Living in a country that has limited daylight throughout the year, can have a profound effect on the quality of life. But also crossing multiple time zones while travelling leaves the body and the mind drained and tired.
Each human cell synchronizes its activity with the sun – the main food source for most life forms on Earth.
But it’s not always possible to enjoy the full daylight in our daily lives. Today, modern lifestyles can include, working more indoors, shift work and long-distance travel. This, as well as, changes of the seasons, affect the amount of light we are regularly exposed to. Reduced daytime light causes many problems: from winter blues, mood swings and general fatigue to anxiety, sleep deprivation, carbohydrate cravings, and dampened spirits. These symptoms usually appear in the autumn and winter months when nights are longer and daylight is scarce. People who work in sunlight deprived environments or in shift work can also suffer from similar symptoms. Bright light therapy has been used since the 1980’s, but it has been mostly administered through the eyes, which are known to be sensitive to light. This therapy requires people to sit in front of a bright light lamp, anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours each day.
Back in 2007, 2 former Nokia employees decided to build a device to help fight the winter blues, reduce jet-lag and help boost overall mood.
How does it work?
The HumanCharger® sends a UV-Free blue-enriched light through LED Set earbuds to the light sensitive regions of the brain.
Between 2008 and 2010, Researchers at the University of Oulu discovered the presence of photoreceptor-proteins on the surface of the brain, similar to those which exist in the eye. Following further research it was proven that light can also reach these areas of the brain through the ear canals, the tissue of the ear, and skull.
The skull of large mammals, including humans, lets light pass through naturally, and in ordinary daylight and daytime conditions the brain is always exposed to light. The biggest advantages of the HumanCharger® bright light therapy device is convenience and efficiency. The device also uses a lot less energy than traditional bright light devices, and it does not cause eye irritation.
The HumanCharger® works in three simple steps:
1. Insert the LED Set earbuds snugly into your ears
2. Turn on the HumanCharger® and the UV-free blue-enriched white light will flow through the ear canals into the light-sensitive regions of the brain.
3. Wear it for just 12 minutes a day to get the ideal amount of light therapy. Consumers can wear it more often if they would like.
The tests
Test 1 - My partner was scheduled for a business trip to India. Travelling from Europe, this meant going from West to East, which has proven to be the most difficult to recover from.
Every morning upon waking, my partner used the HumanCharger® for the allotted 12 minutes, and reported a significant difference in alertness, reduced tiredness and better focus throughout the day.
Having been to India previous times without the HumanCharger®, it was a huge improvement.
Test 2 - Personally, on several days in the week, I need to get up quite early to start my coaching job at Mobilis CrossFit, heading out while it’s still dark and most of the time with not enough hours of sleep at night. I used the HumanCharger® on my way over on the bike, and noticed to being more alert and awake.
The conclusion
From the 2 personal experiences, the HumanCharger® truly has a positive effect, and will definitely be a part of our travel and work routine.
On average, 87% of the user of the HumanCharger® have reported it to be very effective.
