The Benefits of Red Light Therapy & My Red Light Phone Hack
IT’S THE RLT FOR ME
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If you watch my Insta stories, you’ve likely seen @joovsocial’s red light therapy is a part of my morning routine (I have the Mini 3.0). You’ve also probably noticed that I read for an hour every night in red light (LED red lightbulbs here). @olivihuh and I chatted about morning and night routines on Episode 6 of Kombuchat, and I even have a whole light vibes highlight dedicated to my mood lighting obsession… but anyway! Today I’m sharing the benefits of red light therapy with you:
What Is Red Light Therapy?
Red light therapy is a simple, non-invasive treatment that delivers concentrated natural light to your skin & cells. Red light therapy is quick & easy: you can sit or stand in the light for 5 to 15 minutes, ideally every day and this gives the mitochondria in your cells the natural light they need to make the energy that powers your body (y’all remember the mitochondria, right?). Some gyms even have red light beds, which you might have seen.
As a term, “red light therapy” refers to treatments from LEDs or cold lasers that deliver wavelengths of natural red & near infrared light. The term does not include white light, blue light or blue LED masks, & it is not the same as full spectrum light. Some people may include infrared or far infrared wavelengths along with red light therapy, but those are typically used in dry saunas because of their ability to produce heat. Red light therapy does not rely on heat, a major difference between natural light treatments & heat-based modalities like an infrared sauna, traditional sauna, or other type of heat therapy. [via]
What’s the Difference Between Red & Near Infrared Light?
Red and near infrared (NIR) light are both in the natural light spectrum & have been clinically proven to enhance cellular function. The main differences are that red light at 660nm is readily absorbed by skin tissue, leading to improved skin health & collagen production. Near infrared light at 850nm is invisible to the human eye & penetrates into deeper tissue, leading to benefits like increased muscle recovery & reduced joint pain. [via]
Why Red Light Therapy?
Red light therapy works by enhancing your energy production at a cellular level. Healthy, natural light stimulates the mitochondria & enhances the cellular respiration process that makes ATP ( adenosine triphosphate ) energy. Humans make ATP every day, & it fuels everything we do. The more energy our cells can make, the better our bodies look, heal, feel, & perform. This is just another reason it’s big for recovery! [via]
Here are some of the benefits:
safe & well-tolerated
reduces inflammation
less muscle pain & exercise soreness
natural pain relief treatment
helps with arthritis & joint pain
helps wound & burn healing
helps with bone & tissue injuries [via]
And Why Are You Into Red Light Bulbs?
Using red light bulbs before bed has been a serious GAME CHANGER for me. I spend the last hour of my night reading, no screens, and in red light. I have started sleeping SO.MUCH.BETTER. Red light bulbs promote relaxation and can even lower cortisol levels, the hormone you produce when you’re stressed. I actually started reading in red light before I decided to spend the money on a Joov and found it was helping so much that I made the splurge!
What’s the Phone Hack You Mentioned on Kombuchat?
You already know that I cut out screens at least an hour before bed, but before I even do that, I switch my phone to red light mode around 9PM. @olivihuh and I chatted about it, and why I love it on the podcast. But let me share with you how to setup a shortcut on your iPhone to turn it on red light mode. It’s NOT the same as iPhone’s night mode, and sorry Android- someone should send me those recs! Anyway here’s what you do:
Go to SETTINGS –> GENERAL –> ACCESSIBILITY –> DISPLAY ACCOMMODATIONS.
Go to the ‘auto-brightness’ toggle & select the ‘color filters’ option.
Enable ‘color filters’ then select ‘color tint’ for your filter.
Scroll down & then use the ‘intensity’ & ‘hue’ sliders to make the red effect. Both sliders should be in the far right position.
Now make it a shortcut so you don’t have to do this every night:
Go to SETTINGS –> GENERAL –> ACCESSIBILITY.
Scroll to the bottom & hit ‘accessibility shortcut’ & choose ‘color filters.’
You’re all set! Now when you click your home button or left side button (depending on your iPhone model), it will switch your phone to red light mode.
Red Light Products to Try
If you like these hacks, here are some great RLT products to try:
If you try any of the above, make sure to let me know on the ‘gram! Chat more soon. xoxo