Thirty bus stops in the city of Umea, in northern Sweden, offer a bit of light therapy to users waiting for their buses in the long Swedish winter, the energy supplier that originates the operation announced Tuesday. Light therapy is a treatment for seasonal depression .
“They feel tired at this time of year and getting a little extra dose of light is a tonic,” said Umeaa Energia marketing director Anna Norrgaard.
This is due to the very short days of Umeaa, about 500km north of Stockholm, which clock in at just four and a half hours during the peak of winter at the end of December.
Special lamps temporarily replace advertisements. Five bus stops were even covered with reflective panels to further enhance the feeling of being in the sun.
Facing the lamps with your eyes open “You have to face the lamps face to face … and keep your eyes open to let the light in,” advised Mrs. Norrgaard.
You might also consider getting to the bus stop earlier than usual, as the generally recommended light therapy exposure is half an hour, although the time “varies by person,” she added.
Tanning lovers will be disappointed: the lamps do not emit ultraviolet radiation to protect your eyes. Light therapy is a treatment against the “sadness of winter”, a disorder caused by lack of sunlight.
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