How light supports our regeneration and performance

Red light supports regeneration and performance

Professional and amateur athletes know this: 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 and sleep as well as light. At this point, some of you will probably be wondering what light has to do with our physical performance. This article is written precisely for those people.

In the following, we explain how light makes us more efficient and how you can specifically Red and near-infrared light can be used to regenerate faster.

As we all know, the dose makes the poison. The hormesis hypothesis, which is widespread 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 body is a master of adaptation.

What happens in your body during exercise

A good example of the hormesis principle is sport. When we do sport 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. Sport creates micro-damage in the muscle, which can ultimately lead to minor inflammatory reactions.

Our body's own immune system reacts to this wave of harmful stimuli with a defense reaction and produces an even larger 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 triggers adaptation reactions so that it is better prepared for the next time. The body therefore becomes more efficient and resilient, making what is essentially "toxic" sport "healthy" for us.

How red and near-infrared light can support you during sport

But what does all this have to do with light? There are now several studies that have shown that red and near-infrared light has a similar effect on our bodies as sport. It activates our immune system and promotes the production of protective and repair substances that can be used to neutralize the free radicals that are also produced during sport.

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 to recover after an intensive workout. regenerate faster.

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

Get out in the sun!

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

Red and near-infrared light for the home

Depending on the time of year, work and other commitments, not everyone can always treat themselves to the luxury of sunshine. In general, many of us spend a large part of our day indoors and are usually only out and about when we are out and about. If you belong to this group, you have to be inventive to get enough red light these days. 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
Sport and oxidative stress – Retrieved 19.02.2021, from vitamindoctor.com