Dawn Simulator
Has anyone used one? I am problem solving with dd's pdoc to find ways to help her get up in the mornings. DD has a long time history of difficulty getting up in the winter months. Pdoc thinks a dawn simulator is worth a shot. She believes in light therapy but thinks the more traditional 'extra light' method might activate dd's mania (and we have just finally gotten that under control). Any recommendations for products that have worked and are backed by evidence based testing is appreciated. Oh - dd is a bit afraid that if it works to get her up in the mornings she will start to have problems with being too sleepy in the evenings. I told her I hadn't read anything suggesting that. Thoughts?
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Karenj
Self: as sane as I can be everyday
A - DD (17yo) well adjusted, high functioning, motivated, successful, waiting patiently to go away to college
M - DD (13yo) Bipolar I (dx 4/2011) ADHD (dx 2nd grade), dumb high IQ, mainstream education with IEP/BIP, Seroquel XR 400mg - morning: Seroquel 50mg evening; Lamictal 150mg - morning
BF - Live in boyfriend of 5 years, supportive and learning more every day
EX - Ex-husband, divorced since 2002, family history of bipolar, unpredictable and sometimes explosive
hahaha...it is so funny that you should post this. My youngest child has issues with sleep and it impacts his mood. He has a lot of trouble with mood regulation during the winter due to having to get up early for high school and for most of December he was unbearably grumpy. I desperately wanted his pdoc to adjust his meds. But the pdoc was trying to figure out what specifically was causing the grumpy irritable mood. Last week our son's mood changed, which was strange since he was back in school and having to deal with school work, which he hates. But then the other morning I noticed that his dawn simulator light was on while he was in the shower. He had started using the light again. AND YES IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE. A HUGE DIFFERENCE for our son. Our daughter was using one for a while as well.
I can't remember what brand we have. The brands our pdoc likes are carried by a drugstore in Waltham MA called Johnson Drug.
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Jistac
Mother of 3 (23,20,17) with a variety of mental health issues. Been involved with using Empower as a treatment since 2003
All a dawn simulator is - is a regular lightbulb which comes on slowly to full brightness. Some are just a device you plug a regular lamp into. Some are stand-alone. Some has pleasant sounds to wake you to, like birds chirping, and some have a sundown mode with sounds to go to sleep by. I didn't see that they did much for my kids but my younger daughter really liked waking up to it. My older daughter slept through it. For kids like my older daughter some get the bed alarms for the hard-of-hearing.
My kids absolutely needed the 10,000 lux light therapy: http://www.sunbox.com/products/lighttherapyproducts.html
My older daughter used just the Sunbox Jr. briefly every morning. More, for her, risked destabilizing her even more.
My younger daughter ended up with the big SunSquare which she used for HOURS in the mornings - even during the summer on rainy days.
--Jeanie aka "Naomi"
itsnotmental
Older dd: formerly(?) teen-onset bipolar (morphed into ultradian cycling): "Recovered" after over 13 years - stable off psych meds almost two years. Now fine on just diet changes and higher thyroid levels (after healing - addressing gut issues/Candidal overgrowth while using EMPowerPlus and other supplements). She added a little EMpowerPlus back on as a multivitamin simply because she feels better on it - gets sick less often.
Younger dd: formerly(?) Childhood-onset schizoaffective, TS, OCD, anxiety, PTSD, migraines. After over 15 years, is now "recovered" for almost 5 years after treating endocrine issues, food sensitivities, gut issues, sleep issues, nutritional/mitochondrial needs.
Hi. I'm in this group because of my son, but saw your post and thought I'd chime in. I was diagnosed with Seasonal Affective Disorder at NIMH back in 1991. Actually, I triggered a study they did on adolescnets and SAD, which was kinda cool. LOL
Anyhow, I had a light box for many years and it helped. I went to the warehouse of a big name company this winter to look into the dawn simulator machines. One of the directors there told me theyre useless for SAD, it's more for helping ease the wake up process. If you have depression issues and/or trouble waking up and getting your mind functioning the best thing to do is to use a light box for 20 minutes in the morning. She said if I liked the idea of a slow, peaceful wake up, the dawn sim followed by standing in front of the light box while I make the kids breakfast, lunch, etc for 20 minutes would be ideal (or in a childs case, eating breakfast, etc).
Shoot, just reread your post. I missed the light triggering the mania. Yep, the dawn sim is totally worht a shot. :) If it works nicely or she has depressive episodes during the winter, especially, Id say its worth trying a light box. The beauty of it is it's not a pill, it doesnt need time to build up in your system...just use as needed. :)
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Just Keep Swimming...