Has anyone tried red and infrared light therapy for sleep?

[[Buddie]]

To benefit from red light therapy it needs to be transcranial. Just shining a light in the general direction of your body won't do much  for the Benzo damaged

https://www.wellred.com.au/duo-coronet/buy-now-9pgya-k64g6-2xm2j

There are devices like the one above that claim to be efficacious. I haven't done enough research on this topic but it seems promising on the whole. I do know that wave length and intensity matter, so you cant go stick any red led on your head.

There's a Facebook page started by a member here, I have spoken to her a few times about it and she has had good success using a similar device.

A quote from her PM, I hope she doesn't mind

"it has helped my sleep massively and it was such a bad issue for me, really critical."


She's not very active here, but if you are interested you could ask on her Facebook page, she's done a lot of research.

https://m.facebook.com/groups/1256254668087158/?ref=bookmarks.

I was going to buy 1, but seemed to turn a corner just before I did and they are expensive, so am waiting a while. I haven't ruled it out tho

Thanks for the link!

[[Buddie]]

I have a tanning membership that includes red light. I should use it to help with my insomnia. Thanks for the link.

[[Buddie]]

I never tried it, but looked at them back in the day as well and in my 5+ years of experience, I couldn't find anything short of another Rx drug to induce sleep and even those only worked for a night or 2 for me at the most.  It was very difficult to do, but I let sleep come back on its own, without taking anything.

Nothing else works for Benzo-induced insomnia because the reason why you are not sleeping has nothing to do with sleep hygiene, melatonin production, etc.

Good luck!

So what part of benzo withdrawal causes sleep issues? I have non 24 because of withdrawal and it hasn't gotten better.

[[Buddie]]

It simply has to do with down-regulated GABA receptors.  GABA receptors are your body's brake pedal or what makes you calm and relaxed.  Glutamate receptors are your body's gas pedal or what makes you active and alert, even fight or flight.  Normally both are in balance so one doesn't overtake the other.  When they are in balance you sleep normally and you don't have symptoms.  But when Benzos temporarily take GABA offline, Glutamate rules the day and night, so you are wired all the time and can't sleep even though you might feel tired.  Until GABA receptors heal and/or regrow, you're in for a period of insomnia that Ashton says typically lasts 6-12 months for most.  Non 24 isn't necessarily insomnia, just a different circadian rhythm that isn't in line with a night/day "normal" sleep routine.

If you are sleeping but on a different schedule that you'd like, sometimes melatonin can reset your rhythm? 

Sleep Drive isn't the only system for sleep.  You also have your Circadian Rhythm.  Just like most people tend to get hungry around breakfast, lunch and dinner time, most people start to get sleepy around 10:00 - 11:00 pm at night.  Some earlier, some later, but regardless this is your Rhythm.

When your Sleep Drive is high and your Rhythm is locked, sleep occurs fairly easy.

However, if either one of these (Drive or Rhythm) is off, you can have a sleep disorder.

You can have a high sleep drive but an "out of sync" Rhythm or vice versa.  Then sleep is hard to come by.
You can get in bed and feel exhausted (high sleep drive) but your Rhythm is off so it's hard to fall asleep!

Benzos temporarily remove your Sleep Drive, hence the insomnia.  But if you still have Sleep Drive but at a different part of the day or night than you'd like, then it may not be Benzo induced?

Non 24 Circadian Rhythm occurs almost exclusively in blind people.   If you're not blind and you have Non-24, it might be because there are problems in the way your brain is getting light from your eyes.

Non-24-hour sleep-wake disorder in blind people is commonly treated with melatonin supplements or the FDA-approved melatonin receptor agonist, tasimelteon. Taken at a specified hour before the desired bedtime, these substances help prepare the body for sleep at the same time every night.

Good luck....