Philips EnergyUp Review

B Loves: If you suffer from SAD, this is a must-have

Our Health Editor, Radhika Holmstrom, reviews the daylight light from Philips.

Summary: use for 20 to 30 minutes a day – won’t give you the damaging UV rays but will give you the powerful blast of rays, equivalent to 10,000 lux, that we need.

Ask pretty well any new parent how they’re feeling and they’ll say ‘tired’. Even those of us who are lucky enough to be getting a decent night’s sleep most of the time are usually aware that a cry may erupt in the small hours. And however late you stay up, you’re likely to be up bright and early too; opportunities for lie-ins are usually pretty few and far between. The fact is, your body clock is all over the place for quite some time – which isn’t good for you physically or mentally.

With this in mind, we checked out the Philips EnergyUp Light. It’s a compact little device which is intended to blast out the bright light (without damaging UV rays, which is a plus) that ‘programmes’ our body clocks. It’s particularly intended for use during the dark winter months, when many of us are stumbling around in the near-dark for quite a chunk of the morning; just put it near you, switch it on for 20 to 30 minutes and get on with your day – you don’t look directly into it!

The one thing that you will have to make sure of is that it’s out of the way of other children, because it’s not a toy – and they may want to stare into it, which isn’t a good idea. It does need to be plugged in, too. However, it’s a thoroughly useful little appliance which could make a big difference to how you’re coping with the new demands of your day (and indeed if you’re returning to work, it can be discreetly positioned on your desk to power you through). Recommended.