Red Light Therapy and Mental Health

Mental health is one of the most complicated parameters of human well-being. Determining the causal pathways in both the emergence and alleviation of any issues relies quite heavily on the philosophy of science with which one approaches the topic.

Yet, it is no surprise, or matter of controversy, that our mental well-being and a healthy brain are correlated factors in humans.

As such, scientists have done clinical trials measuring the effects of red light therapy panels on subjects with indicators of mental imbalance and found evidence that suggests that it is effective in improving the measurable markers of mental well-being.

Whether it does so through strict biological mechanisms (such as increasing blood flow and relieving neuro-inflammation), secondary mechanisms (such as improving your sleep and dopamine levels), or even through the ‘simple’ experiential quality of sitting in peace and quiet for 10-20 minutes every day in front of the best red light therapy panel, is still unresolved. Most likely, a combination of all is the case (at least, we don’t see the effects measured in animals studies as likely due to a daily meditative break in front of a red light therapy panel).

In a forthcoming post, we will explore the synergies between meditation, Red light therapy panels, and the brain entrainment of pulsed light, but until then, rest assured that red light therapy panel usage isn’t a ‘tedious self-optimization that takes the joy out of living’, but rather something akin to the opposite if done right.