A body locked in sympathetic dominance cannot heal — regardless of what other interventions are used. Rebalance Impulse uses applied neuroscience to shift the nervous system into the parasympathetic recovery state, creating the biological foundation that makes every other therapy more effective. Available at Aim Health, Hoylake.
Red Light Therapy for Chronic Fatigue and Long COVID
Long COVID & Chronic Fatigue — Aim Health Hoylake, Wirral
Red Light Therapy for Chronic Fatigue and Long COVID
How whole body photobiomodulation restores cellular energy, reduces inflammation and supports recovery from persistent fatigue at the mitochondrial level.
One of the most consistent findings in chronic fatigue and long COVID research is that the cells are not producing energy efficiently. The mitochondria — the power stations inside every cell — are underperforming. Less ATP is being made. The body is running on reduced capacity at the most fundamental biological level. Red light therapy works directly on this problem.
At Aim Health in Hoylake, we use the MitoGen medical-grade whole body PBM system — delivering red and near-infrared light across the entire body in a single 20-minute session. For people with chronic fatigue and long COVID, the systemic nature of this delivery matters. The problem is not localised. Neither is the therapy.
For an overview of all the therapies Aim Health offers for chronic fatigue and long COVID, read our chronic fatigue and long COVID hub. For the full science behind how red light therapy works, read our science of photobiomodulation.
Why mitochondria matter so much in chronic fatigue
Your mitochondria produce ATP — the energy currency of every cell in your body. They power muscle contraction, immune function, cognitive processing, cellular repair, and every other biological process that keeps you functioning.
In chronic fatigue, mitochondrial function is significantly impaired. This has been measured directly — researchers have found reduced ATP production, impaired electron transport chain function, and increased oxidative stress in the mitochondria of people with ME/CFS and long COVID. The result is a body that is genuinely running low on cellular energy — not metaphorically, but measurably.
This is why rest does not resolve chronic fatigue in the way it resolves ordinary tiredness. Rest reduces the demand on a depleted system, but it does not fix the system itself. What is needed is an intervention that works at the mitochondrial level — restoring the machinery, not just reducing the load on it.
Rest reduces the demand on a depleted system. Red light therapy restores the system itself — working directly at the mitochondrial level where the energy failure originates.
How red light therapy helps
Mechanisms specific to chronic fatigue and long COVID
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Mitochondrial energy production restores
Red and near-infrared light is absorbed by cytochrome c oxidase in the mitochondrial membrane, directly triggering increased ATP synthesis. In conditions where mitochondrial dysfunction is a primary driver of fatigue, this is a targeted restoration of the exact mechanism that has broken down. Clients often notice the difference in the days that follow — more sustained energy, less of the characteristic afternoon crash, better recovery from normal activity.
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Systemic inflammation reduces
Red light therapy suppresses the NLRP3 inflammasome and reduces pro-inflammatory cytokines including TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 — the same inflammatory signals consistently elevated in chronic fatigue and long COVID. This anti-inflammatory effect is systemic, addressing the whole-body inflammatory environment that perpetuates the fatigue cycle.
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Sleep architecture improves
Mitochondria within the brain’s circadian clock cells are directly stimulated by red light, improving the biological timing signals that govern sleep. Many clients with chronic fatigue report sleep improvement as one of the earliest changes they notice — falling asleep more easily, waking less frequently, and feeling more genuinely restored in the morning.
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Neurological recovery is supported
Near-infrared wavelengths above 800nm penetrate the skull and reach cortical brain tissue. Studies applying PBM transcranially show improvements in cognitive function and neuroinflammatory markers — relevant not only for the brain fog of long COVID but for the broader cognitive symptoms that chronic fatigue produces.
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The immune system rebalances
Photobiomodulation has bidirectional immune effects — calming overactive inflammatory signals while supporting the regulatory immune function that chronic illness suppresses. This rebalancing is particularly relevant in post-viral conditions where immune dysregulation is a central feature.
The evidence
Multiple controlled trials demonstrate significant reductions in fatigue in populations including cancer survivors, people with fibromyalgia, and people with chronic fatigue syndrome, with the mechanism — restored mitochondrial ATP production and reduced oxidative stress — well-established in both laboratory and clinical settings.
A systematic review of PBM in fatigue-related conditions found consistent and meaningful improvements across multiple measures — energy levels, cognitive function, sleep quality and pain. The breadth of benefit reflects the systemic nature of whole body PBM and the central role of mitochondrial dysfunction across all these conditions.
For long COVID specifically, the mitochondrial restoration and neuroinflammation reduction mechanisms align directly with the documented pathophysiology — making PBM one of the most mechanistically rational interventions available.
6,000+
Peer-reviewed studies on photobiomodulation The evidence base spans wound healing, neurological recovery, pain, sleep, inflammation and cellular energy — with the mitochondrial mechanism well-established across all applications.
What to expect at Aim Health, Hoylake
Sessions last 20 minutes. You lie comfortably on the treatment bed while the MitoGen system delivers red and near-infrared light across your whole body. Sessions are deeply relaxing — many clients fall asleep. There is no recovery time required.
For chronic fatigue and long COVID, most clients attend 1 to 2 sessions per week. The effects build cumulatively — early improvements in sleep and energy typically noticed within the first two to three weeks, with sustained improvement across a programme of sessions.
Red light therapy works particularly well in combination with hyperbaric oxygen therapy — which supplies the oxygen that mitochondria need — and Rebalance Impulse, which addresses the nervous system dysregulation that compounds mitochondrial dysfunction. Your programme is designed at your free wellness assessment around your specific symptoms and history.
Frequently asked questions
Is red light therapy safe for people with chronic fatigue and long COVID?
Yes — it is completely non-invasive, requires no physical exertion, and has no known side effects. It does not trigger post-exertional malaise.
How quickly will I notice a difference?
Most clients with chronic fatigue notice initial changes within the first two to four weeks — sleep quality often improves first, followed by more sustained energy and reduced cognitive fog. The full benefit builds across a course of sessions.
How does it work alongside hyperbaric therapy?
The two are highly complementary. Hyperbaric therapy delivers the oxygen that mitochondria need. Red light therapy restores the cellular machinery that uses that oxygen. Together they address the energy deficit from two directions simultaneously.
How many sessions will I need?
A typical initial course is 10 to 15 sessions over 6 to 10 weeks at 1 to 2 sessions per week, with many clients continuing maintenance sessions. Your protocol is tailored at your free wellness assessment.
Further reading
Related articles
References
1. Missailidis D et al. An isolated complex V inefficiency and dysregulated mitochondrial function in ME/CFS. Int J Mol Sci. 2020;21(3):1074. Read study →
2. Hamblin MR. Mechanisms and applications of the anti-inflammatory effects of photobiomodulation. AIMS Biophysics. 2017;4(3):337–361. Read study →
3. Ferraresi C et al. Time response of increases in ATP and muscle resistance to fatigue after LLLT in mice. Lasers Med Sci. 2015;30(4):1259–1267. Read study →
4. Avci P et al. Low-level laser (light) therapy in skin: stimulating, healing, restoring. Seminars in Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery. 2013;32(1):41–52. Read study →
5. Salehpour F et al. Brain photobiomodulation therapy: a narrative review. Mol Neurobiol. 2018;55(8):6601–6636. Read study →
6. de Oliveira MF et al. Low level laser therapy reduces pro-inflammatory mediators and improves cell viability. Lasers Surg Med. 2018;50(7):777–784. Read study →
© Aim Health Hoylake 2026. This article is for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice. Please continue with any existing medical care alongside your programme at Aim Health.
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