Light therapy may ease Daylight Saving Time adjustment symptoms

Light therapy using roughly 10,000‑lux lamps is reported to provide short-term relief from fatigue and low mood after the Daylight Saving Time change, and some studies suggest blue and green wavelengths may be most effective.

Many people feel sluggish or foggy after the shift to Daylight Saving Time as their internal circadian rhythm adjusts. The article explains that high-intensity light therapy is being used in 2026 to help relieve that short-term fatigue. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is discussed as a related condition that appears in certain months and affects an estimated 4–6% of people, with another 10–20% reporting milder seasonal effects. Standard SAD treatments include medication, psychotherapy and phototherapy, and light therapy is described as a commonly used option. What we know: - Light therapy typically uses sun lamps that provide about 10,000 lux of visible light with most UV filtered out and sessions often last about 20–30 minutes per day. - Research and reports point to the blue wavelength as accounting for much of the benefit for mood, while green light has shown promise in some studies and red light is more often associated with sleep benefits. - Light therapy is associated with short-term symptom relief for low mood and fatigue and has also been used in some non-seasonal depression cases. - Potential side effects reported include headaches, eye strain, irritability, nausea and the possibility of induced manic symptoms in people with bipolar disorder. - Reported practical approaches include consulting a clinician about suitability, trying a lamp with filtered white light (about 10,000 lux), positioning it to the side and using it mainly in the morning for roughly 20–30 minutes. Summary: The article presents light therapy as a reported, short-term option to ease Daylight Saving Time–related fatigue and some seasonal mood changes. It notes that blue and green wavelengths have research support, that effects are generally transient, and that clinicians are the usual resource for assessing suitability and combining light therapy with other treatments.