Migraines affect over 1 billion people worldwide (1), making it one of the third most common health conditions, according to the American Brain Foundation.
These aren't just headaches, migraines are a neurological condition causing intense, often one-sided pain, along with nausea, and sensitivity to light and sound. (2) While medications help many, they can cause side effects like dizziness, nausea, or even cardiovascular risks.
But what if you could find relief from migraine without pills?
Green light therapy, a drug-free approach, is showing promise in reducing migraine frequency and severity, according to recent studies including a groundbreaking research from the University of Arizona.
Migraine treatments often include drugs for acute attacks, like pain relievers (acetaminophen, ibuprofen), triptans, or newer options like gepants and ditans.
For prevention, doctors may prescribe beta blockers, antidepressants, or anti-CGRP monoclonal antibodies, which can reduce migraine attacks by approximately 50% for some patients. (2)
However, these medications don't work for everyone, and side effects can be challenging. Triptans may cause cardiovascular risks in certain patients, while preventive medications can lead to fatigue, weight changes, or mood alterations. (2)
Because of this, many patients prefer non-pharmacological options, which is why green light therapy is gaining attention in both clinical and research settings. It can be used alone or alongside medications to enhance migraine management.
Researchers at the University of Arizona conducted a pioneering study on green light therapy involving 29 participants: 7 with episodic migraines (fewer than 15 days per month) and 22 with chronic migraines (15 or more days per month).
The study used a crossover design, where all participants experienced both treatment conditions.
For 10 weeks, participants spent 1–2 hours daily in a room illuminated only by green LED lights emitting wavelengths of 520–530 nanometers. They could read, listen to music, or engage in light activities, but electronic screens were prohibited to ensure the light exposure itself was responsible for any therapeutic effects.
The study also included a control period using white light, with a 2-week washout period between conditions to eliminate carryover effects. (2)
The Results of the study
The findings were remarkable and clinically significant:
Episodic migraines: Reduced from 7.4 to 2.4 per month - a 68% decrease
Chronic migraines: Reduced from 22.3 to 9.4 per month - a 59% decrease
The white light control condition produced minimal improvement, confirming that the green wavelength specifically was therapeutic.
These results are comparable to leading pharmaceutical medications but without associated side effects, suggesting green light therapy could be a significant advancement for migraine sufferers who don't respond well to or cannot tolerate medications.
In the 2023 Frontiers in Neurology study, researchers analyzed how different migraine patients responded to narrow-band green light therapy using a special lamp during migraine attacks. Participants were divided into groups based on how often their headaches improved: responders, non-responders, and super-responders.
About 61% of participants were responders, these individuals experienced headache relief in at least half of their migraine attacks. Super-responders (around 42% of participants) had even stronger results, reporting improvement in three out of four or more attacks after using the light for two hours in a quiet, dark room. On the other hand, non-responders (about 39%) saw less than 50% improvement, and a smaller group of super-non-responders did not notice significant benefits at all. Among responders, headaches improved in 82% of treated attacks, compared to only 21% among non-responders. Many responders also experienced less sensitivity to light, reduced anxiety, and better sleep the same night.
In conclusion, this real-world study suggests that sitting in a soft, dim green light for about two hours during a migraine could significantly ease headache pain, lessen light sensitivity, improve mood, and promote restful sleep for most people. While it doesn’t work for everyone, it offers a safe, drug-free option that may benefit about six in ten migraine sufferers, especially those seeking a natural or medication-free approach. (5)
Initially, researchers observed that patients experienced relief but couldn't explain the mechanism. This lack of understanding made clinical recommendations challenging, despite promising patient outcomes.
Recent neuroscience research has uncovered how green light provides pain relief.
Think of your brain as having a volume control for pain signals, green light essentially turns down this volume by modulating specific neurons.
Specifically, green light activates pain-reducing neurons in the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus (vLGN), a brain region that processes both visual information and pain sensitivity.
These neurons produce glutamate, an excitatory neurotransmitter involved in pain signaling. Green light exposure appears to modulate glutamatergic activity in a way that reduces overall pain sensitivity. (3)
Interestingly, red light produces opposite effects, activating different neural pathways that can increase pain sensitivity. This wavelength-specific response highlights the precision of light-based therapies and opens new avenues for targeted pain management.
As per Avisha NessAiver (@distilledscience) on his Instagram reel about Green Light Therapy he shared that:
The light acts on the neurons in a way that helps to mitigate pain sensitivity. Which is super cool, and actually the opposite of how red light works on the brain, or at least pretty differently.Avisha NessAiver, MEng (Electrical and Electronics Engineering)
The therapeutic potential extends beyond migraines. Clinical studies have demonstrated that green light therapy also reduces pain in fibromyalgia patients, with improvements in both pain intensity and quality of life measures.
While research continues, preliminary evidence suggests potential benefits for tension headaches and other chronic pain conditions, though more rigorous studies are needed to establish efficacy. (4)
Compared to pharmaceutical interventions, green light therapy offers several advantages:
Drug-free: No pharmaceutical side effects such as dizziness, nausea, cardiovascular risks (triptans), or weight gain (preventive medications)
Safe: No known contraindications or drug interactions, making it suitable for most individuals
Complementary: Can be integrated with existing treatments without interference
Non-invasive: No injections, procedures, or systemic drug exposure required
Green light therapy represents an drug-free option that reduces migraine frequency by up to 68% for episodic sufferers and 59% for chronic sufferers in rigorous clinical trials.
While not a cure and requiring sustained commitment, it offers genuine hope for individuals struggling with medication side effects, treatment resistance, or preference for non-pharmacological approaches.
Medical Disclaimer: Consult with your healthcare provider to determine if green light therapy is appropriate for your specific situation and how it can be integrated into your personalized migraine management strategy.
Dong L, Dong W, Jin Y, Jiang Y, Li Z, Yu D. The Global Burden of Migraine: A 30-Year Trend Review and Future Projections by Age, Sex, Country, and Region. Pain Ther. 2025 Feb;14(1):297-315. doi: 10.1007/s40122-024-00690-7. Epub 2024 Dec 11. PMID: 39661241; PMCID: PMC11751287.
Martin LF, Patwardhan AM, Jain SV, et al. Evaluation of green light exposure on headache frequency and quality of life in migraine patients: A preliminary one-way cross-over clinical trial. Cephalalgia. 2020;41(2):135-147. doi:10.1177/0333102420956711
Wu XQ, Tan B, Du Y, Yang L, Hu TT, Ding YL, Qiu XY, Moutal A, Khanna R, Yu J, Chen Z. Glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons in the vLGN mediate the nociceptive effects of green and red light on neuropathic pain. Neurobiol Dis. 2023 Jul;183:106164. doi: 10.1016/j.nbd.2023.106164. Epub 2023 May 20. PMID: 37217103.
Martin L, Porreca F, Mata EI, Salloum M, Goel V, Gunnala P, Killgore WDS, Jain S, Jones-MacFarland FN, Khanna R, Patwardhan A, Ibrahim MM. Green Light Exposure Improves Pain and Quality of Life in Fibromyalgia Patients: A Preliminary One-Way Crossover Clinical Trial. Pain Med. 2021 Feb 4;22(1):118-130. doi: 10.1093/pm/pnaa329. PMID: 33155057; PMCID: PMC7861466.
Lipton, Richard B., Agustin Melo-Carrillo, Mark Severs, Michael Reed, Sait Ashina, Timothy Houle, and Rami Burstein. “Narrow Band Green Light Effects on Headache, Photophobia, Sleep, and Anxiety among Migraine Patients: An Open-Label Study Conducted Online Using Daily Headache Diary.” Frontiers in Neurology 14 (October 4, 2023). https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2023.1282236.
Edited by M Subha Maheswari