Patients often ask Dr. Padda what light could possibly have to do with their pain. This article gives the high-level answer he shares in clinic: sunlight is far more than the visible light you see, and one invisible part of it may play a real role in inflammation and pain. Everything below is drawn from his short talk, and it is best understood as an emerging, practice-based way of thinking rather than settled standard care.
The light spectrum, from UV to infrared
Visible light—the small band you see color and shapes by—is only a sliver of what sunlight emits. Beyond it sits ultraviolet light: UVA is traditionally blamed for the DNA damage behind skin cancer, while UVB is what lets your skin make vitamin D. At the other end is infrared light, a deep red between roughly 760 and 1000 nanometers that is often invisible and felt only as heat. That infrared band, Dr. Padda explains, is where the pain story begins.
Infrared light and the melatonin most people never hear about
Most of us know melatonin as the sleep hormone the pineal gland releases in darkness—but that accounts for only about 5% of your body’s melatonin. The other 95%, Dr. Padda says, is made during the daytime when infrared light penetrates the skin and reaches the mitochondria—the powerhouse of your cells—acting on the cytochrome c system. This cellular melatonin works on your reactive-oxidase system as a potent anti-inflammatory, calming inflammation right where your cells generate energy.
Why modern indoor life may leave you inflamed
Here is the problem. As we spend more time indoors behind glass and under LED lighting, that light lets visible wavelengths through but blocks UVB and infrared. Block UVB and you make less vitamin D; block infrared and you shut down that daytime melatonin production. Dr. Padda estimates we have lost roughly 90% of our infrared light since the 1950s, leaving the body in a hyper-inflamed state. He links this to higher risks of metabolic inflammation, metabolic syndrome, obesity, and even cancer—independent of the DNA damage from UVA.
What this means at the Padda Institute
The practical takeaway Dr. Padda gives his patients is about timing. Avoid light at night—especially blue light—so your pineal gland can release the melatonin that helps you sleep. But seek daytime light, specifically infrared daylight, to produce the cellular melatonin that is your recovery mechanism and anti-inflammatory. He describes the worst case as getting UVA exposure without any infrared. This remains an investigational, practice-based framework he offers alongside a fuller evaluation, not a proven cure. Individual results vary.
Frequently asked questions
How can light affect my pain?
Dr. Padda explains that infrared light from the sun penetrates the skin and reaches your cells' mitochondria, where it helps produce most of your body's melatonin during the daytime. That cellular melatonin acts as a potent anti-inflammatory. When you spend life indoors and lose infrared exposure, that production falls and inflammation can rise. It is an emerging, practice-based idea rather than settled standard care. Individual results vary.
Isn't melatonin only about sleep?
Only about 5% of your melatonin, from the pineal gland, is tied to sleep. The other 95%, Dr. Padda says, is made in your cells during the day in response to infrared light and works as an anti-inflammatory, which is why he considers it especially relevant for pain patients rather than just for rest.
Should I use a light device or take supplements for this?
Do not start, stop, or change any medication or supplement without consulting your physician. Dr. Padda frames light exposure as one part of a broader plan; any device, vitamin D, or melatonin supplement should be discussed with your doctor first and matched to your situation. Individual results vary.
Where are you located and how do I book?
Padda Institute Center for Interventional Pain Management, 4477 Woodson Rd, Suite 100, St. Louis, MO 63134. Book at painmd.tv/appointment/ or call (314) 481-5000.
Key takeaways
- Mechanism: daytime infrared light reaches your mitochondria and helps make melatonin, a potent anti-inflammatory, inside your cells.
- Evidence status: an emerging, practice-based framework for inflammation and pain, not proven standard care.
- Why timing matters: avoid light at night for sleep, but seek infrared daylight by day for cellular repair and anti-inflammation.
- Next step: ask how light exposure fits your pain plan—book at painmd.tv/appointment/.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Gurpreet Singh Padda, MD, MBA, MHP — Board Certified in Anesthesiology, Pain Medicine, Interventional Pain Management, Addiction Medicine, and Obesity Medicine. Last reviewed July 2026.
This article is educational and is not a substitute for evaluation, diagnosis, or treatment by a physician. Individual results vary. Do not start, stop, or change any medication without consulting your physician.
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Dr. Gurpreet Singh Padda, MD, MBA, MHP
