Overdosing Red Light Causing Anxiety and Insomnia -- How do I fix this?

[meeka]

I have been using red light since September of 2021, so a little over a year. Previously I would do red light therapy a couple times a month for a total of 10 minutes per session. Usually 7 minutes on my abdomen and 3 minutes on my thyroid. Initially the only things I've noticed was the fact that the next day I would feel very calm and relax regardless of what I had going. I also felt time move very slowly, not due to boredom. It actually felt like I was using each moment to the fullest.

For the past month, for whatever reason, I decided to experiment with more red light. I did 10 minutes per day minimum for a few weeks. I would do 10 minutes on my abdomen and 5 minutes on my thyroid every other day. The in between days I would do 10 minutes on some other body part, testicles, head, etc. This is when I started to notice problems.

I would get a very high heart rate that would last the entire day. Resting heart rate would be 100+ beats per minute sitting down, and I would be very anxious, unable to focus, and unable to sleep at 10 pm even though I would do my red light session at 9 am. This problem has not gone away on its own. I do notice some slight improvement, but the process of returning to normal feels glacial.

My body temp has been 98.6 F since October 2020. Prior to this my heart rate was around 80 beats per minute.

Now, my questions is for those who have experienced overdosing on red light, what did you do to recover from it? And what did you that made you feel like you had accelerated the process of recovering?

I know there are some posts on the forum about this, such as this one for example. But I haven't found them very useful. Any advice would be highly appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[miquelangeles]

What kind of bulb and wattage did you use? LED or incandescent? And how close to the body?

 

[meeka]

I have one of these: Amazon product ASIN B0744GY7TPView: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0744GY7TP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1


I do it either pressed up to the body or at most 2 inches (5 cm) away.

 

[meeka]

I have found grounding to be helpful. I did notice my heart rate calmed down after grounding for 30 minutes the first time. Due to holiday travel I have been forgetting about this, but I need to get back into it.

One problem is though is that it is regularly below freezing where I live. I don't want to invest in a grounding mat because of price, and a lot of the experiences that I've read report insomnia getting worse when using a grounding mat, but actually standing on the earth barefoot has been beneficial.

 

[Deleted member 5487]

I have found grounding to be helpful. I did notice my heart rate calmed down after grounding for 30 minutes the first time. Due to holiday travel I have been forgetting about this, but I need to get back into it.

One problem is though is that it is regularly below freezing where I live. I don't want to invest in a grounding mat because of price, and a lot of the experiences that I've read report insomnia getting worse when using a grounding mat, but actually standing on the earth barefoot has been beneficial.

Wild I just pulled mine from closet this morning. Same model

is it making you hyperthyroid?

im wondering if it’s safe on the eye? I put on a lamp and lay under it directly on my face. I wore polarized shades earlier to mabey help.

 

[supercoolguy]

Maybe that thing helps, but from my understanding LED's have a flicker feature (to reduce power consumption) called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM)
I discovered this while researching Cell Phone Screens that were Irritating me.

Keep it simple and use the same ones RP uses. 120 or 250 watt Incandescent 130v bulbs. They have a smooth streaming Yellow-Orange-Red light. I bought two bulbs from Light Bulbs from the Web's #1 Lighting Retailer | 1000Bulbs.com and two ballast from Lowes ($12ea).

Why 130v ?? Because like RP said, that voltage pulls the spectrum toward the desirable YOR spectrum. (More efficient/longer life also)

The clear glass one is really nice, the silicon covered one helps buffer and hold back some of the heat if the clear one gets too strong sometimes at night.
(You dont HAVE-TO point those bulbs directly at you All the time to get benefits)

( Coincidentally! My profile image is a good example of what those bulbs are like)

 

[miquelangeles]

I have found grounding to be helpful. I did notice my heart rate calmed down after grounding for 30 minutes the first time. Due to holiday travel I have been forgetting about this, but I need to get back into it.

One problem is though is that it is regularly below freezing where I live. I don't want to invest in a grounding mat because of price, and a lot of the experiences that I've read report insomnia getting worse when using a grounding mat, but actually standing on the earth barefoot has been beneficial.

I overdosed on incandescent light at close distance and had the same symptoms as you. Grounding is what helped me. Initially I noticed that simply touching the ground pins of a wall socket (in Europe the Schuko sockets have the pins exposed) for a couple minutes would calm my nervous system, lower the HR and allow me to sleep. I then started grounding barefoot regularly and also using copper cables.

The problem with artificial light (especially when used at close distance) is that any effects you get are not from photons alone. You always get an electric field and a magnetic field as well, due to the nature of how electricity works.

The mains power supply is alternating current at 50Hz (Europe) and 60Hz (America). When in use, this generates a magnetic field that oscillates back and forth 50 or 60 times per second. A moving magnetic field pulls and pushes electrons and creates an electrical current in any conducting objects nearby, and the same happens with every cell of your body if you sit in that oscillating magnetic field.

This can be great, and it's exactly what PEMF therapy is (Pulsed Electromagnetic Field) which induces these small currents and promotes acceleration of all regenerative processes. But it has to be dosed right. PEMF therapy usually uses frequencies of 6 - 75 Hz and field strengths of 0.4 - 2.3 milli Tesla.

So, even if you completely block the light and keep the bulb next to your body, you are essentially getting PEMF therapy from the generated magnetic fields, and this alone can overstimulate your thyroid or whatever part of your body if you expose for too long, if the fields are too strong or if the frequency is too high.

Another thing to mention is that LED bulbs have a miniature transformer included that most commonly oscillates around 30,000 Hz. While the voltage is lower than AC mains supply, the frequency is 500 times higher which can further increase the induced current.

To get rid of the oscillating magnetic fields as a confounding factor in light therapy you would have to power your LED using a battery and preferably enclose it in a metal fixture that is grounded, to drain away some of the electric fields. The remaining magnetic field would be static and it would not induce any current in tissues.