At Northern Light Technologies, we’re proud to design and manufacture all of our products exclusively in Canada to deliver 10,000 Lux of bright, full-spectrum light to suit your personal lifestyle. The Flamingo floor lamp provides an easy-to-use solution for SAD relief that won’t clutter your work surface. Wherever you happen to be sitting, its ergonomic design delivers illumination from above to mimic the way your eyes naturally get sunlight. Its large 15” UV-filtered illuminating surface, powered by two efficient 18 W LED bulbs (equivalent to 300 W incandescent), delivers a balance of focused and diffuse ambient light: 10,000 Lux at 12”. The combination of these unique features ensure maximum comfort during light therapy sessions, all while delivering intensely bright light to mimic the sun.
The Flamingo floor lamp marries its aesthetically simple design with ergonomics. Based on decades of SAD research, it maximizes the effectiveness of your light therapy treatment. Light therapy originated in 1984 as a way to provide bright morning sunlight to people with SAD. Scientists have since pinpointed the specialized cells in your eyes that regulate circadian rhythm. Crucially, these cells exist almost entirely on the lower retina—the part illuminated by sunlight as it shines down from above. However, most light therapy products sit facing upwards, only delivering light from below your line of sight. The sun doesn’t do that, and neither should your light therapy device—that’s why we designed the Flamingo to stand taller, and shine down brighter.
SAD is far from the only issue that can stem from disruptions of a healthy circadian rhythm. Rather, it’s just one example of a whole class of circadian disorders that, according to the American National Institutes of Health, result from not getting enough sunlight. On the bright side, though, these disorders are generally all treatable using well-timed and adequately bright light therapy. So, whether you’re feeling out of sorts because your work or travel has your circadian rhythm misaligned, or whether you just feel tired during gray winter months, there is a good chance light therapy is worth discussing with your doctor.
If you’re not sure whether you have any specific disorder, but you’re feeling some combination of common circadian symptoms, you could still benefit from speaking to your doctor about light therapy. These can include
Psychiatrists recommend getting 10,000 Lux bright light therapy for at least 20min each morning, ideally from above. Plus, the brighter the light you use, the less time you’ll need per session. The reason being that the levels of light we experience while indoors tend to hover closer to just 5 Lux—no kind of reasonable replacement for sunlight (1,000-100,000 Lux). So, if you want to effectively brighten your gray winter mornings, you’ll need a solution that provides substantially brighter light than you’re likely to get sitting indoors.
Recent research suggests that switching to brighter, flicker-free indoor lighting can have important health benefits beyond therapy for circadian disorders. So, while those suffering from SAD stand to benefit from regularly timed morning light, so can workplaces, especially those looking to promote employee wakefulness, reduce discomfort (e.g. headaches), or improve productivity. In short, even if you’re not suffering from SAD, you stand to benefit from using one of our floor lamps regularly—particularly if you…
Flamingo Floor Lamp II Specs
(Future models can be added here as the product line expands.)
Psychiatrists recommend getting 10,000 Lux bright light therapy for at least 20min each morning, to help reset your circadian rhythm and break down melatonin. But, it’s important to consider that the brighter your lamp, the less time you’ll need. If you prefer to sit a bit further away, you can still get effective treatment by extending your sessions. The best predictor of successful bright light therapy is consistency. Patients can benefit from light therapy after just 3 weeks of treatment, but these tend to wane if treatment stops too soon. That’s why we’ve designed the Flamingo to be as easy on the eyes as it is to use.
It’s capable of providing 10,000 Lux at 12” (30 cm), so that you can sit at a comfortable distance while it shines down from above your line of sight. Place it next to your bed or couch so that you can stay cozy throughout your light therapy session. Wherever you decide to use it, the cool, white light we’ve engineered the Flamingo to provide ensures minimum glare, and its large (7” X 13”), flat front surface delivers illumination over a wide enough area that you can stay comfy without sacrificing the brightness necessary for lasting, effective relief.
As with any of our products, we highly recommend checking with your healthcare professional to ensure that your treatment plan will meet your specific needs. Ensuring that your lamp delivers enough bright light to be effective, while minimizing any potential discomfort, should always be the top priority.
All our lamps are equipped with the best in diffuse UV filtration, to provide the greatest possible illumination without glare or discomfort. At 10,000 Lux, all you’ll need is 20-30 minutes for your daily session. However, if you find this uncomfortable, you may want to sit a bit further away from your lamp (until you’re comfortable), while extending your sessions by 5 minutes, or until you’re back to feeling the full effect of your light therapy product. If you extend your sessions beyond 30 minutes, we recommend taking a short 5 minute break every half-hour before resuming.
Certain medications, or disorders can lead to skin and eye conditions rendering the skin or eyes hypersensitive to light. In such cases, phototherapy is generally ill-advised. Additionally, bright light therapy can contribute to manic symptoms in individuals with bipolar mood disorders. If such a disorder might put you at risk, we highly recommend consulting a physician before using any light therapy device.
Layered lighting can help improve the mood of a room by reducing shadowy areas, or accenting its features. You can integrate your Flamingo floor lamp with a desk lamp (e.g., Boxelite or Luxor) to ensure balanced ambient, task, and therapy lighting throughout your space.
Layered Lighting can also help increase Focus, by drawing attention to well-lit areas while reducing glare from your surroundings. For instance, designers will often use floor lamps to generate ambient lighting, while using a desk lamp for task or therapy lighting. You can optimize your room for bright light therapy by illuminating your sitting area from above, while brightening and accenting the whole room with our LiteUP or BOXelite lamps. Coordinating Brightness & Colour Temperature Are you ready to create your perfect lighting setup? Shop Desk Lamps and Floor Lamps now.”
Light therapy can be effective in as little as 3 weeks, with far fewer risks of side-effects than other SAD treatments.
Floor lamps are idea for shared workspaces, as they help avoid cluttering your desktop, all while directing bright light over your sitting area from above, without bothering others in your vicinity.
All our lamps are designed to provide 10,000 Lux at a comfortable distance, so you can feel SAD relief in any environment. If you need to maximize your work space while still getting bright, glare-free illumination from above, you should consider a floor lamp. If you’re trying to focus light on the book you’re reading, or you want it directly over your workspace, a desk lamp might suit your needs.
