The Red Light Sleep Secret… and Why You’ve Been Using Melatonin All Wrong

Could the secret to deeper, more restorative sleep be as simple as the right light… at the right time? Dr. Jay Khorsandi unpacks the cutting-edge science of red light therapy, how it interacts with your body’s natural melatonin production, and why timing is everything. Learn the powerful connection between light exposure, circadian rhythm, and hormone regulation… and discover why most people are sabotaging their sleep with one common mistake. Plus… practical, step-by-step strategies to use light like a biohacker and wake up feeling truly recharged.

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Episode Transcript

Jay Khorsandi Shure SM7 (00:00):
Welcome back… to Best Night Ever… where
we explore the latest scienceand practical strategies to
improve your sleep… yourwellness… and your longevity.
If you’re not already followingalong on Instagram… you can find
me at sleepbiohacker for dailytips… behind-the-scenes
experiments… and the occasionaldeep dive that never makes it

(00:20):
onto the podcast.
And… if you want to take yoursleep optimization game to the
next level… sign up for myweekly email list at www dot
sleepbiohacker dot com… and I’llsend you my free Biohacker’s
Guide to Jet Lag Hacking.
It’s a complete playbook torecover faster from travel… and
trust me… it works.
Now… let’s get into today’stopic… In the last episode… I

(00:43):
teased something that hascompletely changed the way I
approach my own sleep.
Something that doesn’t come in apill… doesn’t plug into the wall
next to your bed… And yet… whenused correctly… can help your
body produce more of the singlemost important sleep hormone you
have.
I’m talking about light…specifically… red light therapy.
Most people think about lightonly in terms of“too much blue

(01:06):
light before bed is bad.” Whichis true… but that’s only half
the story.
Here’s the fascinating part…Light isn’t just something you
see… it’s something your bodyreads.
Your skin… your eyes… even thecells inside you have
specialized photoreceptors thatrespond to specific wavelengths
of light.
And… different wavelengths senddifferent messages to your body.

(01:27):
Blue light?
That’s your daytime signal.
It says…“Stay alert… producecortisol… hold off on
melatonin.” Red andnear-infrared light?
That’s a completely differentconversation.
It tells your body…“The sun issetting… shift into repair mode…
start producing melatoninnaturally.” And here’s where it
gets interesting… Your bodydoesn’t just make melatonin in

(01:48):
your brain’s pineal gland.
There’s a second… much larger…source of melatonin production…
and it’s inside your cells.
This is what researchers arecalling mitochondrial melatonin.
Think of it like an on-siteantioxidant factory.
This melatonin doesn’t just helpyou fall asleep… it protects
your cells from oxidativestress… supports DNA repair… and

(02:10):
primes your body for deep…restorative sleep.
A twenty-twenty-four paper inFrontiers in Neuroscience showed
that red and near-infrared lightcan boost mitochondrial
melatonin production byactivating something called
cytochrome c oxidase an enzymedeep in your cellular machinery
that responds to these longerwavelengths.

(02:31):
Translation?
Red light before bed isn’t justabout mood or ambience… it’s
literally telling your cells…“It’s time to heal… and it’s
time to sleep.” But… here’swhere most people get it wrong
with melatonin.
They think…“If a little is good…more must be better.” And so…
they pop a 5 or 10 milligrammelatonin supplement every

(02:51):
night… at whatever time theyremember.
And then they wonder why theystart feeling groggy in the
morning… why their dreams getweird… or why the supplement
eventually seems to stopworking.
Here’s the truth… Melatonin is atiming molecule… not a sleeping
pill.
Its main job is to tell yourbody when to sleep… not to knock
you out like a sedative.

(03:12):
If you take it at the wrongtime… you can actually shift
your circadian rhythm in thewrong direction… making your
sleep worse.
Most people are taking melatoninway too late… after they’ve
already missed the naturalsignal.
And… they’re ignoring the mostpowerful melatonin booster of
all light management.
So… how do we use red lighttherapy the right way?
First… timing is everything.

(03:33):
You want to use red ornear-infrared light in the 30–60
minutes before bed.
This mimics the natural sunsetsignal… telling your brain and
body to start winding down.
Second… think about intensityand distance.
You don’t need to blast yourselfwith stadium lighting.
For most people… 5 to 15minutes… sitting a couple feet
from a quality red light panel…is enough to trigger the

(03:57):
mitochondrial response.
Third… pair it with reducingblue light.
This means dimming overheadlights… turning on warm amber
bulbs… and getting rid of anybright screens after your red
light session.
Here’s my personal evening lightstack: I start with 10 minutes
of red light therapy while doingmy nightly jaw massage yes,
still working that from lastepisode… Then I keep the lights

(04:18):
in my house dim and warm.
No overhead LEDs.
No bright white light.
And I aim to be in bed about 45minutes after my session… which
seems to sync perfectly with mysleep onset.
The results?
Deeper sleep scores on mytracker… fewer nighttime
awakenings… and a more refreshedfeeling in the morning.
Now… here’s a bonus biohack… Redlight therapy isn’t just for

(04:40):
nighttime.
Using near-infrared light in themorning especially on your torso
or large muscle groups can helpenergize mitochondria and set
the stage for better daytimeenergy… which feeds into better
nighttime sleep.
And yes… there’s a right way tocombine melatonin supplements
with light therapy.
For most adults… if you’re goingto supplement… keep the dose low

(05:03):
think 0.3 to 1 milligram andtake it about 90 minutes before
your target bedtime… but only ifyou need a temporary reset.
And use red light in that finalhour to naturally amplify your
body’s own production.
Because here’s the big takeaway…If you manage your light right…
you may not need supplementalmelatonin at all.
In our next episode… we’llexplore something that’s been

(05:24):
called“the oxygen paradox” insleep science… why more oxygen
isn’t always better… how certainbreathing techniques before bed
can transform your sleepquality… and the surprising ways
altitude… breath-holding… andeven carbon dioxide levels play
into deep sleep cycles.
Until then… I challenge you toexperiment with your evening

(05:47):
light routine.
Turn down the blue.
Bring in the red.
And see if your sleep… becomesyour Best Night Ever.
This podcast is forinformational purposes only and
is not intended to providemedical advice.
Please… consult with a qualifiedhealthcare provider before
beginning any new therapy…especially if you have a medical
condition or are takingmedications.

(06:09):
Red light therapy is generallyconsidered safe… but the optimal
approach varies from person toperson.
The information shared here isbased on current research and my
own clinical and personalexperience… and is intended to
help you make informed decisionsabout your sleep health.