Have you ever had a night where sleep just wouldn’t come and end up dragging through the next day, too tired to accomplish everything you set out to do? Or maybe your mood takes a nosedive every winter when sunlight seems to vanish? Low energy, poor sleep, and emotional dips can feel like barriers to the life you want. These issues tend to pile up, tempting some to turn to alcohol for a quick fix. But there’s a fascinating, science-backed approach that doesn’t involve a glass or a pill: light.
Whether it’s insomnia keeping you up, seasonal blues pulling you down, or sluggish mornings making it hard to face the day, light exposure may hold the key to sustainable changes. Light acts as a signal to our body’s inner clock, controlling everything from when we feel awake to how deeply we sleep. It even plays a role in mood and energy regulation. When these rhythms fall out of sync, the effects ripple through our physical and emotional well-being.
This is where light therapy (also called phototherapy) shines. By intentionally using light to realign your body’s rhythms, you can address these problems at their core. Let’s dive into the science behind it and learn how to incorporate it into your routine.
The Science Behind Light Therapy
Light therapy, also known as phototherapy, involves exposure to daylight or specific wavelengths of light using lamps, boxes, or other devices. Originally developed to treat seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and other types of depression, light therapy can also be useful for reducing alcohol, particularly if you tend to drink as a way to cope with depression or lack of motivation.
Two studies in particular point out the connection between light therapy and two key neurotransmitters — serotonin and dopamine — that tend to be depleted after long-term alcohol use and contribute to cravings that stem from the feeling that “something is missing.” Let’s take a closer look.
1. Light Therapy Enhances Mood
A 2013 study in Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience explored the connection between serotonin levels and light exposure by reviewing recent research on the subject.[1] The authors investigated the well-known link between seasonal changes in sunlight and the worsening of psychiatric symptoms that many people experience during the darker winter months. These seasonal effects are closely linked to serotonin, a neurotransmitter critical for mood regulation. While previous studies focused on sunlight’s impact through the retina and brain pathways, recent findings suggest that the skin itself plays a role in serotonin production. Human skin contains the biological machinery needed to synthesize serotonin, and exposure to light has been shown to increase serotonin levels even when the eyes are shielded, supporting the idea of a cutaneous pathway.
These findings add a new dimension to our understanding of how sunlight impacts mental health and why psychiatric symptoms — including ones that might make us turn to alcohol for relief — worsen during darker months. The research also suggests that the ability of sunlight to stimulate serotonin production through both the retina and skin may be key to addressing seasonal psychiatric symptoms.
2. Light Therapy Also Boosts Motivation and Energy
In addition to encouraging the body to produce serotonin, light exposure also improves the production of dopamine — a neurotransmitter linked to motivation and focus. Alcohol boosts dopamine artificially, and when we leave it behind it takes the brain some time to get in the habit of producing it naturally once again. As a result, we might experience cravings.
This is where light therapy can lend a helping hand. As the 2022 Medical Science Monitor study showed, light therapy naturally increases alertness and reduces cravings by improving the production of dopamine.[2] The meta-analysis examined the efficacy and safety of light therapy for managing motor and nonmotor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). Researchers analyzed five randomized controlled trials to evaluate how exposure to bright light impacts symptoms such as motor function, depression, and sleep disturbances. The study revealed that light therapy significantly improved motor symptoms, with improvements likely driven by increased dopamine release stimulated by light exposure.
Although the study focused on PD, the findings have broader implications due to the central role of dopamine in regulating mood, motivation, and reward. The fact that dopamine production increases in response to light gives us a biological way to mitigate the effects of alcohol use and restore dopamine levels safely and naturally.
Practical Ways To Incorporate Light Therapy
Ready to experience the benefits? Here are some tips to start with:
- Maximize natural sunlight exposure. Morning sunlight, particularly between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m., has been shown to provide the optimal intensity needed to stimulate the brain’s production of serotonin.[3] This early exposure also signals the suppression of melatonin, the sleep hormone, aligning your body's rhythms to promote wakefulness during the day and better sleep at night. Even on overcast days, outdoor sunlight offers up to 10,000 lux of light, significantly more than indoor lighting, which typically falls below 500 lux.
Aim for daily sessions lasting 20 to 30 minutes, but if you’re new to light therapy, start with shorter durations (10-15 minutes) and gradually increase. Using light therapy in the evening can actually disrupt your sleep patterns, so it's best to avoid it after late afternoon. Just remember, if you're planning to spend extended time in the morning sun, especially if you'll be exposed for more than 15-20 minutes, apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen with at least SPF 30 to protect your skin from UV damage while still benefiting from the natural light exposure. - Try light therapy devices. Choose a light therapy device that emits at least 10,000 lux of brightness, which closely mimics natural sunlight without UV rays. Look for options that allow you to adjust the intensity to match your sensitivity. Consider a device with a wide surface area to ensure even exposure, and position it 16-24 inches from your face. For a gentler effect, dawn simulators are alarm clocks that gradually increase light in the morning, which can be especially helpful if you have trouble waking up in winter.
Just remember: It's important to consult with a healthcare provider before starting light therapy, especially if you have a history of eye conditions or skin sensitivity. Certain wavelengths of light can exacerbate these conditions. - Consistency is key. Make light therapy a part of your morning to help stabilize your sleep-wake cycle by making it a fixed part of your routine, such as eating breakfast or reading the news. Stick with it: Sporadic use is less effective at stabilizing your circadian rhythm. Use a reminder or set an alarm to build the habit, and if you skip a session, aim to resume the following day.
Summing Up
All in all, light therapy offers a promising and noninvasive option for managing alcohol consumption and improving overall health. As part of a broader wellness strategy, light therapy can provide meaningful support for those on a journey to reduce or eliminate alcohol from your life!
