I hear you. We're looking at snow today, and on top of all the other stuff I'm going through, the SAD (also not diagnosed, probably not clinical) has me worried. Let me know if you get one, and how it works. I'll trade ya for roomba tips.

I can't say how well those boxes work, but when I lived in Iowa (just 5 degrees latitude to the south), I got a certain amount of relief by turning my desk lamp (a basic flexi-necked model from Target) up towards my face for a while.

Mind you, my coworkers wondered what I was doing until I started closing the office door.

I must be the exception here. Not that I don't like the sun, or cherish the time of year when you basically only see it when you look out the window during the day (I realize I'm lucky to _have_ a window during the day). But since it's getting dark earlier, I've been getting tons of writing done. It's as if I can only work when it's dark and since I have to get up superearly, it works out pretty great for me if it's dark earlier. (Earlier than 8:30 is worth nada though.) Anyway. It's this weird thing I've never noticed before this fall.

If there’s some reason I have to get up, my mornings are pretty productive even in the winter. Unfortunately, have to doesn’t kick in for me until you will miss your plane or you will lose your job.

Mind you, my coworkers wondered what I was doing until I started closing the office door.

Probably after that, too.

Yes, but at that point they could just pretend I wasn't insane. Very Victorian denial: if we don't see it, it's not happening.

I haven't used either of those, but we had a natural-light-whatsit lamp at home. My dad liked it. It gave my mom headaches. I didn't notice it making any difference at all.

Been thinking about getting one of those light alarm clocks. 5:30 was bloody early enough when it wasn't before sunrise. I just don't want to drop that kind of money on something that might not help at all...let us know if it works for you, please?

Ah, crap. Now ye've got me thinking about those wonderful Scottish winter days -- sunrise at 09:00, sunset at 16:00. Smashing.

I got to get me one of those doohickeys.

I've used full-spectrum bulbs at times, usually as one of several bulbs in my living/dining areas, and although I have no clear evidence either way, my gut feeling has been that I've been less grumpy during winters when I've used them.

I've talked to friends who have full-blown (diagnosed, I think) SAD, and iIrc they've said that for them, the color of the light is irrelevant, it's brightness that matters. They feel a lot better (again iIrc) when they spend some time each day with very bright lights shining on their faces. See the info about light boxes on the Seasonal Affective Disorder Wikipedia page for more info.

...But if the issue for you has to do with waking up rather than with winter blahs, then this may not be so relevant.

It's both, really. I think they're probably related.

The UW study seemed to find that a dawn simulator was more effective than a conventional light box, but then they seemed to find that a conventional light box wasn't particularly effective at all, which seems to contradict some other studies. We'll see.

Hal, my sympathies. Especially if you've got those narrow medieval streets to deal with, too.

You might consider having your thyroid levels checked if you don't respond to the light treatment. Or even trying low-dosage SSRIs.

Otherwise, I find I do better if I go out and start a conversation with some random person at the coffee shop or the gas station before I go to work. Something about seeking out the human interaction first thing in the morning, it makes the rest of the day bearable.

Or you could pretend you're an Antarctic winter-over or a deep-space explorer, trying not to crazy after months without the Sun...

Huh. Interesting.

Yeah, if this doesn't help I'll probably have to have the professionals look into it. I just hope it doesn't turn out to be sleep apnea.

Seasonal sleep apnea?

Well, you never know.