Light Therapy to Improve Energy, Mood and Alertness with Juuso Nissilä of the HumanCharger- EP052
It’s only natural to have the blues in the winter months when the days are shorter and there is less available sunlight. This mild form of seasonal affective disorder can be exacerbated by long hours working indoors, shift work or even long-distance travel.
Jusso Nissilä was studying neurobiology at the University of Oulu in 2005 when he made the connection between the photosensitivity of the human brain and the potential to deliver bright light therapy through the ear. Jusso founded Valkee in 2007, and by 2010, the HumanCharger was ready to go to market. Using the device for 12 minutes each day has been proven to increase energy levels, improve mood and increase mental alertness. To date, the HumanCharger has 70,000 users worldwide.
Today Jusso explains how he came to invent the HumanCharger, the benefits of using the device, and the science behind how light therapy affects the brain. He covers the research studies around recovery from jetlag and reaction time in athletes. Listen in to understand why Valkee has been transparent in delivering its findings to customers and how you can improve your cognitive function, mood and energy with the HumanCharger.
Topics Covered
[0:48] How Jusso came to invent the HumanCharger- Oulu University biology department
- Long history of research on animals
- Proved that human brain photosensitive
- Use 12 minutes per day
- Improve mental alertness, mood
- Increase energy
- Alleviate jet lag
- Some report immediate reduction of anxiety
- Mood improves over course of weeks
- Light affects brain by changing circadian rhythms
- Improve energy in fall when days shorter
- Morning, between 7-9am (personal variation)
- Put in ears, conduct normal morning routine
- Some use before bed to relieve anxiety
- Recover from jetlag 50% faster
- Increased reaction speed in hockey players (visual stimuli)
- Infrared light has positive effects, some overlap
- HumanCharger targets blue light-sensing neurons
- Headache in first days of treatment
- No UV light in treatment
- Not substitute for vitamin D
- Clickbait, fake news to put down young companies
- HumanCharger research peer-reviewed, published
- Delivered science to customers immediately
- Open to new findings in biology, medical science
Learn More About Juuso
Resources
Links to HumanCharger Research Studies
Summary of Peer-Reviewed Research
‘Transcranial Bright Light and Symptoms of Jet Lag: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial’ in Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance
‘Effects of Bright Light Treatment on Psychomotor Speed in Athletes’ in Frontiers in Physiology