technology for treating winter blues with BlueWave technology. With this technology, the goLITE BLU provides blue light, which has been shown to be twice as effective as white light in influencing our natural body clocks. With BlueWave technology, the goLITE BLU is not only more effective than white-light light boxes, but it also offers far less intense light, which reduces the risk of eyestrain or headaches that can be associated with the glare of more intense light boxes. The goLITE BLU also features a wider field of light than other light boxes, which means that you can work, watch TV, read, or eat meals while using the light box, rather than having to sit close and directly in front of it. Easy to Use, Compact, and Portable
The goLITE BLU features an easy-to-use touch screen and a digital, backlit clock with a timer so you can set the light box to your preferred wake-up time, allowing you to wake up more naturally and more refreshed. Use the touch screen to adjust the light intensity to your particular needs. At just 5-1/4 x 5-1/2 x 1 inches (WxHxD), the goLITE BLU is compact and unobtrusive, allowing it to fit easily in your bedroom or your office space. It folds down easily, and because it's powered by a rechargeable battery (included), the goLITE BLU is easy to take wherever you need it. The goLITE BLU is covered by a two-year warranty.
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 Amazingly small but a very powerful light |
| Review Date: December 6, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Charles Evans, North Carolina |
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3V90R3D5CHPK 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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Happier Customer
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| Review Date: November 24, 2008 |
| Reviewer: S. Wilder, Boston MA |
| 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. |
I was skeptical at first but...
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| Review Date: January 10, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Michael Bluth, |
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. |
Wonderful for Insomnia!
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| Review Date: December 4, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Laura I, Fairchild AFB, WA |
I don't have seasonal affective disorder, but I've heard light therapy can help insomnia.
Every morning I'd wake up completely exhausted. I'd feel like the living dead until about noon. Then when I'd try to sleep at night, I'd be wide awake because as far as my brain was concerned, I hadn't waken up until noon. It was a vicious cycle. For awhile I was on a prescription sleep aid, which helped but the doctor didn't want me to become dependent. Since then I've just had to go back to being tired during the day and not sleeping at night.
Well, I've been using this light every morning for about 30 minutes for the past two weeks now. The light makes me feel much more awake in the morning. I no longer sleep on the train every morning going to work, I actually read and feel awake! By bedtime I feel tired again and I've been sleeping so much better. This light was a miracle for me!
There's many features I like about it. I like that it can be used as an alarm, with or without a buzzer sound. I like that it has an internal battery that you only need to charge about once a week. You can adjust how bright the light is (I keep it at the lowest setting). Also, I wondered how long the LED lights would last before burning out, and according to the manual if you use it 30 minutes every day, it'll last 50 years. So, I'm sold! I wouldn't want to live without it ever again. |
Difference between briteLite 6 and goLITE BLU
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| Review Date: December 6, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Gumbyjon1, New York City |
I was wondering what the difference is between both the briteLite 6 and goLITE BLU. So I asked Philips and they stated that the goLITE BLU uses a newer technology. The briteLITE 6 (10,000 lux)is full spectrum light. A research study was started at Jefferson Medical University to find out what it is in the full spectrum light that helps with mood relief, depression, and getting your sleep cycle back on track. They found that the effective light bandwidth is within the band of blue light waves. For this reason, the goLITE BLU only uses the blue light wave. Because you are getting the right kind of light you need, you actually use the goLITE BLU for about half the amount of time that you use a 10,000 lux light. The Philips Vitalight Department will be able to assist you with your inquiry. The Consumer Care Department 866-832-4361 is available Monday-Friday from 8:30am-5:30pm eastern standard time.
Either way both are similarly priced, and get positive reviews from their users. Money permitting, I'll try to get both and see for myself which one I prefer.
Here is the website address:
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