Can you REALLY increase collagen with a few light bulbs?
Perhaps you've heard of using different coloured LEDs for various health benefits. But if you’re like me, you’re probably skeptical of how some light bulbs can have an effect on our bodies. It’s just light, right?
Well, I wanted to understand it. So I researched. I'd love to share with you what I found out about it which I think is not only interesting, but also useful.
First of all, how cool is it that the sun's rays have an affect on how we feel? (And I'm not just talking Vitamin D levels.) Joovv experts took the healing affects of sunlight on our bodies, and created a product that we can bring into our homes. I'm currently using it through my own healing process and thought: why not share this with you?
Hope you find it as cool as I do!
Collagen is quite the buzzword these days, as we come to understand that it’s the most bountiful protein in our bodies. Research shows that if our collagen production wanes, we’ll feel it and see it! Beauty experts are interested in collagen for its wrinkle-reducing qualities and health food stores are full of collagen powders. If you’re on the Joint Hyper-mobility Spectrum, you're probably aware that it’s your disrupted collagen that makes your joints particularly lax.
Can shining a red light on you actually lead to faster healing, lowered joint inflammation, better skin, and increased cognitive function? Well, the research certainly points to it!
Sunlight and how it affects us
Sunlight affects us in many ways: vitamin D production, melatonin levels, and prevalence of SADS in parts of the world with long, dark winters. Also note that Sunlight is a mixture of many different colours, as demonstrated by rainbows!
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As the sun rises each morning higher and higher above the horizon, the angle at which it penetrates our atmosphere changes which wavelengths (or colours) of light make it to the planet’s surface, where you and I go along our little lives. When the sun is near the horizon, light has to pass through much more atmosphere, and that means more gaseous molecules such as nitrogen and oxygen. As it reaches overhead, the pathway from sun to earth’s surface is much clearer.
Some of the wavelengths of light get absorbed more easily by these molecules in the atmosphere, while others are able to penetrate beyond these molecules. It’s the more blue wavelengths that get absorbed, and so they only make it through when the sun is higher in the sky. This means that mid morning to mid afternoon is full of blue light and this triggers certain brain chemicals to make us feel awake! As the day goes on, the light that reaches us becomes increasingly red as the bluer light’s pathway gets interrupted. This helps us feel more like slowing down and ready for sleep. That’s why screens with lots of blue light in them can harm our natural sleep cycles.
Let’s go deeper into how we’re taking this knowledge and making quite an efficient biohacking tool from it. That red light that you see at sunrise — and especially at sunset — also includes infrared light wavelengths (near, mid, and far). We can’t see these with our eyes, but they are also part of the sun’s rays.
Remember, this is the light that's able to get past the molecules of the atmosphere; the wavelengths that penetrate deepest. If these wavelengths can get past all the molecules in the atmosphere, then they ALSO penetrate deep into our cells when we are exposed to them. These wavelengths of light are doing something as they pass through our cells and the molecular structures (think H20, a.k.a. water) in our bodies. For example, near infrared light increases efficacy of the mitochondria*. When our mitochondria function better, WE function better. Healthy mitochondria give us increased energy, lowered inflammation, and improved functioning. So sunlight does more than just contribute to Vitamin D production — it activates an entire healing system. And red light therapy works in this same way.
*mitochondria are, in very simplified terms, the part of the cell that turns food into energy. So mitochondria are largely responsible for our energy levels. They also play a huge role in breaking down and removing waste at a cellular level and reduce the production of oxidative stress that leads to inflammation.
Why Red and Near Infrared Light Panels?
Manufacturers such as Joovv are using the powerful benefits of natural sunlight that we now understand, and harnessing it into a product that we can use at home. I got one! I’ve been using it on my ankle while it heals from surgery. Red light therapy boosts natural collagen production and so I began using it on my face as well.
From my experience, I’ve noticed much higher levels of energy, endurance, and focus since using my Joovv. It’s hard to know just by my ankle if the Joovv has helped because I have nothing to compare it to (as interesting as it would have been to injure my right ankle too and then compare the healing process between left and right, I think that would have been a bit extreme!), but my ankle has healed much more quickly than I was told by my surgeons and my physiotherapist. If you want more scientific research, Joovv has LOADS of information on their website, and I've linked to some other articles below.
Before you shop around! Like anything in this world, not everything is created equal. Some places offer only far-infrared light for example, which does have benefits but not the extensive benefits of near-infrared light. Furthermore, some lower quality devices and LEDs you might find at your local store will have a high flicker rate which can cause problems and will have blue light wavelengths in them too.
Thinking of getting one? CLICK HERE and use my code “ADELL” to get a free gift with your purchase.
Above all, my genuine desire is to spread knowledge and information that is helpful to you being the best you can be!
If you do decide to invest in a light therapy panel, I highly recommend Joovv because it ticks all the boxes of what you should look for.
Affiliate discloser:
I received a small panel as a gift from Joov in exchange for writing this blog, but it was me that reached out to THEM— I did my research on this subject and felt they were the best. I make a small commission from any sales using my code, which helps me create the FREE content that I put on my website, Youtube channel, and Instagram page.
Resources I used in writing this blog:
1. http://www.mrc-mbu.cam.ac.uk/what-are-mitochondria
2. https://joovv.com/blogs/joovv-blog/red-light-therapy-increases-collagen
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29668397
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10955339
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3926176/
6. https://joovv.com/blogs/joovv-blog/4-clinical-studies-show-skin-rejuvenating-benefits-of-red-light-therapy
7. https://joovv.com/blogs/joovv-blog/light-therapy-treating-brain-injuries-tbi-cte
8. https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/article/biohacking-articles/best-lighting-home-office/