Red Light Therapy and the Best Sleep of Your Life

Before I started working at Prevail, I hadn’t had any exposure to any form of recovery modality and, in all honesty, was a little hesitant to try them. With so many fitness trends going around it can often times be difficult to determine which ones are research backed and which ones are just strategically advertised. However, with new access to the Prevail Recovery Center, I decided to give it a try. Prior to using Red Light Therapy, I had mainly heard of its benefits on hair, skin, and tissue recovery. So when I started using RLT regularly, those were the benefits that I expected to see. However, the effects I experienced were far more beneficial and produced an influential impact on my training and daily life. I started using RLT for about 15-30 minutes 3-5 times a week and what I noticed was a significant difference in my sleep and cognitive function. Sleep is something that has always been a struggle for me, whether its falling asleep quickly or staying asleep through the night. I used to wake up constantly throughout the night and go through the next day feeling foggy brained and unfocused. It got to the point where by mid afternoon I was struggling to remember peoples names or accurately count exercise reps without losing focus. I felt constantly mentally exhausted. The first benefit I noticed from RLT was sleep. After a few consecutive sessions I realized that I was sleeping throughout the entire night which was entirely new to me. With my sleep on the rise, my mental clarity and cognition were boosted. I had more energy throughout the day and I felt mentally sharper and clear headed. I was able to lock in on work and make it through the day without feeling like I needed an afternoon coffee pick-me-up. I felt like my mind was sharper and more “with it.” It made such a noticeable difference that when I stopped using RLT for a few days, my sleeping pattern returned to how it was before and I could actually feel the difference in my energy and focus. All of these effects: the energy, cognition, and focus tied back into my sleep.

Sleep is such an important component of daily life as well as fitness and recovery and makes a significant impact on how we function and perform. Numerous studies have confirmed the importance of sleep in cognition, vigilance, fatigue, mood, and stress (Chennaoui et al., 2021). One study found that 30 minutes of RLT at night improves sleep quality and serum melatonin levels (Jiexiu Zhao et al.). Another found that RLT exposure 1 hour before bedtime can have a positive impact on sleep as well as mood and alertness (Pan et al., 2023). Based off of studies such as these, it is believed that increased melatonin levels are a key component in the benefit of RLT on sleep. Melatonin inhibits a central nervous wakefulness-system and helps facilitate sleepiness (Sack et al.). RLT may play a role in resetting the melatonin rhythm via visual photoreceptors to improve sleep initiation rather than sleep maintenance. This then directly impacts other functions such as focus, cognition, and recovery.

Recovery and sleep are such crucial components not just for training but for daily function. It effects how we train, do our jobs, and even interact with others as it is closely tied in to our energy, mood, and focus. Prioritizing sleep, and methods of improving it, is integral for reaching top performance both in the gym and our daily lives. RLT is an easy way to prioritize that area of life and gives us the means to achieving that peak recovery.

Works Cited

Chennaoui, M., Vanneau, T., Trignol, A., Arnal, P., Gomez-Merino, D., Baudot, C., Perez, J., Pochettino, S., Eirale, C., & Chalabi, H. (2021). How does sleep help recovery from exercise-induced muscle injuries? Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 24(10), 982987. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2021.05.007

Jiexiu Zhao, Ye Tian, Jinlei Nie, Jincheng Xu, Dongsen Liu; Red Light and the Sleep Quality and Endurance Performance of Chinese Female Basketball Players. J Athl Train 1 November 2012; 47 (6): 673–678. doi: https://doi.org/10.4085/1062-6050-47.6.08

Pan R, Zhang G, Deng F, Lin W and Pan J (2023) Effects of red light on sleep and mood in healthy subjects and individuals with insomnia disorder. Front. Psychiatry. 14:1200350. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1200350