The best predictor of positive outcomes with light therapy is consistency—using your lamp at the same time daily, for the same duration—so set up your 10,000 Lux bright light therapy device to ensure that each session is as relaxing and comfortable as possible. For many people, that can mean something as simple as lounging in their favorite chair or sofa with their morning coffee. And in that case, desk lamps might be harder to position just right during bright light therapy sessions. So, if you’re seeking the ultimate in ergonomic comfort to make your sessions as relaxing as possible, our living room floor lamps could be the ideal solution.
Light therapy generally requires 10,000 Lux of ambient white light to simulate morning sunlight; ideally, that means it should shine down from above. To make that happen, all while maximizing your comfort, we’ve taken the simple, sleek design of a tall floor lamp, complete with a large, adjustable, swivelling head, and optimized it to deliver 10,000 Lux of warm, ambient, UV-free white light. No need to sit at a desk or stare directly into your light therapy product—you wouldn`t stare at the sun, after all. Just turn it on, sit comfortably nearby on your favorite chair or sofa, and let its ambient light wake you up naturally.
Generally speaking, floor lamps are designed to provide ambient lighting throughout a room and, while ours are more than bright enough to do this without issue, they also have the added benefit of providing 10,000 Lux at a comfortable 12” distance. This means that, if you position the lamp near your favorite sofa or loveseat, you can angle it downwards and sit comfortably under light that’s bright enough to simulate ambient morning sunlight.
In general, the brightness of any light drops off the further from it you’re seated, so the ability to adjust our floor lamps’ large swiveling head ensures that you can set it at just the right angle to shine down at you from above eye-level, just like the sun would naturally.
You don’t need to stare into the sun for ambient daylight to be bright enough to energize you, so we’ve designed all our lamps to provide bright enough ambient lighting that you can sit comfortably with your floor lamp off to the side—without having to stare at it.
Bright light therapy can effectively regulate your circadian rhythm to help you wake up and fall asleep more comfortably. For starters, if you find yourself having difficulty waking up in the morning, or you feel drowsy for hours afterwards, morning bright light therapy can help you phase-advance your body clock to get you feeling more wakeful and energized in the morning, as well as fall asleep quicker and sleep more soundly in the evening.
In order to be clinically effective, psychiatrists recommend getting 10,000 Lux for 20-30 minutes per daily session. While we do the utmost to ensure our bright light therapy products are flicker- and glare-free, if you find the light to be a bit too bright at 10,000 Lux, you can try sitting a bit further away, and extending your daily sessions by about 10 minutes. If after a week, you’re not still feeling energized, extend your sessions by 10 minutes again each week until you find the sweet spot that works for you.
The circuit from your eyes to your brain that actually resets your body’s sleep-wake cycle (circadian rhythm) is mainly sensitive to blue-green light—especially shining down from above—even though naturally it’s bright white sunlight that does the job. In fact, natural sunlight is just a combination of all the colors of the rainbow, including blue and green, but those colors can be glaring and uncomfortable as ambient lighting. That’s why our desk lamps are designed to deliver glare-free white light—the most natural mixture of different colours—to maximize comfort for open-eye use. Plus, their tall form factor ensures that they can shine down on you from above, while you sit comfortably in your living room throughout your light therapy sessions.
There are now four decades worth of research showing that people are more lethargic during seasonal periods where there’s less light available. For most people, this usually means feeling tired and less energetic, waking up later, craving more fatty foods, and can even lead to periods of clinical depression that we now call Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
Since its discovery in 1984, researchers and clinicians have repeatedly shown that bright light therapy can be an effective way to manage SAD symptoms. Modern guidelines from the American and European Psychiatric Associations, National Institutes of Health, and many other clinical bodies recommend getting 30 minutes of 10,000 Lux bright white light on a daily basis. And in particular, bright light therapy for SAD works best in the morning, just after waking up, to simulate the bright morning sunlight your circadian system uses as its signal, during brighter times of the year, to keep the body’s internal clock set properly.
An added bonus of our bright light therapy products, because they mimic natural morning sunlight, is that you don’t need to stare directly at them throughout your daily sessions. In fact, all you need to do is position yourself comfortably at the recommended distance—ideally with the light shining down from above your line of sight—and go about your normal routine: reading the newspaper or a book, drinking your coffee, watching TV, browsing your phone, etc.
One of the most important predictors of a successful bright light therapy regimen is adherence to a treatment plan. In other words, the best way to improve results is to keep your bright light therapy consistent, by incorporating it into your daily routine. While it may only take a week or so to begin feeling results, it’s crucial to maintain them as part of your daily routine. That’s why we’ve designed our lamps to fit effortlessly into your mornings. With our floor lamps, you can simply place them by your favorite living-room couch or chair to make daily sessions effortless.
Bright light therapy products should put out 10,000 Lux of uniform white light, at a comfortable distance.
Bright light therapy products should offer a broad spread of light when placed at or above eye-level and off-center.
Morning sunlight naturally aligns the body’s circadian rhythm according to daylight hours.
The most important factor for successful bright light therapy is consistency. Ensure your routine endures long, dark winter months by choosing a solution built to last.
Adding too many ‘smart’ features to products can make it complicated to get consistency across bright light therapy sessions. Keeping things as simple as possible will ensure that you get the exact same relief on day 100 as on day 1.
The easiest way to ensure you use your light therapy product consistently is to choose the option that’s most practical for you, and best fits your lifestyle.
Place your Flamingo floor lamp II at roughly arm’s length, and slightly off-center at or above eye level. You don’t need to stare at the lamp at all, but keep your eyes open.
Though it depends on your specific condition, bright light therapy sessions are usually a morning affair: a simple ~20–30 minute routine of lounging in your favorite sofa or loveseat while reading, or drinking your morning coffee under your Flamingo will do wonders for the winter blues.
The Flamingo II desk lamp fits nearly any room or decor. Place it by the corner of a sofa or reading chair, by your breakfast nook or work desk. Then, simply adjust the head to light the area you’re planning to use.
People often sit too far from their bright light therapy devices to reach their target lux (usually 10,000 Lux). Make sure when you set your routine that you’ve got your Flamingo II placed and angled to deliver the light you need.
It’s also common for people to vary their time of use. However, depending on the specific condition, there’s more than likely a specific time that’s best for bright light therapy sessions. If you’re in any doubt about when you should be using your device, consult with a sleep or healthcare professional to develop a routine that fits your lifestyle and light therapy needs.
Especially in larger rooms, it can help to combine ambient and task-directed lighting to get the most out of your light therapy. You may find that sitting with your lamp directed downwards at your sofa leaves the rest of the room relatively unlit, in which case you can try bundling your Flamingo with one of our desk lamps. That way, as your Flamingo lights the whole room ambiently, your desk lamp can illuminate your favorite seat from the side-table, ensuring you get 10,000 Lux of therapeutic UV-free therapy, without leaving any dark corners in your living spaces.
all our products are built to last a lifetime, which is why the Flamingo desk lamp II comes with a 7 year warranty. Still, you’ll want to keep your lamp clean—particularly the acrylic UV filter, since leaving it dirty or dusty can affect the quality of light it puts out.
Even though our filters are super scratch resistant, best practice is to use a microfiber cloth, or a cloth with warm water to remove dust and dirt. You can use cleaning products on all its surfaces, but be sure to check that they’re safe for use on metals and plastics/acrylics.
The 18 W LED bulbs that the Flamingo desk lamp II uses Each LED are rated for 30,000 hours, so they’re sure to last a lifetime. But, if ever they happen to burn out, they’re easily replaceable. Simply unscrew the filter at its 4 corners, and you can pull them right out. They clip in, so there’s no need to unscrew them. If you’re unsure of the type of bulb you need, or if your unit is not working, please call us at 1-800-263-0066; our staff are always glad to help solve whatever minor issues you might have.
All our bright light therapy lamps—including the Flamingo—are built to meet the highest safety standards, and are QAI approved to minimise any potential pitfalls. The LED bulbs remain cooler, longer than comparable fluorescent or incandescent bulbs. However, we still recommend keeping your lamp far from any flammable materials and, when not in use, to tilt the filter away from any flammable materials or surfaces.
In most cases, light therapy is best used in the morning, just after waking up. However, it does depend on the specific goals of your routine. If you’re unsure about when to use your Flamingo floor lamp II, consult our [research library] (link to research library page) for more information, and consider speaking with a sleep or healthcare professional.
… you have been told you must wear sunglasses in sunlight, or if you have a history of eye problems. While our devices are UV filtered to block more than 99% of harmful rays, people with conditions that make their skin or eyes extremely photosensitive should exercise particular care before starting a light therapy treatment regimen. Medications like lithium, tetracycline, St. John’s Wort, acne creams, creams with retinoic acid, as well as some chemotherapy drugs can make your skin or eyes unusually light sensitive. People with bipolar disorder should also make sure to consult with their healthcare professional before starting a bright light therapy treatment plan.
Although most people experience no ill effects from their light therapy routine, the common—and usually mild—side-effects include eye-strain and headache. Often, these can be remedied by repositioning the lamp so it’s out of your direct line of sight, or positioning it a few inches further away (and extending your light therapy sessions by an additional 10 minutes).
Choosing the right therapy floor lamp—or, for larger rooms, bundling the right combination of floor and desk lamps—can make your living room feel brighter, and your mornings feel easier. Medical and psychological associations the world over agree that getting 10,000-lux of UV-, flicker-, and glare-free white light help alleviate the winter blues. So whether you’re simply looking to brighten your mornings with simulated morning sunlight, or planning a bright light therapy regimen for treatment, consider the Flamingo Floor Lamp II — NLT’s standing light therapy solution for living rooms.
The Flamingo desk lamp II is ergonomically designed from the ground up to provide 10,000-lux at a practical 12’ distance. Its fully adjustable head lets you swivel and tilt your lamp to make sure it’s positioned properly to deliver lasting therapeutic results with no hassle. Plus, with a 7 year warranty, you’ll never need to add another unwanted device to clutter your living room. Buy your Flamingo today, and let it seamlessly brighten your morning routine.
No matter the size of your living room, you’ll only need one floor lamp for light therapy. Simply set your lamp up by the sofa, loveseat, or eames chair you’re planning to use it from.
Depending on where you’re sitting, you’re best served having your lamp about a foot above your head, and off to the side, tilted downwards to provide 10,000 Lux of ambient light from above.
Typically, for fighting off the ‘winter blues’, light therapy sessions are most effective just after you wake up. This signals to your body that it should break down melatonin to help you feel wakeful and energized. However, depending on your light therapy goals, there may be cases where evening light may be more impactful. For more information, check out our Research Library, and consult with your healthcare professional.
Cheap LED tubes can produce mild flicker, and produce more glare than fluorescent bulbs. However, we use bespoke acrylic UV filters to diffuse the light our high-quality LED bulbs produce, eliminating any trace of flicker and glare from our lamps, while providing warm, comfortable 10,000 Lux white light.
You can absolutely read or watch TV during your light therapy sessions! You don’t need to stare directly at your light therapy lamp, so you can freely go about your morning routine—whether it’s reading, TV, or anything else—without worry. Just make sure you stay within a foot or two of your lamp to ensure that you get sufficient light to see therapeutic results.
The amount of light you’ll get from your lamp depends on how far away from it you sit. The Flamingo Floor Lamp II is rated to provide 10,000 Lux at 12’, so you can sit comfortably underneath it during your light therapy sessions. You should know, though, that you can extend your sessions by 10 minutes if you’d prefer to sit a few inches further away. Consult our Research Library for more information on The Benefits of Bright Light Therapy.
In general, there’s no reason your kids and pets can’t also be around your light therapy lamp. All our products use state-of-the-art acrylic UV filters to remove more than 99% of harmful UV rays, so you can rest easy knowing your product is safe for nearly anyone. However, people whose skin or eyes are extremely photosensitive (caused by either medications or disorders), as well as those with bipolar symptoms, should consult with a medical professional before use. See the Safety & Precautions for Living-Room Use section above.
The information on this page is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before starting any light therapy regimen, especially if you have a pre-existing medical condition or are taking medication.
