The Valkee Humancharger is one of the most interesting products I’ve seen on howtolucid.com. It’s a unique device which simulates natural sunlight by shining a light through your ears!
Now, my first though was ‘what a load of nonsense, surely that can’t actually trick the brain into thinking it’s experiencing sunlight?’ but I was mistaken. I’ve found some very interesting things true about this device, and I’ll share them in this review.
Does the Humancharger work?
The device looks great, is very functional and does what it says, it DOES shine a very bright light directly through your ears and towards your brain. I can’t see why this WOULDN’T have an effect, similar to the effect of looking at a bright screen or indeed, being in sunlight.
As for the science behind this effect, I’m no scientist and I’m not sure how something like this would be tested scientifically, but that being said, the device does seem to make me feel a little bit more awake when I used it.
From my experience, some effects were noticed, but maybe not a huge amount more than would have been experienced without the device. It’s really hard to say, because I find that I naturally wake up with the sun these days, and so I didn’t feel tired to begin with.
I’m going to keep this on my todo list, and when winter comes around this year (2017) I’m going to wait until we have a really dark few weeks, and then suddenly start using the device every day and see what effects I notice.
How the sunlight device is supposed to work
The device is designed based on the effect that sunlight has on our brains and bodies. When we are in contact with sunlight, our bodies produce a hormone called Serotonin which makes you feel alive, awake and full of energy.
There are certain situations where people might NOT get enough sunlight and therefore have low levels of Serotonin, such as:
- Jet lag if you’ve changed time zones on a long flight
- If you live in a naturally dark place that doesn’t get much light
- If you suffer with SAD (seasonal effected depression/disorder)
And in these situations, or if you just wanted to feel more awake and energetic, you might find this device useful. Even if the effect is a placebo, (unsure how to prove this) it’s still a very pleasant way of experiencing the effect, and the warming feeling of the light behind your ears is really nice.
HumanChargers effects on jet lag
One of the main selling points of the Humancharger is that it’s meant to combat and avoid jet lag effects for people taking long haul flights. This is particular useful when you’re changing time zones, you have a business meeting on the other side and you need to feel awake and fresh.
The device aims to combat this by being used at certain times during the flight and in short bursts, to quickly retrain your body clock into thinking it’s in the right time zone and it should feel awake. I haven’t tested this myself on any long haul flights but hopefully I will sometime n the next year or two.
Humanchargers effect on SAD (seasonal affected disorder)
SAD is a condition which seems toe effect a large number of people around the world. It’s a condition in which during the long winter months when it can be darker, and there’s less sunlight, people feel more depressed.
Studies have been done on this over time, and the general consensus is that the lack of sunlight and therefore serotonin throws some people’s body clocks and circadian rhythms off. Lack of proper and high quality sleep has been STRONGLY linked to depression, and this is no exception.
We need sunlight and quality sleep cycles to feel and perform at our best. This device seems to be a very good way of getting that little lift, that little light boost during the day when you might feel down. You can also try things like:
- Meditating at a couple of places during the day
- Waking up at the same time every day regardless of the weekend
- Listening to relaxing sounds at night
- Listening to binaural beats that are designed to lull you to sleep
Research backing the HumanCharger
As with any product, there are people that think it’s a scam, and people that think it’s the real deal. There’s no real way of knowing for sure, and with something like this where you do actually feel an effect from the device, it’s impossible to tell whether it’s placebo or real.
Human charger review summary
Overall, if you’re interested in this idea, and want to test it for yourself, you should just go ahead and get one. The device looks great, is very compact, charges fast and the lights shine brightly. If you’re skeptical, try it for yourself! You can get a great price here, and also read a tonne more reviews as well!
