Before you start popping Vitamin D tablets be sure to talk with your doctor. My doctor has me on 800 mg, which brought my blood level up to what it is supposed to be, my husband is on 4,000 for a month then dropping it down gradually after that. It was kind of a shock to find out you have to be outside without sunscreen in order to absorb the correct rays. In San Diego we have year round sunshine, so it was weird that we would have a Vitamin D deficiency, but we wear sunscreen religiously so it made sense that was why.

My husband has a Phillips goLite. He got his from his mental health doctor. My husband was diagnosed with S.A.D and instead of increasing his medications, he has him using this light. It needs to be at least an arms length away from you and he only needs to do it for 20 minutes a day preferrably in the mornings. The top 3/4 is the actually light and the bottom 1/3 is a clock, and the timer. I looked them up on the internet and they cost $199 and I am sure that you could probably find one cheaper.

alot of good tips.

Would the lack of Vitamin D cause sleepiness in the mornings? I am up for about an hour or two and suddenly feel tired and I have to go back to bed for 2 hours. After that I am right for the rest of the day.

I am so happy that I started this thread. Such great information!!! Thanks everyone for the links to the lights I was talking about. Yes, it would be wonderful if I could get my doctor to write a prescription for a light. I haven't been officially diagnosed with SAD but if I mentioned it to my doctor, he will probably agree. I'm not taking Vit. D right now. I've just started on B12 shots and they seem to help some with my energy level.

As to sleepiness in the morning...yes...I've been waking up at a pretty normal time but if I get up and start doing something, in about 2 hours I have to lie down again. I usually get very hyper late afternoon and into the evening. Right now I'm posting at 5:00 AM CT. My sleep patterns are so messed up...I never know when I can sleep w/o taking a sleep medication.

Hope more people post with more great suggestions!

Same for me - dark coming and going from work - I've already fallen into the SAD season too.

Amazon has a lot of those lights for people suffering from SAD. I checked under sunlight lights. All different prices, also. It is worth taking a look and reading the ratings before you buy one, no matter where you buy.

I know Costco frequently carries them. I must say, I LOVE the gray and the rain. Maybe it's growing up here-I get a bit cranky when we have too much "nice" weather. A day or two of sun and I'm ready for my clouds and rain!

I Can I please print out all of your symptoms and let my doctor read them so he will know the type of problems I am having and what you are using to get the problem fixed. Thanks Annya.

I have the Blue Max floor lamp and love it. I bought two years ago when I had surgery on Jan 9 and had to stay inside for seven weeks. I knew I'd miss the sun. I can use it any time of day and still sleep. It is so bright it makes a great ironing lamp - sewing would probably be too much exposure.