The Light We Left Behind and Why Your Body Wants It Back
Sarah Turner is the Founder of CeraThrive, a wellness company specialising in photobiomodulation and its impact on the gut-brain connection. With a background in neuroscience and biohacking, Sarah is dedicated to advancing innovative therapies that optimise health, longevity, and performance.
You know that feeling when you sit in the golden light of a rising sun? That calm, hopeful inhale that sets the tone for the day? It's not just poetic, it's biological. Your body responds to those long, low red and near-infrared wavelengths in ways you probably don't even notice. But take them away, which is exactly what we've done with our indoor, screen-lit lives, and something goes subtly wrong.
I call it RISE: Reduced Infrared Spectrum Exposure. It’s not a formal diagnosis (yet), but it's a useful way of framing a very modern problem. We are light-deficient in a specific and biologically critical part of the spectrum. The longwave red and near-infrared light that naturally bathes us at sunrise and sunset is all but missing in our modern lives. We've swapped it for blue light, LEDs, and filtered window glass. The result? A lot of low-level dysfunction in systems that depend on that light for regulation, like your mitochondria, your gut, and your brain.
What is reduced infrared spectrum exposure (RISE)?
RISE isn't a widely recognised term yet. But it's how I describe the growing, under-acknowledged problem in our artificially lit modern lives: the absence of red and near-infrared light. These are the wavelengths abundant during sunrise and sunset, and they play a critical role in our biology.
Why does infrared light matter for your health?
We evolved outdoors, under changing skies. Red and near-infrared light penetrate deeply into tissue, supporting energy production in mitochondria, calming inflammation, and helping regulate mood and sleep (Hamblin, 2016; Lima et al., 2019). These wavelengths are not luxuries. They’re regulatory signals our bodies expect.
The consequences of missing light
Without regular exposure to this part of the spectrum, our biological rhythms drift. Mood, digestion, and cognitive performance can subtly suffer. It’s not necessarily disease-level dysfunction, more like a widespread feeling of being slightly "off" that modern medicine struggles to explain.
Red light therapy: Replacing what we've lost
Red light therapy, also known as photobiomodulation, is not a trendy hack. It's a form of supplementation, a way to restore what evolution assumed would always be present. Devices using red and near-infrared light can mimic the natural sunrise signals that help regulate your internal systems.
The gut-brain connection and light
One of the most compelling use cases is the gut-brain axis. The gut and brain communicate constantly. When one is out of sync, the other responds. Red light, especially when applied to both regions, can help rebalance this relationship. Systems like CERA, which target both areas, show promising results. You're not adding anything artificial, you're restoring a missing input.
Practical tips to reintroduce infrared light
Spend time outside during sunrise and sunset
Sit by an open window in the early morning
Use a red light therapy device such as the CERA System
Why this matters more than you think
RISE won't get you a medical note or a pill, but it might explain why so many of us feel slightly "off" in a way we can't quite name. The solution is delightfully simple: bring back the wavelengths your biology remembers. Sit outside at dawn. Open a window. Or pick up your CERA System and ‘turn your sunrise on’.
Sarah Turner, CEO CeraThrive and Red Light Therapy Expert
Sarah Turner is the founder of CeraThrive, a company advancing wellness through photobiomodulation and its impact on the gut-brain connection. With a background in neuroscience and biohacking, she is passionate about exploring innovative therapies to optimise health and performance. Sarah also co-hosts the "Rebel Scientist" podcast, where she explores cutting-edge topics in wellness and longevity.
References:
Hamblin, M.R. (2016). Shining light on the head: Photobiomodulation for brain disorders. BBA Clinical, 6, 113-124.
Lima, L.V., Abner, T.S.S., Sluka, K.A. (2019). Does exercise increase or decrease pain? Central mechanisms underlying these two phenomena. Journal of Physiology, 597(20), 4835–4847.
