Depression can prevent you from living life to its fullest. If you are like many people with depression, you struggle to ease symptoms of depression without medication or hours of counseling. Fortunately, red light therapy can help reduce symptoms of depression.
Many practitioners are now recommending red light therapy for depression.
There are several types of depression. Some develop due to events in your life, while others are due to chemical changes in your brain.
Types of depression include:
Symptoms of depression can vary widely between patients and can even vary from day to day. What’s more, symptoms can vary according to the type of depression a person is experiencing. Generally speaking, though, symptoms of depression include:
Several treatments for depression are now available. The treatment that works best for one person may not work well for another.
Combining treatments works well for many people. Because there are no known interactions or complications with red light therapy, you may combine it with watchful waiting, talk therapy, or medication. Red light therapy may improve the efficacy of other treatments by improving the patient’s overall quality of life, which makes all treatments easier to tolerate.
Red light therapy is a non-invasive, non-pharmaceutical approach to easing the symptoms of depression and anxiety. This treatment involves using devices that emit therapeutic wavelengths of light that cause specific changes in body cells. Researchers are still working to unlock all the benefits of red light therapy, including using it for depression and anxiety.
Red light therapy targets the mitochondria, or “powerhouse” of the cells, to improve the production and use of energy within the cell. These effects boost blood flow to the brain, prompt the development of new cells, decrease inflammation, and reduce damage. Each of these effects can help reduce the symptoms of depression.
Exposure to red light can also boost dopamine, which gives your brain a sense of pleasure, motivation, and satisfaction.
Benefits of red light therapy include:
Yes!
Red light therapy can fight depression directly and indirectly. This high-tech therapy can directly reduce seasonal depression by providing the light the human body needs for mood stabilization, for example. Exposure to sunlight can stimulate the body’s production of serotonin, a " feel-good” hormone that helps us feel calm and focused. This action provides direct relief from the symptoms of depression.
The treatment can offer direct results in other ways. Red light therapy can make meaningful changes to the brain, for example, and these changes may improve the symptoms of depression.
Red light therapy can also help indirectly. Easing symptoms, such as body pain and poor sleep, can improve the overall quality of life in people with depression. In addition to melting body aches and pains, research shows that red light therapy works to ease depression in several ways, including:
The researchers concluded their study by saying that red light therapy should be personalized according to the type of depression the patient experiences, whether or not they experience seasonal depression, and how well they tolerate the treatment.
Other research shows connections between red light therapy and depression. A 2012 study showed that participants experienced an improvement in their depression after just one hour of light therapy.
While red light therapy is easy to use, using it correctly can help you get the most out of your treatment.
Consult with a mental health professional to get an accurate diagnosis. Your practitioner can also recommend a treatment plan using red light therapy.
Of course, you can use red light therapy whenever you feel blue or tense.
If you are like most people who undergo red light therapy for depression, you’ll feel better after the first session. However, most patients see more meaningful results after several red light therapy sessions.
Most red light therapy devices work best when placed 6 to 12 inches from the patient. This distance allows the red light to penetrate the skin to the proper distance inside the body while staying far enough away to avoid skin irritation.
Near-infrared light benefits most body tissues, but it can also harm your eyes. Protective eyewear can prevent potential damage to your eyes and vision.
However, those using red light therapy to treat seasonal depression may wish to forgo eye protection, but only as long as they do not look directly at the red light. When light strikes the light-sensitive retina at the back of the eye, it stimulates the release of serotonin.
Light striking the retina also promotes sleep by regulating the sleep/wake cycle, known as the circadian rhythm.
For many, depression can last for long periods. During these periods of depression, known as depressive episodes, symptoms can vary. Because of the long-term nature of depression, some people benefit from doing red light therapy every day.
Red light therapy is safe and effective to do every day. There is no maximum or upper limit to how many times you can use red light therapy.
For more information on how to use red light therapy for depression, consult with your healthcare provider or wellness professional. The sooner you start treatment, the quicker you’ll enjoy relief.