Green Light Therapy for Migraines

A Gentle Solution Migraine Sufferers

If you’ve ever battled a migraine, you know it’s not just a bad headache. It’s the kind of pain that knocks you flat, has you hiding in dark rooms, and sometimes makes even the smallest sound unbearable.

But what if relief didn’t mean taking more medication... but turning on a light?

I know, it sounds counterintuitive. But science is catching up to what many migraine sufferers are already discovering: green light therapy might be a gentle, drug-free tool to help manage migraine pain by soothing the nervous system.

Doesn’t Light Make Migraines Worse?

For most people with migraines, light sensitivity is a major trigger. Bright lights, especially in the blue and red spectrum, can make things worse. But researchers discovered that low-intensity green light doesn’t have that same aggravating effect. In fact, it can actually reduce headache pain and lower light sensitivity during and between migraine attacks.

What Else Makes Migraines Worse?

Most of the medications associated with fertility treatments - especially if you’re already prone to them. All infertility medications - including clomiphene, letrozole, Lupron (GnRH agonists), FSH, LH, hCG, estrogen, and progesterone, are associated with increased migraine risk due to hormonal fluctuations.

Headaches in Women Undergoing IVF - Ben-Yehuda et al., 2005:
Among 98 women undergoing IVF, 25 were migraineurs. Headache attacks during IVF protocols were reported by 28.6% and were significantly more frequent and severe in women with pre-existing migraine. Attacks typically occurred during the downregulation stage, associated with the lowest estradiol levels.

The Science Behind Green Light

Recent studies suggest:

• Consistent exposure to green light for around 1 to 2 hours a day for several weeks reduced the frequency of migraines by almost 50% in some participants.

• People also reported better sleep and less anxiety, both of which are sneaky migraine contributors.

• Green light exposure (wavelengths around 520 - 525 nm) led to a 50 - 60% reduction in the number of monthly headache days and also lessened pain intensity in migraine sufferers who had failed multiple standard treatments.

• These studies highlight that green light must enter the eyes (not just the skin), and benefit is best achieved with daily exposure for 30 - 120 minutes in a darkened room.

• Mechanism: The benefit appears to come from calming inflammation in the nervous system and reducing migraine-associated light sensitivity (photophobia), leading to improved sleep and daily function and there were no side effects.

Researchers are also focused on the use of green light for fibromyalgia!

So How Do You Use Green Light Therapy?

This isn’t about flooding your room with green bulbs from the hardware store. The key is using a specific, narrow-band green light at the right intensity.

Choose a light source designed for therapeutic use - some companies specialize in migraine-friendly green light lamps that filter out other wavelengths. The Hooga green lamp includes the wavelengths used in some of the studies.

Daily exposure for 30 - 120 minutes seems to deliver the best results. Some people use it during work or reading, others in the evening as part of their wind-down routine. Although it is unlikely to suppress melatonin if you have trouble sleeping already - start your treatment earlier in the evening. The key is not to have any other source of light in the room.

Consistency is key - you can think of it like building a buffer against your next migraine attack.

And no, this isn’t about staring into the light! Just having the green light in your environment while you go about your day can be enough.

Does It Replace Other Treatments?

Not necessarily. Green light therapy is best used as a complement to your current migraine management plan, whether that includes medication, diet, sleep hygiene, or other therapies. But for many, it means:

• Fewer attacks

• Less severe pain

• Less reliance on medication

If you’re looking for a drug-free, side-effect-free strategy to feel more in control of your migraines, green light therapy is one of the most exciting and accessible tools out there right now.

Because when the world feels too loud, too bright, and too painful, sometimes it takes the right kind of light to find your way back to balance.

Tracy

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