Red light therapy seems like something that's very obvious woo, until you spend an afternoon looking through some portion of the many studies and realize that no, while it is indeed overhyped in...
Exemplary
Red light therapy seems like something that's very obvious woo, until you spend an afternoon looking through some portion of the many studies and realize that no, while it is indeed overhyped in some online circles and just sounds hard to believe, it is very real.
I borrowed a mid-sized panel with visible red and near-infrared (NIR) light for a month and found out that while it does nothing for my energy levels directly (I have chronic fatigue syndrome), it immediately suppresses my chronic pain, which is quite mild but otherwise nearly constant, heavy feeling in my legs and daytime sleepines, and it also improves my sleep. Oh, and my eyelashes became longer after the month (expected, it is also used for hair growth, it delays the tellogen phase), which is a bit of a pain because my glasses now get dirty much faster, from the inside. As a result I have now ordered a similarly sized panel from China, because literally all the red light therapy companies are just resellers of chinese panels, and ordering it directly was about 60% cheaper.
Despite the amount of science there is still a lot of folk lore around this topic on reddit etc., so I was happy to see an interview with an actual scientist on Andrew Huberman's podcast.
It's over 2 hours long, so I made a tl;dw. Many of the points are not just about shining narrow-band red/near infrared light as the panels, most popular tools for red light therapy, do, but about long wavelenght (red and infrared) and short wavelength (blue) components in various types of everyday lighting and their influence on us. Behold:
Red light works directly on mitochondria, making them work faster and more efficiently. Blue light seems to have the opposite effect on mitochondria than red light. Red light exposure during eating reduces blood glucose, blue light increases it and "slows down" mitochondrial activity.
Lighting in general is about balance. Unbalanced frequency spectrum that contains too much short wavelenght (blue) light seems to be very unhealthy in the long term.
Low quality white LED bulbs all have a large blue (short wavelength) spike and no long wavelengths (deep red and infrared), whereas all natural and artificial lighting used throughout all of history until about 30 years ago was either balanced or unbalanced in the other direction, with much more long wavelength energy (note: I think he's forgetting fluorescent lighting, but that's been vanishing anyway). This "cheap LED bulb" type of light is starting to be talked about as possibly quite unhealthy due to the influence on mitochondria, vision and possibly other things. Incandescent lights are healthier, this includes halogen bulbs. Even a weak halogen bulb on a dimmer (to save money) can be used to supplement long wavelength light efficiently.
Careful here: this only applies to low quality LED bulbs (edit: to clarify, unfortunately this is nearly all of them, anything with CRI of 85 or lower). Good high CRI (90+, ideally 95+) LEDs with neutral or warm light do not have the blue spike (usually the manufacturers publish their spectrum) and in fact contain less blue than natural outdoor light. These bulbs are often even quite cheap, they're just uncommon, you have to actively seek them out. They do not radiate any infrared, but there is no evidence for them being harmful.
Improving eyesight with red light is real. It works like a switch - enough red light exposure to the retina and some metrics (like distinguishing similar colors) suddenly shoot up. It lasts for days after just one session (!) and then falls back down. The amount of light needed is surprisingly low. There is also a long term effect in preventing natural age related degeneration which only shows in older people.
Full spectrum light balanced towards the long wavelengths, like incandescent or halogen bulbs, works better than pure red light for improving color perception. I'm not talking about looking at colors under the light, I mean that being regularly exposed to this kind of light improves your color recognition in general, in any setting. In the study they used incandescent desk lamps used for normal work every work day, not anything you directly stare into. Improvements were stronger and lasted longer after removing the lamps than with red light flashlights. Strong long wavelength or full spectrum light also likely lessens the probability of myopia developing.
Long wavelength (red and NIR) light penetrates very deep, IR specifically passes through bone and pretty much everything in your body. It also passes through clothes, so going outside even when clothed is beneficial.
Long wavelength light is beneficial for many ailments, mentioned is for example Parkinson's and macular degeneration, but it only works as prevention and in early disease stages. As soon as significant neurodegeneration is present, it does not work. It needs to be caught early, in the "I have some pains, but not bad enough to see a doctor yet" stage.
RLT panels that many of us use are not that well built. Often the wavelengths they radiate are not what the manufacturer claims, or they drift over time. Their cost to benefit ratio is not very good. However other information in this video implies that the specific wavelenghts are not crucial, plus we know from GembaRed (a youtuber who sell his own panels and does measurements of various 3rd party models) that the radiated spectrum tends to be not that far off from what is claimed.
I think the takeaway from this point is: don't forget that many studies focus on narrow band light specifically because they use easily available RLT panels, and RLT panels exist because they're a good business, not because we necessarily know that they're the best thing. There is evidence that either broad spectrum red/infrared or sun-like full spectrum lighting is just as or more effective in some mechanisms, possibly not in others. That said I don't think there's any evidence that RLT panels are bad and studies very clearly show that they work, we just don't know whether in some cases better methods exist, yet.
There's not enough research to say for sure, but it seems like simply balance is key. If you spend enough time outside in the natural and balanced light spectrum, there's a good chance that you're fine and low quality LED bulbs are not harming you in any way. If you spend most of your time locked inside behind windows which block infrared (common, for climate control) under low quality lighting, getting a weak halogen bulb on your desk or otherwise supplementing long wavelength light might bring subtle but real health improvements, especially long term.
Thanks for writing this up. Would you happen to know where high CRI LED bulbs stand relative to halogen counterparts? I’ve had a nice high CRI LED bulb in my desk lamp and reasonable-CRI bulbs...
Thanks for writing this up.
Would you happen to know where high CRI LED bulbs stand relative to halogen counterparts? I’ve had a nice high CRI LED bulb in my desk lamp and reasonable-CRI bulbs (Philips Hue) elsewhere, all soft/warm white, and am wondering if I should swap any out. As I suspect is the case for many of us here, I spend the vast majority of my time indoors so I’ve become increasingly conscious about this sort of thing.
I’m also curious where red and full spectrum light and bright light intersect. I’ve read a fair bit about how high brightness (several times that of typical household bulbs) lights indoors during the day can have a dramatic positive effect on wakefulness, energy, and sense of wellbeing. I guess the ideal for this kind of lighting would both bright and full spectrum which is likely served by a very narrow band of products.
They tend to have a spectrum similar to daylight, the differences being that those with warm color temperatures (say 4500K and lower) have less blue than daylight, and they have literally zero...
Would you happen to know where high CRI LED bulbs stand relative to halogen counterparts?
They tend to have a spectrum similar to daylight, the differences being that those with warm color temperatures (say 4500K and lower) have less blue than daylight, and they have literally zero deep red and near infrared. So they do not provide any of the benefits that halogen or incandescent lights (or straight red lights) do, but I don't believe there's a reason to think they're harmful.
From what I've seen Philips Hue do have a big blue light spike in their spectrum unless ran on the most warm settings, but I only checked very briefly and there are different kinds.
I’m also curious where red and full spectrum light and bright light intersect.
I have also explored this in the past and my knowledge is partially based just on anecdotes from DIY people treating their seasonal affective disorder, but it seems like in that case while full spectrum neutral white bulbs are best, brightness is the most important thing and any white light will work. You just really need a lot of it.
My DIY solution was to get 8 4000K high-CRI bulbs, 60W equivalent (I'd prefer stronger but these were really cheap, unfortunately not on market anymore), put them all under a relatively big (60 liter?) milky-colored translucent plastic box that acts as a diffuser and stare into it. This shines 4000 - 8000 lux directly into my face depending on how far I sit from it. For reference, this is the amount of light that you get outdoors when you look up during a completely overcast but not totally dark day, and it's about 10x - 20x more than you typically get at home. There are free apps on your phone for measuring light intensity (like Phyphox) and they tend to be very roughly accurate - finding out just how big the difference between indor lighting and even relatively "dark" outdoor lighting is can be quite enlightening (yes, I know).
Anyway, I don't suffer from SAD, just from daytime tiredness and drowsiness, and this does wake me up very efficiently in the morning... But so does red light from a panel it seems like (though the panel is about 3x stronger I think). I'll do more experiments once my new panel arrives from China.
Based on the video, if the dude is correct (and this is not a given either, there's a lot of data but I think some of it is extrapolation), a good economical option might be to get high CRI bulbs everywhere, spend some time exploring the market and wait for a good deal, because many (especially from anti-blue light shops) are overpriced as shit and there really is no need to spend as much money. The goal is to reduce harm. And then get a halogen lamp or two, with a dimmer, as a supplement for a place where you spend the most time. Possibly a work desk or even next to your bed if you read books before you fall asleep. The goal is to supplement every day and get some of the long wavelength benefits.
I would be very interested in the results of that experiment. Do you happen to have a blog? If not, would you be willing to post it here? Thanks for what you've already written here.
I'll do more experiments once my new panel arrives from China.
I would be very interested in the results of that experiment. Do you happen to have a blog? If not, would you be willing to post it here?
I haven't looked into it, but when researching the spectrum graphs of various bulbs I have stumbled upon some Philips Hue bulb that had a very prominent blue spike in its cold setting and a...
I haven't looked into it, but when researching the spectrum graphs of various bulbs I have stumbled upon some Philips Hue bulb that had a very prominent blue spike in its cold setting and a minimal blue spike in its warmest setting, but I have no idea what model specifically it was.
If you look through the spectrum graphs of various LED bulbs, you'll quickly understand what the typical blue spike looks like, and you can try looking up you specific model. Often the graphs are a part of the manufacturer's technical specifications of the product, that's probably the easiest way to find them.
This is interesting - we have recessed canister lighting throughout the house and put in basic GE warm white 2700K LEDs everywhere simply because the color felt cozier and more inviting,...
This is interesting - we have recessed canister lighting throughout the house and put in basic GE warm white 2700K LEDs everywhere simply because the color felt cozier and more inviting, especially in the winter. Turns out it's a cheap way to get red-dominant light exposure, even if it's not providing much infrared.
Red light therapy seems like something that's very obvious woo, until you spend an afternoon looking through some portion of the many studies and realize that no, while it is indeed overhyped in some online circles and just sounds hard to believe, it is very real.
I borrowed a mid-sized panel with visible red and near-infrared (NIR) light for a month and found out that while it does nothing for my energy levels directly (I have chronic fatigue syndrome), it immediately suppresses my chronic pain, which is quite mild but otherwise nearly constant, heavy feeling in my legs and daytime sleepines, and it also improves my sleep. Oh, and my eyelashes became longer after the month (expected, it is also used for hair growth, it delays the tellogen phase), which is a bit of a pain because my glasses now get dirty much faster, from the inside. As a result I have now ordered a similarly sized panel from China, because literally all the red light therapy companies are just resellers of chinese panels, and ordering it directly was about 60% cheaper.
Despite the amount of science there is still a lot of folk lore around this topic on reddit etc., so I was happy to see an interview with an actual scientist on Andrew Huberman's podcast.
It's over 2 hours long, so I made a tl;dw. Many of the points are not just about shining narrow-band red/near infrared light as the panels, most popular tools for red light therapy, do, but about long wavelenght (red and infrared) and short wavelength (blue) components in various types of everyday lighting and their influence on us. Behold:
Red light works directly on mitochondria, making them work faster and more efficiently. Blue light seems to have the opposite effect on mitochondria than red light. Red light exposure during eating reduces blood glucose, blue light increases it and "slows down" mitochondrial activity.
Lighting in general is about balance. Unbalanced frequency spectrum that contains too much short wavelenght (blue) light seems to be very unhealthy in the long term.
Low quality white LED bulbs all have a large blue (short wavelength) spike and no long wavelengths (deep red and infrared), whereas all natural and artificial lighting used throughout all of history until about 30 years ago was either balanced or unbalanced in the other direction, with much more long wavelength energy (note: I think he's forgetting fluorescent lighting, but that's been vanishing anyway). This "cheap LED bulb" type of light is starting to be talked about as possibly quite unhealthy due to the influence on mitochondria, vision and possibly other things. Incandescent lights are healthier, this includes halogen bulbs. Even a weak halogen bulb on a dimmer (to save money) can be used to supplement long wavelength light efficiently.
Improving eyesight with red light is real. It works like a switch - enough red light exposure to the retina and some metrics (like distinguishing similar colors) suddenly shoot up. It lasts for days after just one session (!) and then falls back down. The amount of light needed is surprisingly low. There is also a long term effect in preventing natural age related degeneration which only shows in older people.
Full spectrum light balanced towards the long wavelengths, like incandescent or halogen bulbs, works better than pure red light for improving color perception. I'm not talking about looking at colors under the light, I mean that being regularly exposed to this kind of light improves your color recognition in general, in any setting. In the study they used incandescent desk lamps used for normal work every work day, not anything you directly stare into. Improvements were stronger and lasted longer after removing the lamps than with red light flashlights. Strong long wavelength or full spectrum light also likely lessens the probability of myopia developing.
Long wavelength (red and NIR) light penetrates very deep, IR specifically passes through bone and pretty much everything in your body. It also passes through clothes, so going outside even when clothed is beneficial.
Long wavelength light is beneficial for many ailments, mentioned is for example Parkinson's and macular degeneration, but it only works as prevention and in early disease stages. As soon as significant neurodegeneration is present, it does not work. It needs to be caught early, in the "I have some pains, but not bad enough to see a doctor yet" stage.
RLT panels that many of us use are not that well built. Often the wavelengths they radiate are not what the manufacturer claims, or they drift over time. Their cost to benefit ratio is not very good. However other information in this video implies that the specific wavelenghts are not crucial, plus we know from GembaRed (a youtuber who sell his own panels and does measurements of various 3rd party models) that the radiated spectrum tends to be not that far off from what is claimed.
There's not enough research to say for sure, but it seems like simply balance is key. If you spend enough time outside in the natural and balanced light spectrum, there's a good chance that you're fine and low quality LED bulbs are not harming you in any way. If you spend most of your time locked inside behind windows which block infrared (common, for climate control) under low quality lighting, getting a weak halogen bulb on your desk or otherwise supplementing long wavelength light might bring subtle but real health improvements, especially long term.
Thanks for writing this up.
Would you happen to know where high CRI LED bulbs stand relative to halogen counterparts? I’ve had a nice high CRI LED bulb in my desk lamp and reasonable-CRI bulbs (Philips Hue) elsewhere, all soft/warm white, and am wondering if I should swap any out. As I suspect is the case for many of us here, I spend the vast majority of my time indoors so I’ve become increasingly conscious about this sort of thing.
I’m also curious where red and full spectrum light and bright light intersect. I’ve read a fair bit about how high brightness (several times that of typical household bulbs) lights indoors during the day can have a dramatic positive effect on wakefulness, energy, and sense of wellbeing. I guess the ideal for this kind of lighting would both bright and full spectrum which is likely served by a very narrow band of products.
They tend to have a spectrum similar to daylight, the differences being that those with warm color temperatures (say 4500K and lower) have less blue than daylight, and they have literally zero deep red and near infrared. So they do not provide any of the benefits that halogen or incandescent lights (or straight red lights) do, but I don't believe there's a reason to think they're harmful.
From what I've seen Philips Hue do have a big blue light spike in their spectrum unless ran on the most warm settings, but I only checked very briefly and there are different kinds.
I have also explored this in the past and my knowledge is partially based just on anecdotes from DIY people treating their seasonal affective disorder, but it seems like in that case while full spectrum neutral white bulbs are best, brightness is the most important thing and any white light will work. You just really need a lot of it.
My DIY solution was to get 8 4000K high-CRI bulbs, 60W equivalent (I'd prefer stronger but these were really cheap, unfortunately not on market anymore), put them all under a relatively big (60 liter?) milky-colored translucent plastic box that acts as a diffuser and stare into it. This shines 4000 - 8000 lux directly into my face depending on how far I sit from it. For reference, this is the amount of light that you get outdoors when you look up during a completely overcast but not totally dark day, and it's about 10x - 20x more than you typically get at home. There are free apps on your phone for measuring light intensity (like Phyphox) and they tend to be very roughly accurate - finding out just how big the difference between indor lighting and even relatively "dark" outdoor lighting is can be quite enlightening (yes, I know).
Anyway, I don't suffer from SAD, just from daytime tiredness and drowsiness, and this does wake me up very efficiently in the morning... But so does red light from a panel it seems like (though the panel is about 3x stronger I think). I'll do more experiments once my new panel arrives from China.
Based on the video, if the dude is correct (and this is not a given either, there's a lot of data but I think some of it is extrapolation), a good economical option might be to get high CRI bulbs everywhere, spend some time exploring the market and wait for a good deal, because many (especially from anti-blue light shops) are overpriced as shit and there really is no need to spend as much money. The goal is to reduce harm. And then get a halogen lamp or two, with a dimmer, as a supplement for a place where you spend the most time. Possibly a work desk or even next to your bed if you read books before you fall asleep. The goal is to supplement every day and get some of the long wavelength benefits.
I would be very interested in the results of that experiment. Do you happen to have a blog? If not, would you be willing to post it here?
Thanks for what you've already written here.
Is this something you can do with Hue bulbs, or are those considered cheap LED bulbs?
I haven't looked into it, but when researching the spectrum graphs of various bulbs I have stumbled upon some Philips Hue bulb that had a very prominent blue spike in its cold setting and a minimal blue spike in its warmest setting, but I have no idea what model specifically it was.
If you look through the spectrum graphs of various LED bulbs, you'll quickly understand what the typical blue spike looks like, and you can try looking up you specific model. Often the graphs are a part of the manufacturer's technical specifications of the product, that's probably the easiest way to find them.
This is interesting - we have recessed canister lighting throughout the house and put in basic GE warm white 2700K LEDs everywhere simply because the color felt cozier and more inviting, especially in the winter. Turns out it's a cheap way to get red-dominant light exposure, even if it's not providing much infrared.