Make New York Post a Preferred Source Adobe Stock / New York Post Composite Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) affects up to 10% of the U.S. population every year, depending on the region.
SAD includes people feeling low for close to four to five months of the year, generally when the days get shorter. That’s why light therapy is one of the best ways to combat SAD.
But there’s another surprising benefit to getting more daylight.
Research tracked 87,577 dementia-free participants to see if light exposure could help reduce the risk of dementia. And the findings were interesting. Those who received at least 42 minutes of bright daylight per day had around a 17% lower risk of developing dementia compared to those who received less bright light.
Needless to say, light is intrinsically linked to health, and with the days getting shorter and most of us losing daylight before we even leave the office, we need to get a little creative with how we incorporate light into our daily routines.
One product that can help is a sunrise lamp, and it’s something I personally use and love.
While it doesn’t replace natural sunlight or traditional SAD light therapy, it can help mimic the feeling of waking up with the sun, even on the darkest winter mornings.
This minimalist device works as both a reading lamp and a sunrise lamp, delivering ambient light in late evenings and a jolt of light on darker mornings.
You can use the lamp for traditional sunrise lamp settings. It gradually lights up, mimicking the actual sunrise, waking you gently without the jolt of someone pulling back the curtains.
It also functions as a sunset lamp, gradually dimming as night falls. The brightness settings and color tone can be manually adjusted, depending on whether you’re ready to wind down or need a little light for your nighttime read. There’s a companion app, which can be used to change the lamp’s colors and set up routines.
Unlike traditional lamps, this one from Loftie has a beautiful translucent base so the entire piece functions as a light source.
It’s on the pricier end, but it’s saved me on rainy days and shorter winter nights, seamlessly becoming the light source I needed to wake up or wind down with.
The lamp also comes with a built-in red light mode, which the brand says is designed to support your body’s natural melatonin production by reducing exposure to blue light before bed.
You can also customize different color gradients and have this light emulate whatever colors make you feel the most at rest and peaceful. Best of all, it’s minimalistic and blends easily into your room decor without taking over.
If you’re stressed about getting deeper sleep or just waking up feeling tired every morning, a sunrise lamp might be worth considering, and this option from Loftie could be the one worth shopping for.
One of the most popular sunrise lamp options, this gentle light features phone-free controls and 80 science-backed sleep sounds.
Another sunrise/sunset simulator, this option can also play FM and has 20 brightness settings, so you can customize it to your liking.
If you want something that can be modified to any color gradient you can dream up, this is the lamp for you.
This article was written by Nishka Dhawan, Commerce Reporter for the New York Post. Nishka reports on the latest tech launches, innovations and trends to separate the best new products from the “AI slop.” Taking the latest technology for a spin, Nishka tests home appliances and tech products that actually improve your life, from vacuums to headphones to gaming gadgets and more – all while finding the best deals and lowest prices. Before joining The Post in 2026, her work appeared in Rolling Stone, ABC, NBC Select, Reviewed and Digital Trends.
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