How light supports our regeneration and performance

Red light supports regeneration and performance

Professional athletes and hobby athletes know: If you want to get the best out of your body, you also have to put the best into it. This applies to topics such as nutrition or sleep just as much as it does to light. At the latest here, one or the other will probably ask themselves what light has to do with our physical performance. This article is written precisely for those.

We explain below how light makes us more efficient and how you can specifically use red and near-infrared light to regenerate faster.

As is well known, the dose makes the poison. The hormesis hypothesis, which is widely accepted in science, goes one step further by stating that small doses of toxic or harmful substances can even have a positive effect on organisms. This is because our bodies are masters of adaptation.

This is what happens in your body during sports

A good example of the hormesis principle is sport. When we exercise again for the first time after a long break, we are very likely to have sore muscles the next day. This can be explained by the fact that our body was not prepared for the unaccustomed exercise. During sport, minute micro-damage occurs in the muscle , which can ultimately lead to small inflammatory reactions.

Our body's own immune system reacts to this wave of harmful stimuli with a defensive reaction and produces an even greater wave of protective and repair substances. These can then be used to repair not only the micro-damage caused by the sport, but also, for example, damage that has already occurred. At the same time, the body sets in motion adaptation reactions to be better prepared the next time. The body thus becomes more capable of performance and resistance, and so what is basically "toxic" sport becomes "healthy" for us.

Here's how red and near-infrared light can help you exercise

But what does all this have to do with light? There are now several studies that have proven that red and near-infrared light has a similar effect on our body as sport. It activates our defense system and promotes the production of protective and repair substances, with which the free radicals, which are also produced during sports, can be made harmless.

So if you regularly expose yourself to red and near-infrared light, you can not only prepare your body for the next training session, but also help it recover faster after an intense workout.

These are your options for getting enough red and near-infrared light

Off to the sun!

Red and near-infrared light occur naturally in sunlight. The proportion of these light spectra is particularly high in the morning and evening hours. So you can simply go outside and catch your own portion of light - on a morning walk or while admiring the sunset.

Red and near infrared light for home

Depending on the season, job and other commitments, not everyone can always afford the luxury of sun. In general, many of us spend a large part of our day indoors and are usually only on the go when we're out and about. Those who belong to this group have to be inventive to get enough red light spectra nowadays. A red light lamp for the home can help.

References:

WHITTEN, Ari (2018): The Ultimate Guide to Red Light Therapy. Archangel Ink.
THE HORMESIS PRINCIPLE: What doesn't kill us makes us stronger! - Retrieved 19.02.2021, from trainer-akademie.com
Richard Friebe on 'The principle of resilience ' - Retrieved 19.02.2021, from dtv.de.
Sports and oxidative stress - Retrieved 02/19/2021, from vitamindoctor.com.