SAD can be treated with antidepressant drugs, especially those that increase levels of serotonin in the brain. There is also good evidence that phototherapy works to treat SAD, but it has to be the right kind of light, St. John noted. Ten thousand lux is about the same level of brightness as a cloudy mid-day during an Alaskan winter, whereas a sunny day further south generates about 80,000 lux. Some SAD patients use light boxes with lux of 2,500 to 10,000 for treatment. Patients usually begin with about 15 to 20 minutes of exposure every morning and may increase exposure time up to one hour.
Some patients also progress to a second dose during late afternoon or early evening.
In addition to light boxes, some people use dawn simulators to create an earlier sunrise that helps them get out of bed. Others use light visors, sunglasses-like visors with small lights inside. This should not be considered medical advice, but suggestions that you should discuss with a physician. Seasonal Affective Disorder National Mental Health Association Seasonal Affective Disorder Regular exercise, phototherapy and antidepressant medication are all possible ways to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder.