The Key to Better Results with Light Therapy
At Neuronic, we are commonly asked:
How long do I need to use the device until I see results?
How long do I need to keep using the device? Do I need to use it for a set amount of time, or indefinitely?
While there are no research studies specifically dedicated to these particular questions, a combination of anecdotal evidence we’ve seen from clients and heard from providers, data from our Neuronic app, as well as research studies in transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM) at large can help us make an informed recommendation.
Finding What Works for You
While we will get into all the data below, the main takeaway from our observations at Neuronic is this: there’s no one-size-fits-all protocol. What matters most is discovering what works best for you as an individual, and being consistent with that usage. More is not always better, as light therapy works on a biphasic dose response meaning there is an optimal window of stimulation. While people often ask for condition-specific protocols, we’ve found that a personalized and consistent approach tends to yield the best outcomes.
To help guide your journey, we recommend staying under 30 minutes per session and no more than 1 hour per day. Based on the preliminary data we've gathered from our community of users, individuals tend to experience the most benefit when using the device anywhere from four times a week to twice daily.
By offering these flexible parameters, we aim to support a more intuitive and personalized approach so that you can refine your own experience while remaining within safe and effective usage guidelines.
Ask yourself: What are you trying to get out of PBM?
Consider your goals. Are you using the device to help with overall wellness by cultivating relaxation and providing energy? In this case, using the device every day twice a day may not be as crucial as if you have a neurodegenerative disease, like dementia.
Neurodegenerative diseases involve a decline over time due to the death of neurons in various regions of the brain (Cleveland Clinic, 2023). PBM provides neuroprotective factors and promotes neurogenesis to fight against the decline of these diseases (Yang et al., 2022; Wu et al., 2022). In these cases, consistency of use is key.
On the other hand, while using PBM every day can provide your brain with various benefits, such as increased ATP production, reduced inflammation and increased circulation, it is not as critical to use it daily. In fact, most people in this category will use it 3-4 times a week.
Tips for Integrating Neuronic Devices Into Your Schedule
How often you use PBM is dependent on the individual. Nevertheless, to ensure compliance in using the device at all, it is important to integrate usage into your pre-existing routines. Here are some ideas:
- Using PBM while drinking your morning coffee
- Using PBM while reading a book
- Wearing the helmet while completing creating your days to-do list
Internal Findings from the Neuronic App
Luckily, at Neuronic, we have created an app that has shown us LIGHT device usage and drawn relationships between frequency of use and improvements in clients' PROMIS questionnaire responses*. Due to the recency of the app launch, our sample size is limited so we will reanalyze this data as more datapoints are gathered. Nevertheless, it is a great place to start to tease apart patterns in device usage.
From the data, we have gleaned the following:
- User consistency was labelled as one of the following:
- Super Consistent: ≤ 0.5 days between sessions (≥ 14 sessions/week)
- Highly Consistent: > 0.5 and ≤ 1.5 days between sessions (5–13 sessions/week)
- Moderately Consistent: > 1.5 and ≤ 3 days between sessions (2–4 sessions/week)
- No Consistency: > 3 days between sessions (< 2 sessions/week)
- Our analysis reveals a clear trend: there is a happy medium of device use that is achieved to see the best results. Our data reveals users in the “highly consistent” group show the most improvements. This “highly consistent” group saw an average gain of +3.03 in mental scores and +1.03 in physical scores Interestingly, users in the “Moderately Consistent” group (training less frequently) showed smaller but still meaningful mental gains (+1.25), although their physical scores declined (-1.4), which may reflect variability or a potential trade-off.
- The “Super Consistent” group—those training more than twice daily—saw only slight mental improvements (+0.49) and a drop in physical scores (-0.77), possibly pointing to overtraining, burnout, or external lifestyle factors.
- While the sample size is limited due to strict inclusion criteria, these early findings hint at the idea of an optimal training window where more isn’t always better. Still, the small sample warrants caution when interpreting these results.
Feedback from our clients substantiates this data too. Take Dave for instance who, in his review of the Neuradiant 1070 reported the following,
I have been using the Neuradiant 1070 for a couple of months now. I originally struggled to consistently use the device in my daily routine and did not see huge benefits. However, I committed to using it daily and the results are greatly increased….I do notice increased energy when being consistent with the device and I'm looking forward to using adjusted settings for greater results….Not only has the consistency in using it amplified the results, but continued adjustment of the settings for my needs has been awesome. - Dave Rimlinger, Neuronic User, 2024
Of interest too is the change in physical scores as well. Even though the Neuronic LIGHT applies near infrared light transcranially, it has been long recognized that PBM has systemic effects as well. Possible mechanisms include the circulation of stem cells throughout the body, or evidence of free-floating mitochondria in the bloodstream (Farfara, 2014; Al Amir Dache et al., 2020).
*Note: this data does not account for multiple users in the same household using the device. Therefore, results may be skewed to reflect higher usage. However, on our experience, majority of the users are only using it on one household member.
References
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35265207/
Al Amir Dache, Z., Otandault, A., Tanos, R., Pastor, B., Meddeb, R., Sanchez, C., Arena, G., Lasorsa, L., Bennett, A., Grange, T., El Messaoudi, S., Mazard, T., Prevostel, C., & Thierry, A. R. (2020). Blood contains circulating cell‑free respiratory competent mitochondria. The FASEB Journal, 34(3), 3616–3630. https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.201901917RR
Cleveland Clinic. (2023, May 10). Neurodegenerative diseases: What they are & types. Cleveland Clinic. https://www.my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24976-neurodegenerative-diseases
Farfara, D., Tuby, H., Trudler, D., Doron‑Mandel, E., Maltz, L., Vassar, R. J., Frenkel, D., & Oron, U. (2015). Low‑level laser therapy ameliorates disease progression in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. Journal of Molecular Neuroscience, 55(2), 430–436. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12031-014-0354-z
Wu, X., Shen, Q., Chang, H., Li, J., & Xing, D. (2022). Promoted CD4⁺ T cell–derived IFN‑γ/IL‑10 by photobiomodulation therapy modulates neurogenesis to ameliorate cognitive deficits in APP/PS1 and 3xTg‑AD mice. Journal of Neuroinflammation, 19(1), 253. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12974-022-02617-5
