I've found this thread very interesting. I have the compact florescent bulbs all over the house. I also have overhead florescent lights in my office. I never really thought about how they could affect my anxiety.

I have always had adverse reactions to florescent lighting, my whole life florescent lighting has made me more anxious. I avoid it at all costs. I am autistic though, and it's well known and common for autistics have problems with florescents. It contributes to sensory overload. But it doesn't seem like much of a stretch to reason it might cause some sensory overload problems (i.e. anxiety) in people with PTSD too.

Having fluorescent lighting increased physical symptoms and severity of some symptoms. They bothered my eyes. For example if you have poor eyesight you can get headaches and headaches can lead to nausea... Well, this type of lighting contributed to my sensory problems in much the same way. It was just harsh, whether it was the brightness or flicker I cannot say for sure but it added to my anxiety. It produced or increased symptoms I would get with an anxiety attack. Headaches, nausea, can't focus eyes, dizziness, peripheral vision messed up, too much brightness... These types of symptoms.

These lights seem to cause an attack. I know with attacks if you think one is coming on when you fear it then bam, you are in an attack since it is pretty basic to know fear of fear is what really sets a lot of these in motion. I got symptoms like an attack from these, since I was so paranoid it meant another attack it surely happened.

Changing to the incandescent bulbs and natural light during the day was a relief on my eyes and so far is showing promise in reducing some of the symptoms. I have also greatly reduced my online time since the screen I have on the laptop has no brightness control.

For me the proof was in the pudding when I had full blown panic attacks last night out of the blue. I got the dread and fear. I got the tight chest and pains in it, the lump in my throat feeling like choking. All normal and par for the course. What was weird was I did not puke, I did not get dizzy, my eyes stayed focused. I was able to meditate much easier through them sense I was not so woozy and ill.

From cruising the net googling it seems quite a few people, even if low percentage wise, do have these types of issues with fluorescent lighting from flickering or brightness. I am leaning more to flicker effect since the sun shining does not seem to have this profound effect. Either way I know these fluorescent lights added to symptoms and exaggerated them for me and am seeing I am not the only one.

From googling it seems some people have all types of strange reactions to fluorescent lights. It was a simple, pain free "experiment" I did on myself and shared since it made an positive difference. If it helps a few others great. I know for some it won't make a difference one way or another but for some this may prove to be very useful information to have.

I hope that was more clear.

Ah, ok... thanks veiled. That did clear it up I believe.

So you are saying that fluorescent lighting is increasing your anxiety opposed to decreasing it. Correct?

I would be interested to read research though stating that fluorescent lighting can increase anxiety. Interesting test model maybe....

I know such lighting is a big no no for some who have other illnesses, such as seizures, though never heard of it having an impact on anxiety. Interesting....

What research have you got on this veiled? I am curious now....

Yes, fluorescents increased anxiety. I will find what sites I read and send it to you tomorrow. There does not seem to be much official documentation of studies on it or controlled studies. Just mainly information like you find here, people speaking of their experiences. Figured it could not hurt to give it a go so I did. But again I will pass it on to you tomorrow. I already watched a couple movies on TV and can feel the difference in my eyes so I need to be off line and meditating now to ready for bed while I still can!

http://www.panicattacks.com.au/anxdis/dissoc.html
mentions fluorescent lights as triggering trance state of dissociation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Over-illumination
lists reference material connecting over illumination and anxiety.

http://www.healthyplace.com/Communities/Anxiety/paems/research/holder/rpa6.html

http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/techbeat/archives/2007/02/yahoo_sees_the.html

some starter areas.

Thanks veiled, much appreciated. Will go read later today.

Well hot diggity, it's not just me!!!

Now I'm wondering if part of my super-negative reaction to trying to return to work this summer, was partly because the whole fire/ambo station is lit by fluorescent lights. I actually feel very safe in the fire station (long story - it's an emotional association thing, not the obvious "it's a fire station, duh" LOL) ... but I felt profoundly better when I went outside those days. I mean, like night & day, profoundly better out in natural daylight. I was miserable inside. It didn't even click 'til now that maybe the lighting was triggering that whole cascade of PTSD hormones and emotions...........

Dang!

At home I use the CFLs that are sort of yellowish in tint? During the daytime I have ALL of the curtains open and all last summer I just thrived (emotionally and physically) in daylight... I would go out to the park and stand there and feel like a plant just sucking up the sunshine. :) LOL! In the evening I am always turning lights off, and I have always preferred candles. (Dangerous, I know -- BE CAREFUL WITH THE CANDLES, KIDS! -- there's my fire prevention PSA.) Candlelight is warm and gentle feeling to me.

I turn my laptop screen WAY down at night. The brightness can be literally, physically painful to my eyes if it is too bright.

I also get migraines. I get both hormonal migraines (hit @ ovulation, menstruation and the post-menstrual estrogen surge) and typical migraines (triggered by certain sound and light stimuli) ........ the old-style CRT computer screens which run at 65-70 hertz always triggered a migraine... I am usually semi-okay at 75 hertz... if my brain is sensitive (it feels like it's on the edge of a migraine), the fluorescent lights (CFLs) can definitely aggravate things and set off a migraine... as can my laptop screen if it is too bright... but oddly my halogen desk lamp never sets off a migraine, even though it's like a zillion candlepower. :) LOL

As a side note, I have PTSD (duh) but I have long suffered from both depression and anxiety. It started when I was a college student, age 19-20, it really popped up when I started the BCP. I have long since d/c'd the BCP but the depression and anxiety and migraines have continued. I am now 36. The PTSD was caused by a series of events in 2005-2006, so it is something "new," it is not the cause of the underlying depression & anxiety. For whatever that history is worth -- I just wanted to explain because everybody's background is different. :)

:D Bailey

Oh......... I also have a hard time focusing a lot of the time....... yes, my contacts & glasses are the right prescription :) it is definitely a visual disturbance. Sometimes I can directly trace it to a migraine, but a lot of the time I don't know WHAT the heck it is??? I have been coming to think of it as a painless migraine -- because I have the visual and neuro symptoms and woozyness, without the headache. Whatever it is, obviously there is something going on in the brain that is screwing up data transmission and/or interpretation. Maybe someday we will know WTF it is. :-P *grin*


:D Bailey