Energy Lamp

My first week back from Mexico, I found myself incredibly tired during the workday, and couldn’t figure it out.  I break up my eating through the day, so I wasn’t suffering from an afternoon “food coma” following a big lunch.

I think it’s because I’m inside all day and get no sunlight.  From my office in the middle of our processing plant, I have no idea of the weather during the day.  My doctor has been telling me my Vitamin D levels have been too low for over a year now.  I’ve tried taking Vitamin D pills and even making more effort to get outside, but no change.

I finally decided to buy one of those artificial sunlight anti-depression lamps.  I still can’t believe it considering I live in California, but I’m rationalizing it because of my work situation.  I figured I would need one of these if I ever moved to the northwest because there’s so little actual sunlight, but not here.  I bought the smallest model I could find, a desk-sized one.

Still, I’m really self-conscious about using it, so I keep it at home and use it before I go to work.  I have amiable coworkers, so any ribbing that might come would be good-natured, but still.  Per the directions, some people only need it ten minutes a day.  So I just make time to sit at my kitchen table and read for ten minutes before I leave for work.

And as much as the product sounds like a gimmick, I really think it’s working.  It arrived Monday, and I used it Tues-Thurs and felt more alert throughout the whole day.  I was feeling tired this morning before church, and sat down to read near it for a few minutes, and wasn’t fatigued at all through church.

After finally adjusting for my sleep apnea by having my tonsils removed, taking melatonin, and using snore strips to keep my air passages open, I was frustrated to still be so exhausted through the day.  I’m just relieved that it seems to be helping.