The Key to Consistent Quality Sleep Every Night: Learn How To Increase the Natural Production of Melatonin

In this article, we'll explore what we believe is one of the most fundamental pillars to human performance - quality sleep.

Whether you're seeking mental or physical performance, a sleep routine to ensure high quality sleep each night should be near the top of your priority list!

Something that needs to be cleared up right from the beginning however is that the quantity of sleep you get is not nearly as important as the quality of sleep you get.

Read through this article and you'll have a much deeper insight into how you can optimize your sleep.

Red Light Therapy For Sleep

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Red Light Therapy (RLT) is backed by a plethora of research, covering a wide range of benefits for human health, performance and recovery.

I think it's fair to say that each and everyone of us is on a mission to become the best version of ourselves.

The Apollo Series provides a range of personal RLT devices to fit your budget and allow you to reap the benefits of natural light on your journey to improve your mental and physical performance.

That being said, sleep is by far one of the top priorities for anyone looking to improve their health and performance, with the objective to get the best quality sleep every night!

Contrary to what you might think, light helps us get deep, quality sleep when it’s time to do so through our circadian rhythm.

This internal clock helps us regulate sleep and wake hormones such as melatonin, cortisol, and serotonin.

It’s linked very closely to our daily light intake throughout the day.

However, not all light is the same and the unfortunate part is the average American now spends up to 90% of their time indoors under harsh blue light conditions which makes it difficult for our bodies to know when to start winding down.

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1.) Quality Sleep Improves Physical and Cognitive Ability

While there are many ways to incorporate Red Light Therapy into your routine, it is note worthy to understand the basics of Red and Near-Infrared light:

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Red Light

Best absorbed by surface tissues and cells, promoting healthy skin and hair.
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Wavelengths in the 620nm - 700nm range
Heavily promotes collagen production
Reduces scar tissue and promotes wound healing
Benefits skin texture and tone and smooths wrinkles
Penetrates 5mm below the skin's surface
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Near-Infrared

Invisible to our eyes and penetrates into deeper tissues and cells of the body.
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Wavelengths in the 700nm - 1000nm range
Improves the circulation of oxygen-rich blood
Promotes pain relief in muscle and joints
Reduces inflammation in deep muscle tissue
Penetrates up to 70mm below the skin's surface
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The two most beneficial methods when utilizing your Apollo:

1.) The Therapeutic Approach - which requires regular sessions of 10 to 20 minutes with your targeted body part being within 6 to 12 inches from your Apollo device.

2.) Ambient Light - Apollo serves as ambient red light creating a great cue for your sleep-wake circadian rhythm in the evening as you wind down for a nights sleep. [7]


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It is widely understood that melatonin is the hormone that regulates sleep.

Supplemented by a healthy circadian rhythm that promotes the production and release of melatonin, translating into good sleep hygiene. [7]

The wave lengths of red and near-infrared light coincide with sunrise and sunset, meaning that using your Apollo first thing in the morning as well as to wind down before bed, sets the foundation for a routine promoting quality sleep.

In addition to improving quality sleep via your body's natural hormonal system, RLT can also reduce one of the leading impedances of sleep - inflammation.

Research shows that cellular inflammation is negatively associated to slow wave sleep. [3]

These two mechanisms show that Red Light Therapy not only promotes sleep, but also decreases impediments to your precious sleep.

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Whether you're an athlete or an individual seeking high performance in any aspect of life, sleep is one of the root causes of our body's ability to concentrate and perform optimally.[4]

Stanford University published a study in 2011 that highlighted basketball players improving multiple aspects of their performance by up to 9% purely based on their sleep routine.

In addition, the study was able to record an increase in reaction time and objective mood in the subjects.[5]

From a cognitive point of view, slow wave (deep sleep) is thought to facilitate the consolidation of memory. Though memory continues to be a highly researched aspect of human cognition, hypothetical models point at a biological mechanism called the hippocampal-neocortical dialogue.

This dialogue occurs during slow wave sleep, where memories encoded by the hippocampus are replayed and migrated to the neocortex as a semantic (long-term) memory. [4,6]

2.) Red Light Therapy Optimizes Sleep

RLT Devices For Sleep Optimization

Apollo S

Apollo S

$349.00
Apollo 1 - The Above Club

Apollo 1

$50.00
Sold Out
Apollo 2 - The Above Club

Apollo 2

$50.00
3.) Increase Natural Melatonin Production With RLT

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Red Light Therapy has many benefits that are beyond the scope of this article.

A Med Hypotheses report highlighted that 670nm red light is shown to increase cellular energy production and reduce oxidative stress via glutathione redox balance; a ratio that is commonly used to measure oxidative stress.

These facts have lead researchers to hypothesize that increased melatonin production is a key component of how RLT has these anti-oxidative benefits. [1] 

The Journal of Athletic Training published a study that was conducted on elite female basketball players.

The results showed an increase in serum melatonin levels post RLT intervention, compared to pre-intervention as well as a placebo group.

The study noted improvements in sleep and endurance performance, concluding that RLT was a non-pharmacologic, non-invasive therapy for improving the quality of sleep. [2]

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Our inflammation system is an extremely important component to our recovery system. There are two types of inflammatory responses:

Acute Inflammation
Responsible for stimulating recovery, repairing damaged tissues, and protecting us from infection. Without a healthy acute response, our bodies would not be able to recover from the physical and emotional stressors we face on a daily basis.
Chronic Inflammation
Unfortunately, inflammation is a perfect example of "more is not always better".

Chronic inflammation is the second inflammatory response and can cause autoimmune reactions, fatigue, and in the worst cases can be linked to diseases such as diabetes or cancer. [8]

Furthermore, studies have linked chronic inflammation to sleep disturbance and a decrease in slow wave sleep. [3]

This is where your Apollo will make a huge impact on your performance and vitality.

A reduction in inflammation has been proven as one of the most scientifically reproducible benefits of Red Light Therapy and one of the most interesting part is the mechanisms of action.

A publication by Michael Hamblin, Wellman Center for Photomedicine, stated that among others, an increase in Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) production and Nitric Oxide (NO) are some of the primary mechanisms of RLT.

ATP and NO are molecules are responsible for cellular energy production and circulation, which both contribute to performance in ways that are beyond the scope of this article.

This means that a reduction in inflammation is merely a byproduct of other benefits, that contribute to quality sleep and therefore your overall performance.

4.) Red Light Therapy Reduces Inflammation, Promoting Restorative Sleep

The Bottom Line

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Red Light Therapy has long been an expensive, unaccessible option to most people.

Our Apollo series is among the devices that are affordable and widely available for home use and even travel.

With such a wide range of benefits for all aspects of health, wellness and performance, the return on investment of an Apollo device speaks for itself. 

By increasing natural melatonin production and reducing inflammation, an Apollo device will help you achieve optimal sleep, leading to an increase in your physical and mental performance.

Under the Learn section on our website, you will find more articles exploring many other benefits not covered in this article.

If you're ready to level up your sleep quality and overall performance, your Apollo device awaits.

Shop our product line now and find the device best suited to your budget and health optimization goals.

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