5 Light Therapy Hacks For Better Sleep & Overall Health, From A Functional MD

Question: How often do you think about your light environment? If your answer is uh, never, you're not alone. Light is everywhere, and yet we tend to underestimate its impact on well-being. But make no mistake: According to functional medicine doctor Leland Stillman, M.D., light can affect your sleep, your mood, your energy, and the list goes on. "You have to think about light as something that you're really getting a dose of every day," he says on this episode of the mindbodygreen podcast. "The good news is that light is something we can have total control over." 

"One of the big things I recommend to people is that they use warm-color temperature bulbs in their home, especially [in rooms] where they're going to be after dark," says Stillman. "Those frequencies are not going to disrupt their sleep and their melatonin cycling" (whereas, cooler, shortwave blue light suppresses melatonin production1 and can make it harder for you to fall asleep). 

"I advocate for a sleeping environment where you will naturally get morning light that will wake you up," Stillman says. Of course, as we mentioned above, sometimes that's not possible if you live in a bustling city and thus can't sleep with the shades open—but it's important to get some sunlight into your eyes when you wake up. "Coffee on the terrace, a walk around the block, something that gets them into the brightest intensity of light in their environment," says Stillman. 

See, during the day, you actually want that blue and green light exposure: The sun's blue light regulates your natural sleep and wake cycle2, helps boost alertness, and can even elevate your mood. "I want you to get a certain amount of light in your eye without glasses or contacts over them, just to make sure you're having adequate energy coming into the body to time those rhythms and to set off that cascade of neurotransmitter and hormone release," Stillman adds. (Safety comes first, of course; perhaps don't walk around the block if you can't see without glasses or contacts.) 

Let's address the elephant in the room: Sure, you may go on a quick morning walk for that initial burst of sunlight, but if you work in an office (or home-office) setting, chances are you're indoors staring at a screen for the rest of the day. Says Stillman, we tend to miss out on that precious infrared and red light when we're cooped up indoors—and on the flip side, fluorescent, flickery office lighting is especially problematic. 

"I want people to get adequate, visible light, infrared, and red light," he says. A full-on infrared sauna is unrealistic for most of us (but if you are in the market, our favorites here), so he recommends investing in a red light panel. "It's not more than two inches, and you can hang it on your wall. Spend five to 20 minutes in front of it every day, and it sometimes has amazing benefits for people." (Here's a miniature model for $299; super pricey, but unfortunately most panels do cost a pretty penny.)