A reader asks:

My ideal timing for light therapy, according to your Automated Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire, is 6:45 a.m. Now, in my country, daylight starts sooner than that time. When daylight starts sooner, is light therapy in the morning necessary anymore? When should I stop? The days are getting longer and longer. Step by step, I’m feeling better and getting out of severe problems. Thank you very much for your advice in this forum.

Answer:

Good thinking. If you’re feeling better, and if you receive the sunrise signal in your bedroom, it makes sense to try discontinuing treatment. If you slump, you can always resume treatment for a few more weeks, and then try quitting again. You do not mention where you live, but the experience of patients who live around 40 degrees North latitude is that untreated SAD symptoms do not remit spontaneously until early May. Therefore, most patients prefer to continue light therapy throughout April and not risk slumping or relapse. Your situation may be different, of course.