For some of us winter is more than painful finger tips and short days. It is a time when reduced exposure to light results in lower Vitamin D levels, lower serotonin in the brain and depression. Some folks who suffer SADS, seasonal affective disorder, can get relief by spending up to an hour a day in front of an intense light source.
When first developed, it was believed that a full spectrum light was needed but, as it turns out, it just needs to be intense. So, when I wake at 5:30 a.m. I often read the paper with one of these gizmos in my face. That reminds me of an interesting experiment done in the early days of this idea.
Two groups of subjects with SADS were asked to bare their lower leg. All they knew was that something was going on behind their knees. In the control group, nothing was really going on, just some motion down there. In the experimental group: a bright light (which they could not see) was aimed at the area behind the knee. Results? The group that got the light had a significant improvement in their SADS, even though they never saw the light.
See, we were meant to paddle in shorts...even in winter.
Paddle safe...
DS
7 comments:
You can paddle in shorts in the winter, I'll stick to my dry suit. Does it help if I wear shorts over/under the insulative layers inside the dry suit?
How timely! I have in my hands an ad for a string of "200 intense white lights" all powered by a small solar panel. These lights intended for outside holiday decorations will be perfect for the winter paddler. Just wrap yourself in the lights, slip into your dry suit, aim the solar panel at the sun and off you go! The heat of the lights will reduce the need for heavy layers of clothing, the lights will boost your spirits and the solar panel will reduce your carbon footprint!
Perfect, Michael. And JB can wrap them around his legs so he can paddle in shorts. Problems solved :)
Ahhhhh, not so fast there! They are most likely LED lights which don't produce heat -- something the traffic engineers are finding out as they've replaced many traffic signals with LED lights and now when it snows the snow will stick to the light's lens and collect, thus obscuring the signals! Really neat in these northern places ;)))
I learn something new from you ol' codgers every day!
Who you calling a...what did she call us...I already forgot what she said.
The nerve! Wait 'til I get my hands on... oh wait, this is a cyber-world, isn't it?
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