Unlocking Relief: The Power of Green Light for Migraine Management

Overview

The relationship between migraines and light is a bit tricky and is yet to be fully agreed upon by researchers. While bright light has been found to intensify migraine attacks, hatred for light during migraine episodes is quite common. Evidence from various studies has suggested different light colors can affect migraines in different ways. However, as it is with light therapy, the effect of light exposure may be beneficial.

Compared to other strategies for alleviating sleep disorders and seasonal affective disorders (SAD), light therapy has been found to be a safe and affordable treatment approach. Combined with other medical treatments and lifestyle habits, it can effectively help soothe migraines.

In this review, we focus on green and blue light therapy and its effect on migraine attacks. Read on to learn more about this light therapy treatment including the benefits, how it works, side effects, and much more.

Relationship Between Light Sensitivity and Migraines

Photophobia whether it increases sensitivity to light or aversion to light has been found to affect people with migraine disorders. According to a publication by Wu Y, Hallet M., in Photophobia in Neurologic Disorders, people with migraines always see lights as brighter when they are actually just normal.

In most cases, people will always squint their eyes towards bright light because they feel it is hurting their eyes. Others will react to light by wearing glasses or create shade by putting their head above the eyes to protect their eyes from light.

Migraine pain may not be incapacitating, but the fear of light can limit one’s ability to function and intermingle with others. If you happen to experience this sign, you will feel comfortable staying in the dark until you get relief from the migraine pain. While exposure to light has been found to relieve migraine attacks, but can worsen the pain instead of reducing it.

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*All individuals are unique. Your results can and will vary.

The Variable Effects of Light Rays

To be able to unveil how light therapy works to alleviate migraines, we need to first understand how various colored light rays affect migraine attacks. Light rays will appear orange, red, green, yellow, blue, violet, and indigo.

However, when combined they make white light. But out of these colors, two colors in particular green and blue are considered special as far as the treatment and prevention of migraine is concerned.

Blue Light

Blue light has more energy and shorter wavelengths compared to other light rays, as we also noted in our content titled The Ultimate Guide to Blue Light Therapy. It forms the larger component of the white light. Blue light sources include cell phones, sunlight, tablet screens, computer monitors, flat-screen LED televisions, compact fluorescent light bulbs, and LED lights, meaning that blue light is dominant in our environment.

The reason why the majority of scientists believe that exposure to blue light can exacerbate migraine pain is because photoreceptors in most cases are sensitive to blue light. This is just an example of possible migraine triggers and explains why some people may experience migraine attack episodes in their workplace when they stare at screens during working time.

A research study published in Current Opinion in Neurology by Todd J. Schwedt MD notes exposure to blue light can enhance hypersensitivity and may also worsen headache intensity.

Green Light

Green Light, unlike blue light or other light rays, does not trigger retinal pathways, so it has zero chance of inducing a migraine attack. Also, you may be less likely to experience sensitivity or aversion to green light when you have a migraine attack.

A study published in Clinical Medicine Insights: Case Reports by Kevin Cheng et al notes that exposure to green light has been shown to improve chronic headache pain, headache pain intensity, as well as headache frequency.

Another research was conducted by Laurent F. Martin et al to establish the effect of green light effect on migraine attack as published in Cephalalgia Journal. The results show that green light exposure resulted in a reduction in perceived pain intensity, migraine episodes frequency, and migraine impact on social life. The patients also showed improvement in their sleep patterns and ability to engage in their daily activities. It generally improved the quality of life.

Additionally, recent studies have also explored the potential benefits of near-infrared light therapy at 1,064 nanometers wavelength in alleviating migraine symptoms. Preliminary findings suggest that exposure to near-infrared light at this wavelength may have a soothing effect on migraine pain and could be a promising avenue for further research.

So if you are considering therapy for conditions like seasonal affective disorder (SAD), Migraines, or other related conditions, green light therapy is worth trying. Unlike other light color therapy, green light is less likely to worsen migraine pain but may go as far as soothing the pain.

Which Light Therapy Works for Migraine Pain

Does Science Say Green Light Therapy Works?

Yes, the Science behind green light therapy does work but not for everyone.

A small study involving 80 migraine patients was conducted to establish the effect of green light by Rodrigo Noseda et al and published in the Brain Journal. The results of the study show that the green light color did not worsen the migraine symptoms and had a soothing effect on migraine pain.

A similar study published in the International Journal of Headache Society by Laurant F. Martin et al noted promising results. Patients who were exposed to green light therapy treatment after 10 weeks, were able to notice improvement in the pain.

Another animal study published in the Journal of the International Association for the Study of Pain by Ibrahim Mohab M. et al shows that rats exposed to green light therapy had less pain compared to those deprived of green LED light therapy. The general results were as follows:

• Fewer headaches days per month
• Increased migraine attack duration with improved intensity
• Improved quality life

Generally, green light therapy has shown the ability to help a good number of people reduce migraine pain severity and frequency, enabling them to live quality lives. However, there is a need for further research to be able to understand when and how to use green light therapy as a choice for treating or managing migraine attacks.

Using Light Therapy

Green light therapy is an advanced LED therapy treatment you can use from the comfort of your home to ease migraine attacks or pan. It is a kind of preventive care approach that has been embraced by people whose target is to enjoy a quality life free of headaches.

The device works by emitting green light narrow bands that help to activate brain regions involved in pain processing less. By making use of green light therapy instead of other colors, migraine patients can effectively get rid of the symptoms without affecting their daily work routine.

However, further research is necessary to help determine the best way of using light therapy to stop or prevent migraine attacks.

Is Light Therapy for Migraine Worth It?

According to a number of reviews available online, green light therapy appears not just to be the most effective LED light color therapy treatment but safe too.
A number of researchers have also confirmed that green light therapy treatment unlike other light therapy colors is effective and does not accelerate migraine pain.
Green light therapy is, therefore, the safest and most efficient alternative for preventing and treating various headache disorders thanks to the ever-evolving LED technology.

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*All individuals are unique. Your results can and will vary.

Does Green Light Therapy and Migraine Offer Immediate Results?

Like any other LED light treatment, green light therapy may not offer immediate relief. However, according to various studies, there are long-term health benefits witnessed among patients who adhere to green light therapy for migraine treatment protocol. A number of studies have estimated the time for one to start experiencing significant results to be between 4-7 weeks after exposure to green light therapy for migraine treatment.

Does Green Light Works for Migraine Pain

How Should I Use My Green-Light Device to Treat Migraine Pain?

Place the charged infrared pain relief device over your eyes. Once you have it in the right place, turn it on. The green light therapy for migraine pain will immediately start delivering infrared healing light to the target area.

Are There Side Effects?

The fact that green light therapy for migraine pain devices has proven to be efficient and safe, it may not work for everyone. However, the good news is that green light therapy treatment has close to zero side effects. Studies have shown that, unlike other light color therapy, green light therapy does not accelerate migraine pain during exposure but goes to the extent of offering a soothing effect.

Also, unlike ultraviolet light which causes cell damage by agitating molecules in the cell leading to reactive oxygen species forming, green light therapy for migraine pain produces red and near-infrared light which is harmless to body cells.

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Conclusion

People with headache disorder always find it difficult to manage the pain. Most of them rely on medication known to cause a wide range of side effects which instead of improving the quality of life makes it even worse.

That is where green light therapy for migraine pain comes in handy. It is a device designed to help people manage different types of headache disorders so that they can lead quality lives. There is growing research-based evidence that green light therapy for migraines is actually an effective and safe alternative for treating migraines and headaches.

There are plenty of positive reviews online regarding the efficiency of green light therapy for migraine pain devices. A good number of studies have also been carried out regarding the use of green light therapy and results indicate that compared to other light color treatments, green light is the most efficient when it comes to treating migraine pain without accelerating the symptoms.

The advancing light therapy technology treatment continues to offer more efficient and cost-effective light therapy devices that we can use to manage headaches and migraines among other health concerns in the comfort of our homes. Light therapy is less expensive compared to other treatment options and is also simple to use.

With green light therapy treatment in place, you should not let migraine attacks affect the quality of life you so desire to live. Green light therapy treatment has been scientifically and clinically proven to be an effective and safe alternative for treating headache disorders without accelerating the symptoms. It is time you give it a try and start your journey to a pain-free life.

If you’re looking for more ways to alleviate pain, you might want to explore migraine hats. These hats offer temperature control, soothing pressure, and therapeutic benefits to help ease migraine discomfort. Check out our curated list of the best migraine hats for a variety of options designed to provide relief during migraine attacks.