Sunlight as Medicine

A cost free way to optimise your brain and recharge your cells

Neuro Athletes,

THREE things you need to know this week.

1. Light from the sun charges the mitochondria

2. Sunlight penetrates the brain

3. Morning and evening light protocols

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Good Morning! How is your week so far? I can’t complain. As you all know, I have been in Australia the last few weeks and the sun coupled with the Australian Open (AO) has got me feeling so focused and motivated! Anyways, if you're getting ready for the day I hope wherever you are you managed to go out and get some sunlight!

As a neurophysiologist with a focused interest in sleep medicine, I spend alot of time researching how light impacts us as human beings especially as it relates to high performance. I believe that anybody who is performing at a high level should be implementing an array of different protocols and tools - one specifically should be light exposure- no matter where you are in the world.

I just brought on 4 new athletes which I will announce in the coming weeks but seeing the surprise on their face when they saw that "20 minutes of sunlight each morning is mandatory” on their program was hilarious 😂

In all seriousness, I know you have been here for a while and you have heard me speak about the tragic effects of Vitamin D deficiency (link to the article here) but this article is not about Vit. D, nor is it about the sun specifically, this post is more about the ways in which our brain and our cells are charged via the specific solar spectrum of the sun.

Moreover, this article details the importance of maximising performance by training your brain and physiology by recharging the batteries within our cells so you can perform better, think faster and live longer. The theory is, if your brain relies on cellular energy and cellular energy is powered by mitochondria…

…what powers the mitochondria?

Primer:

This is the solar spectrum composition. The sun puts out alot of energy and of that energy a spectrum of that is ‘visible light’. In this article we will talk about everything on the right side of this bar- Near Infrared and it’s benefits. It has been known for almost 50 years that low energy exposure to visible and NIR wavelengths is beneficial to humans via the promotion of healing processes. This low level light therapy (so-called LLLT or PBM) has been reported in thousands of peer reviewed articles since 1968.

*** DISCLAIMER: Chronic sun exposure is chiefly responsible for long-term clinical skin changes such as photoaging and skin cancers. These effects have been mostly attributed to the detrimental impact of ultra-violet (UV) radiation involving a combination of UVB (280–320 nm) and UVA (320–400 nm) wavelengths.

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Mitochondria 101

Your mitochondria are what give you energy through the process of oxidative phosphorylation, which consumes oxygen to generate ATP, the energetic currency of your cells. They supply fuel to every single type of cell in your body, from muscle to neuron, to keep your cells functioning at their best. Your mitochondrial health is strongly tied to your fitness both in terms of physical performance and even longevity. It is your mitochondria that provide nourishment during injury to speed up wound healing and recovery.

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Light From the Sun Charges the Mitochondria

As the light hits your skin at an appropriate enough intensity several metabolic events take place in the cell’s batteries - the mitochondria- that stimulate the production of energy currency, known as ATP (adenosine triphosphate).

This energy unit is behind every function in your body from keeping you healthy and rejuvenating to having energy for social engagement and all of life’s events. When this is compromised our system still functions but poorly. This is worsened due to reduced time in the sun, an overload of sunscreen on the skin when in the sun, and for many most of the day is spent indoors under artificial light – primarily only blue light, which deprives our cells even further.

Depending on cellular demand or oxidative stress, mitochondria produce ATP or reactive oxygen species (ROS), thereby controlling the entire scale of cellular energy supply or disease, respectively. While deficiency in ROS can compromise the immune system, excessive ROS levels contribute to a large number of pathological conditions, including retinal, neurodegenerative and cardiovascular disease as well as cancer. Aging is also a process accelerated by ROS. There is one noninvasive tool allowing us to precisely control both mitochondrial ATP and ROS: red-to-near infrared (R-NIR) light.

One of the mitochondria’s unique features is a double membrane (seen in the figure above) which enables them to perform a number of life-sustaining biochemical reactions.

But there’s a battle raging inside our cells as we age and as we are producing large amounts of stress and inflammation. During the energy generation process, a potentially damaging by-product, called a free radical, can damage this double membrane resulting in cognitive decline, neurodegenerative diseases and more.

Aberrant mitochondrial energy production is involved in many symptoms commonly found in patients with heart failure, including skeletal muscle dysfunction and renal pathologies. LV, left ventricular.

Sunlight Penetrates the Brain

I remember working with a neurologist who mainly dealt with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and I remember him asking his patient who was diagnosed with MS “Ma’am may I ask, where in the world did you grow up” and he later went on to say “I ask because scientists have known for many years now that MS has a higher incidence at higher latitudes”. This suggests that sun exposure could have an effect in brain volume in MS patients.

NIR can penetrate the skull and reach the brain. That’s interesting because a brain bathing in NIR shows increased blood flow, energy, neuroprotection, brain repair, and less inflammation.

A new study exposed 6 of 11 old male rats (the others were controls) to 58 days of consecutive exposure to NIR lasers (810 nm), with 150 seconds of daily exposure at five points on the skull.

After the 58 days were up, the researchers looked at whether anything had changed in the rats’ brains.

The lasered rats showed:

• Increased activation in the brain cortex of the JNK and ERK pathways. Don’t worry about the names, but know that these both play a role in glucose metabolism.

• Increased activity of the protein STAT3 in the cortex, important for brain cell survival.

• Increased expression of p70S6K and STAT3 and activation of Akt in the hippocampus. Again, good for cell survival and maintenance. Since the hippocampus is very important for memory formation, the authors hypothesize (but don’t test) that this might prevent memory issues.

The scientists conclude:

Our data indicate that transcranial PBM [photobiomodulation] improves intracellular signaling pathways linked to cell survival, memory, and glucose metabolism in the brain of aged rats.

Morning Light Protocol

1. View sunlight as soon as you can after waking, ideally before 9am for 20 minutes. Aim for ~10,000 lux (I user a light meter app to get the measurements).

2. If the day is cloudy, aim to get at minimum 30 minutes as the light is dependent on time. For example; if you are in Australia like me right now and the sun is super bright, you only need about 5 minutes to achieve the effect.

3. Do not wear blue light blocking glasses during the day.

4. You cannot achieve the amount needed by being behind a window so make sure it is DIRECT sunlight

5. If you simply cannot get outside or the weather is horrendous, you might want to look at investing in a light box that produces the same effects. As I live in NYC, I had to get one. I use this one (not sponsored, just really liked it).

Evening Light Protocol

1. Limit as much light as possible. This can be done by dimming the lights or placing floor lights rather than using overhead lighting.

2. Evening hours is when to wear the blue light blocking glasses if need be but just remember, they don’t completely block the light so wear them but be mindful of super bright light.

3. Eliminate screens 2 hours prior to bed.

That’s it for this week! I really hope you enjoyed this newsletter, if you did please feel free to comment or share this along to someone who you think could benefit.

Until next time,

Louisa x

Did you listen to this?

This week on The Neuro Experience podcast I interviewed Dr. Steven Lin - a function dentist focused on oral health and it’s relationship to the brain. In the episode, Steven provides an overview of dental anatomy, the history of mouth breathing, the importance of oral hygiene to overall health, and the association of poor oral health and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease.

I’m hosting a GIVEAWAY!

I never really do giveaway’s but I thought it would be a great way to connect with the community. I am doing a giveaway with Eight Sleep which is only going to be held on Instagram but if you have IG feel free to head over for your chance to win a Pod Pro (valued at $1795).

Upcoming Events

I am thrilled to announce that I will be hosting a 1 day certification course in partnership with FITLIGHT. It took many years to build a level 1 certification course for athletes, trainers and coaches to better understand the brain and nervous system in sport. By attending the course you will:

• Understand pathways of brain and body.

• Be able to clearly define and articulate cognition and how it relates to sport.

• Be able to understand neuroplasticity and its role in sport.

• Be able to create and perform specific FITLIGHT® drills.

• Be able to compile and gather data from different populations using FITLIGHT®.

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