Holiday Gift Guide: Philips Light Therapy – How Light Makes You Bright(er)

It’s funny how light can affect a person’s day so heavily. You know those people. Those people you do your best to avoid if it’s cold, overcast, crummy outside. You can feel the pain and sorrow around you when you’re in the subway from it. Yeah, light does a lot to you. So lets reverse the logic just a little.

Philips introduced me to two neat new Light Therapy products that are meant to make someone’s day a little more booming. They make for pretty interesting gifts, although the concept of light-making-you-bright may garner a few questions over the dining table that you should be prepared for. So I’m going to help break down the science into English.

 

Philips Wake up Light

This bad boy is my favourite thing to wake up to. It eases you into the morning by gradually increasing in brightness for a natural awakening. It’s like a sunrise in your room, minus the blinding effects of staring in the sun. It also has ambient sounds that bring you back into consciousness, which surely beats any type of obnoxious beeping or growling noises your built-in smartphone alarm stereotypically has.

I also dig their maximum brightness, which you can fade on and off at anytime. It acts as a soft lamp, which not only looks super cool, but I can point at the wall to make a neat lighting effect. Total mood setter.

I’ve been up every morning at 7am to write and do stuff around the house since this has arrived, and I’m feeling great.

Perfect for:

• The guy that’s grumpy every possible morning
• The guy that can never wake up on time
• The guy who enjoys cool lookin’ stuff in his apartment

Philips goLite BLU Energy Light

 

The Philips Energy Light. Simple concept: shine blue rays at yourself for 15 minutes per session, a couple times per day. Your energy becomes more balanced throughout the day. It’s something to weather the winter blues by bringing blue skies to your work area, whether it be in a home office or your workspace abroad.

First off, it’s going to get people’s attention. It’s a shining blue light the eminates from your desk, pointed at your face. People who walk by will always comment, asking “what the heck is that?”. Because I’m usually the guy who always has weird gizmos and gadgety things around, it’s not really that unusual. They usually make a comment about how it “Looks like you’re tanning!”, to “Neat. I don’t understand it, but neat”. But I believe that’s nearly the point: you’re not meant to really feel the direct upper, like caffeine. You gain its positives long term, similar to acupuncture.

I’m already a pretty energetic dude. I don’t usually need uppers, with the exception of a morning coffee and the occasional Red Bull in my vodka. Pretty standard. My office desk is also in direct sunlight.  My coworker, who works in an office that doesn’t have windows, gave it a shot. Her testimonial is that it does recharge herself a little on days where she didn’t get a lot of sleep, however on her really “up” days, it didn’t boost her any. Thoroughly expected, really. That’s what it says on the box.

Backed by really smart scientists and brilliant PR writers, this neat gadget can help a guy in need of a more balanced and focused life. While I do enjoy anything that keeps me focused, I would personally leave this in my home office when I have late work to get finished.

Perfect for:

• The guy who needs a mild boost without the need of caffeine
• The guy who is far too hyper for his own good
• The guy who doesn’t jump to conclusions without trying things out first

Two more gizmo’s on the way, expect to see it shortly!