West Seattle coffee shop offers coffee with an extra boost...



SEATTLE  --  The gloomy, wet and windy weather doesn't just have an effect on the outside. We can feel it inside, too.

That's why one local coffee shop is offering customers free, artificial sunshine with their cup of caffeine.

At Hotwire Coffee in West Seattle, the coffee's hot and the lights are happy.

“Just to be bathed in a little bit of vitamin D is sometimes all we really need to get us through the rest of the day,” says owner Lora Swift.

But do these light boxes really work? Better yet, should you invest in one?

Experts on light therapy say at this latitude, about 10 percent of people suffer from winter depression.

If we can control the timing of the light/dark pattern through light box therapy, we can improve our body clocks. In turn, improving our sleep. In turn, improving our mood!

Happy lights can run you anywhere from $40 to a couple hundred dollars online.

If you think you may be suffering from winter depression, experts say it's best to first talk to your doctor before going out and purchasing a light box.