Community Discussions
Blick auf Rotlicht und langwellige Lichttherapien
Es gibt eine Menge Rot-/NIR-Lichttherapie-Panels und sie werden von jedem Influencer und in Langlebigkeitsblogs erwähnt. Nachdem ich mir den letzten Huberman-Podcast angesehen und einige Studien zur Lichttherapie angeschaut habe, war ich überrascht, wie dünn die Forschungslage ist.
Ein generelles Problem scheint der Mangel an natürlichem Licht zu sein und den ganzen Tag in geschlossenen Räumen in unmittelbarer Nähe zu Monitoren und billiger LED-Raumbeleuchtung zu arbeiten.
Einige der positiven Ergebnisse der Rotlichtstudie lassen sich wiederholen, wenn man die Menschen klassischen Glühbirnen aussetzt, deren Lichtspektrum dem natürlichen Licht näher kommt als das billiger LEDs. Selbst Vollspektrum-LEDs scheinen das Problem nicht zu lösen. Es ist nicht 100%ig klar, warum.
Einige Studien wurden in nördlichen Ländern wie Schweden durchgeführt, wo die Menschen nicht viel natürliches Licht bekommen, vor allem im Winter.
Es gibt eine Vielzahl von Rotlicht-Panels und einige bieten eine breite Palette von Wellenlängen, aber einige haben nicht die Wellenlänge, die in den meisten Studien verwendet wird, weil diese LED teurer sind. Suche nach medizinischen oder hochwertigen Geräten und Wellenlängen, die dein Problem behandeln.
Unterschiedliche Arten von Licht und Platten erfordern unterschiedliche Arten der Belichtung. Einige zielen auf die Haut, andere auf tiefer liegendes Gewebe.
Sommerlich
Langwellige und rote Lichttherapiegeräte scheinen am besten für Menschen geeignet zu sein, die sich die meiste Zeit in Innenräumen aufhalten und viel LED-Licht ausgesetzt sind. Es ist unklar, ob sie wirklich einen Vorteil gegenüber natürlichem Licht bieten. Eine billigere Alternative ist es, während der UV-armen Zeiten mehr Zeit im Freien zu verbringen oder ein paar klassische oder Halogenlampen zu installieren.
Qualitativ hochwertige Geräte könnten bei bestimmten Problemen helfen, aber da es eine Vielzahl von Geräten mit einer sehr großen Qualitätsspanne gibt, ist unklar, ob es einen generellen Langlebigkeitseffekt bei diesen Platten gibt.
Ansichten?
There are a lot of red / NIR light therapy panels out there, and they are mentioned by every influencer and in longevity blogs. After watching the latest Huberman podcast and checking out some studies on light therapy I was surprised how thin the research is.
A general problem seems to be the lack of natural light and working all day indoors in close range to monitors and cheap LED room lighting.
Some of the positive red light study results can be replicated by exposing people to classic light bulbs which have a light spectrum closer to natural light than cheap LEDs. Even full spectrum LEDs don't seem to solve this. It is not 100% understood why.
Some studies were done in northern countries like Sweden, where people don't get a lot of exposure to natural light, especially during winter.
There are a ton of red light panels and some offer a broad range of wave lengths but some lack the wavelength which most studies use, because those LED are more expensive. Look for medical grade or high quality devices and wave lengths that treat your problem.
Different types of light and panels need different types of exposure. Some target the skin others deeper tissues.
Summery
Long wave length and red light therapy devices seems to be best for people who are indoor most of the time and are exposed to lots of LED lighting. Its unclear if they really provide an advantage to natural light. A cheaper alternative is to spent more time outside during low UV times or install some classic or halogen bulbs.
High quality devices could help with specific problems but because there are a ton of devices out there with very a big range in quality its unclear if there is a general longevity effect with these panels.
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Could you share the link to the podcast? Would also like to dive deeper into the topic
I sit in front of a RLT panel every morning and while it's hard to know if there are tangible benefits I have noticed the following:
- Mood improves immediately during and after (but not in the first few minutes because I take my clothes off and it's cold)
- The warmth lingers beyond the time I spent in front of the panel
- The random acne spots on my back have disappeared completely
- My bicep strain feels better during treatment, but this is relatively short lived
That being said, all of these are huge wins for me and I can easily justify still keeping this in my routine.
Here are some research studies about redlight therapy. Overall effects are insane: one training group using red light therapy achieved over 50% greater muscle hypertrophy within two months compared to the training group without photobiomodulation (PBM). In addition to increased muscle growth, the PBM group showed a 20.5% increase in strength, compared to 13.7% in the non-PBM training group. Other PBM groups demonstrated lower inflammatory markers. Athletes treated with photobiomodulation showed, on average, a twofold faster return-to-play time (after injuries) compared to athletes who did not receive PBM. When applied before training, photobiomodulation not only supports recovery but may also enhance performance (strength, speed, endurance) and increase resilience to upcoming training load. You want redlight (630–660 nm) and near-infraredlight (800nm - 930nm) waves, roughly 30-40cm distance and between 20-30min per session (as far as the research protocols say).
Based on my own long-term HRV screenings and spectral analysis, I observed a marked increase in autonomic energy production while sitting in front of my PBM module. Functionally, it behaves like a charging station for the nervous system, acting as both a performance and recovery enhancer depending on timing and context. The primary mechanism appears to be mitochondrial stimulation, supporting ATP production and overall cellular energy availability. Plus, I have noticed clear improvements in skin quality and vision. My skin remains smooth despite minimal topical care, and my eyesight improved from 1.25 diopters to the point where I no longer require reading glasses. As Andrew Huberman has noted, cold exposure may increase the skin’s ability to absorb red light, suggesting a synergistic effect when combining ice baths with photobiomodulation and it may increase testosteron production, if you let it shine on your jewels.
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(7) Ferraresi C, Bertucci D, Schiavinato J, Reiff R, Araújo A, Panepucci R, Matheucci E Jr, Cunha AF, Arakelian VM, Hamblin MR, Parizotto N, Bagnato V. Effects of Light-Emitting Diode Therapy on Muscle Hypertrophy, Gene Expression, Performance, Damage, and Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness: Case-control Study with a Pair of Identical Twins. Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2016 Oct;95(10):746-57. doi: 10.1097/PHM.0000000000000490. PMID: 27088469; PMCID: PMC5026559.
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