When you feel unwell and your health feels compromised, you may need a helping hand. Find out how Red Light Therapy can boost your immune system and more.
Your immune system is like your body's army. It protects you from harmful invaders, such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites, that can make you sick. Your immune system is made up of different types of cells, organs, and tissues that work together to fight off infections and diseases. You can stay healthy and avoid getting sick when your immune system is strong. But when your immune system weakens, you can get sick more easily and have trouble recovering.
Many factors can affect your immune system, such as stress, poor diet, lack of sleep, pollution, and ageing. These factors can cause your immune system to become imbalanced, overactive, or underactive, which can lead to inflammation, allergies, autoimmune diseases, and chronic diseases. That's why it is important to look after your immune system and keep it in balance.
One of the ways you can look after your immune system is by using red light therapy. Red light therapy is a natural and non-invasive treatment using low-level light to stimulate cells and boost health. Red light therapy can help you improve your immune system and prevent or treat various health problems. Here are some of the benefits of red light therapy for your immune system and overall well-being:
RED LIGHT THERAPY FOR METABOLISM AND IMMUNITY IN DETAIL
Red light therapy is a natural and non-invasive treatment using low-level light to stimulate cells and boost health. One of the ways it can help you is by improving your metabolism and immune system, which are closely linked to your energy levels, weight, and overall well-being.
Your metabolism is the process by which your body converts food and oxygen into energy and heat. Many factors, such as your age, genetics, activity level, and hormones, influence your metabolism. Hormones are chemical messengers that regulate various functions in your body, such as growth, reproduction, mood, and appetite. Some of the hormones that affect your metabolism are thyroid, insulin, and cortisol.
Thyroid hormones are produced by your thyroid gland, which is located in your neck. Thyroid hormones control your basal metabolic rate, which is the amount of energy your body uses at rest. Thyroid hormones also affect your heart rate, body temperature, and brain function.
When your thyroid hormones are too low, you may experience hypothyroidism, which can cause symptoms such as fatigue, weight gain, depression, and cold intolerance. When your thyroid hormones are too high, you may experience hyperthyroidism, which can cause symptoms such as anxiety, weight loss, insomnia, and heat intolerance.
Insulin is a hormone produced by your pancreas, which is located behind your stomach. Insulin helps your body use glucose, the main energy source for your cells. Insulin also helps your body store excess glucose as glycogen in your liver and muscles or as fat in your adipose tissue. When your blood glucose levels are too high, you may experience diabetes, which can cause symptoms such as thirst, hunger, frequent urination, and blurred vision.
When your blood glucose levels are too low, you may experience hypoglycemia, which can cause symptoms such as dizziness, sweating, confusion, and seizures.
Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands located on top of the kidneys. It is often called the stress hormone because it helps the body respond to stress by increasing blood pressure, blood sugar, and heart rate. Cortisol also helps the body cope with inflammation, infection, and injury.
However, when your cortisol levels are too high for a long time, you may experience chronic stress, which can cause symptoms such as anxiety, insomnia, weight gain, and weakened immunity. When your cortisol levels are too low, you may experience adrenal insufficiency, which can cause symptoms such as fatigue, nausea, low blood pressure, and low blood sugar.
Red light therapy can help you balance your hormones by stimulating your endocrine glands, which are the organs that produce and secrete hormones. It can also help you regulate your blood sugar by enhancing your insulin sensitivity, which is the ability of your cells to respond to insulin. Red light therapy can also help moderate your cortisol levels by reducing stress and inflammation.
RED LIGHT THERAPY IMPROVE SLEEP
Red light therapy can help you improve your sleep quality and quantity by regulating your circadian rhythm, the natural cycle that tells your body when to sleep and when to wake up. Red light therapy can also help you relax your mind and body by releasing endorphins, the hormones that make you feel good and reduce stress. We look in detail at the effects of red light therapy on your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep.
Red light therapy can regulate your circadian rhythm. Your circadian rhythm is the internal clock that tells your body when to be alert and when to be sleepy. Various factors influence it, such as light, temperature, and hormones. Light is the most important factor, as it signals your brain to produce melatonin, the hormone that regulates your sleep-wake cycle. Melatonin levels are high at night and low during the day, helping you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
However, exposure to artificial light, especially blue light from electronic devices, can disrupt melatonin production and interfere with circadian rhythm. This can cause you to have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up. Red light therapy can help you regulate your circadian rhythm by exposing you to light in the red and near-infrared spectrum, which does not suppress melatonin.
The therapy can also help you adjust your circadian rhythm to different time zones, such as when you travel or work night shifts. By using red light therapy in the morning or evening, depending on your desired sleep schedule, you can help your body synchronize with the natural light-dark cycle and improve your sleep quality and quantity.
Red light therapy can also help you relax your mind and body by releasing endorphins, the hormones that make you feel good and reduce stress. This can help calm your nervous system and ease tension and worries. By using red light therapy before bed, you can create a relaxing and soothing atmosphere to help you fall asleep faster and sleep deeper.
Stress and sleep have a reciprocal relationship. High levels of stress can contribute to trouble sleeping, and poor quality or insufficient sleep can lead to maladaptive changes in the stress response. Understanding and addressing one of these issues can often lead to improvements for the other. Stress can disrupt your sleep by increasing your cortisol levels (see the paragraph above regarding cortisol), making it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep.
Poor sleep due to stress can create a cycle where stress worsens sleep, and lack of sleep increases stress. Chronic stress can predispose you to sleep disorders like insomnia and sleep apnea, which can worsen your sleep quality and quantity. Red light therapy can help you break this cycle by reducing your stress levels and improving your sleep habits. By using the therapy in the morning or evening, depending on your needs, you can regulate your circadian rhythm and melatonin production, which, in turn, can help you sleep better.
By using red light therapy before bed, you can relax your mind and body and release endorphins, which can help you sleep better. By sleeping better, you can lower your cortisol levels and improve your mood and energy, which can help you cope with stress better. By coping with stress better, you can sleep better, and so on; it is a cycle that can and should be broken.
RED LIGHT THERAPY PROMOTES RAPID RECOVERY AND PERFORMANCE
Red light therapy uses low-level light to stimulate cells and boost health. One of the ways it can help you is by improving your strength, endurance, flexibility, and mobility, which are important aspects of physical fitness and performance.
Strength is the ability of your muscles to exert force against resistance. Endurance is the ability of your muscles to sustain repeated contractions or to continue applying force without fatigue. Flexibility is the ability of your joints to move through their full range of motion. Mobility is the ability of your body to move freely and efficiently in different positions and directions. Red light therapy can help you improve your strength, endurance, flexibility, and mobility by enhancing your muscle and joint function.
Here are some of the mechanisms and benefits of red light therapy for these fitness components:
Red light therapy can stimulate the growth and repair of muscle fibres, increasing muscle mass and strength. The therapy can also activate the satellite cells, which are the muscle's stem cells, and increase the expression of myogenic factors, which are the genes that regulate muscle development. A meta-analysis of 46 studies for marathon runners found that red light therapy can significantly improve muscle performance and reduce muscle fatigue.
The therapy can improve endurance and recovery by increasing oxygen and nutrient delivery to your muscles, enhancing energy production and reducing lactate accumulation. Lactate is a byproduct of anaerobic metabolism, which is the process of breaking down glucose without oxygen. Lactate can cause muscle soreness and fatigue when it accumulates in your muscles. Red light therapy can also reduce the inflammation and oxidative stress in your muscles, which can damage your muscle cells and impair your muscle function.
Even if you don’t run marathons, red light therapy can enhance your joint flexibility and mobility by improving the health and function of your cartilage, tendons, and ligaments, the connective tissues supporting your joints, it stimulates the production of collagen and proteoglycans, the main components of your cartilage, and increases the synthesis of glycosaminoglycans, the molecules that lubricate your joints, at the same time reducing inflammation and pain in your joints, which can limit your joint movement and cause stiffness and arthritis.
RED LIGHT THERAPY IMPROVES SCARS AND WOUNDS
Red light therapy can improve scar and wound healing by stimulating the production of collagen and elastin, which are the proteins that give your skin its structure, elasticity, and firmness. Collagen and elastin also help your skin heal faster and prevent scarring while stimulating the formation of new blood vessels and tissues, improving the blood supply and oxygenation of your skin and replacing damaged or dead cells.
Used regularly, the therapy can also reduce the inflammation and pain in your skin, which can limit your skin movement and cause stiffness and scarring. Red light therapy can help you heal scars and wounds from injuries, surgeries, burns, and acne by improving your skin appearance and health.
Red light therapy can reduce inflammation, pain, and infection by modulating your immune system and enhancing your natural healing process by stimulating the production and release of anti-inflammatory cytokines, which are the proteins that regulate your immune response. These cytokines can reduce the swelling, redness, and heat that are associated with inflammation.
On top of reducing inflammation, red light therapy can also stimulate the activity of macrophages, which are the immune cells that engulf and destroy bacteria and other pathogens. This can prevent or treat infections and promote wound healing.
Red light therapy is a safe and effective treatment that can help you improve your immune system, manage stress, get more sleep, heal, and boost your overall health. You can use red light therapy at home or a professional clinic. One of the devices you can use is the Body Boost Bed, which is a full-body LED light therapy device that uses blue, red, and near-infrared light to treat various health conditions. The Body Boost Bed is medically certified and easy to use. To learn more about red light therapy and the Body Boost Bed, click here.
For more information on pricing, and the right products for you, contact us at info@rp-x.com or 01234 862762.
