If you’ve ever wondered, “Can light therapy cause headaches?” you’re not alone.
The answer to that question depends on your personal preference. For some people, the light is too intense and results in a headache, while others experience no symptoms at all. In this article, we’ll look at the possible risks and side effects of light therapy. Once you’ve decided if light therapy is right for you, learn how to use a lightbox safely.
Before we dive into the benefits of light therapy for headaches, let’s discuss how it works. In short, light therapy causes the headache-causing chemical prostaglandin acetylcholine. This chemical triggers the formation of proteins in the brain, which causes the pain we feel in our heads. The same process is responsible for migraines. Researchers have found that exposure to blue light can make the pain worse. This is believed to happen due to a specific neural pathway that connects the eye to the brain, separate from vision transmission.
Light therapy is known to cause mild side effects such as eye strain, irritability, and headache. But these effects generally subside over a few days. It is possible to reduce the duration of your light therapy, sit farther from the lights, or change the time you expose yourself. In any case, it is vital to consult a physician before starting light therapy. You can try reducing the exposure time to a minimum of 60 minutes a day.
