Have you ever found that you have more energy or a better mood when you’re out in the sun? Sunlight has been a source of energy and rejuvenation for people dating back thousands of years, and we continue to learn new ways of how we can use light waves to our advantage. Sunlight is great for our health, but so too is the red light therapy we offer at our clinic. So which one is better for your health? We take a closer look at the differences between sunlight and red light therapy in today’s blog.
The Benefits Of Sunlight
Sunlight is the visible and ultraviolet portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that we can perceive, whereas infrared light is usually associated with heat, and it can’t be seen by the naked eye without specialized equipment. Sunlight is important for sustaining life here on Earth, and it involves light at varying wavelengths spanning from ultraviolet to near-infrared. While sunlight is a free and natural form of light, not all wavelengths of sunlight are healthy for your body. Blue and violet light can harm your eyes, while a form of ultraviolet light called UVa rays can damage your skin and even lead to the onset of skin cancer. It’s why we oftentimes use sunscreen to help protect our skin from the unhealthy and potentially damaging forms of sunlight.
Sunlight is also essential for helping with your body’s natural ability to produce vitamin D. When exposed to sunlight, your body absorbs UVb rays and eventually turns it into vitamin D3. This vitamin is crucial for calcium absorption, in turn helping you have stronger bones and reducing your risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures.
Finally exposure to sunlight can also help your body get into a healthy circadian rhythm. Sunlight exposure sends a signal to your brain so that it stops producing the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin.
The Benefits Of Red Light Therapy
We discuss the benefits of red light therapy in depth on this blog, but it exposes the body to only the healthy wavelengths to affect your body on the cellular level. These red wavelengths penetrate deep into your body to energize the mitochondria, which is the powerhouse of the cell. When your mitochondria are more energized, they can be more efficient in producing adenotriphosphate (ATP), which is the energy-carrying molecule that helps to fuel many cellular processes. Enhanced ATP production makes it easier for your cells to repair themselves or work more efficiently.
So which is better for you, sunlight or red light? The answer is that both can be incredibly effective at helping you become the healthiest version of yourself. Exposure to sunlight is very important for a number of processes, but red light therapy can take these benefits even further. Sunlight is akin to a healthy diet, while red light therapy is like taking a vitamin to ensure you get your daily amount of vitamins and nutrients that you couldn’t get from your diet alone. Sunlight helps your body perform a number of critical functions, and red light therapy helps your body perform these functions more efficiently.
So if you’re looking for more energy or a better sleep cycle, get outside, exercise in the sun and eat a healthy diet, but also consider helping this process along with additional rejuvenation techniques like red light therapy. We can help your body become more efficient at harnessing the power of the sun! For more information, or for more information about the rejuvenation techniques we offer at our clinic, reach out to the team at HyperCharge Clinic today at (763) 717-8745.