From the WHP annual calendar · November
Winter Blues
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD): 1-3% of Germans are clinically affected, 15-25% experience a mild "winter blues." Cause: lack of light inhibits serotonin production. Light therapy (10,000 lux, 30 minutes in the morning) is clinically effective. Company light-therapy lamps: low-cost, high-impact.
Idea to get started
Set up light-therapy lamps in shared spaces (2-3 units are enough for 20 employees). Info campaign: "Light therapy – 30 minutes each morning at your desk." Company physician info: when does SAD need treatment? Intranet article: vitamin D, exercise, and social contact as further remedies.
Did you know?
- lux outdoors on a gray winter day
- 3,500–6,000
- typical office lighting
- 500 lux
Outdoors on an overcast winter day, we still get 3,500 to 6,000 lux. Typical office lighting reaches only about 500 lux.
Source: TÜV NORD, „Mehr Licht“
No proven best practice for this occasion yet
The measures below come from this occasion's action area. They fit the topic but were not carried out for this exact occasion.
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