The experience

“My energy levels aren’t as high as I’d want them to be, but I don’t want to rely on tea/coffee to get me through every waking hour of the day. I was interested, then, in giving The Human Charger a go – a wearable light therapy device. It’s aimed primarily at helping to improve mood during the winter months (when seasonal affective disorder sets in) and alleviating the effects of jet lag, but other benefits associated with the device include increased energy levels and mental alertness, so I wanted to see whether using The Human Charger could serve as a kind of substitute or add-on to drinking caffeine in the morning when it came to my energy levels and concentration.

“The Human Charger looks a little bit like a pair of old-fashioned wire headphones and works by shining bright LED light into your ears at an average light intensity of >10,000 lux. According to The Human Charger’s website, all you need to do to reap the benefits is plug the earbuds into your ears and turn the light on for 10-12 minutes each day; the company says 70% of users get the most out of the device when it’s used in the morning, but 30% prefer to use it later in the day.

“To put this to the test I decided to use the device in the morning – to help me start my day off feeling energised and the afternoon – when I usually need a pick-me-up like a coffee. I only used the device once a day, so alternated between when I would use it depending on how my energy levels felt.

“I’m usually pretty sceptical of technology that claims to help your health, but I went into this experiment open-minded and hopeful this product could make a difference to my energy levels. My first impressions of The Human Charger were positive: the device is very slick and modern, as were the box and pouch it arrived in. The headphones are also relatively simple and comfortable to use, which was a big plus for me as I probably wouldn’t use something that required a lot of time and effort on my part.

“Sadly, though, I didn’t notice much difference at all in my energy levels or alertness after using The Human Charger. There was a day during my experiment when I noticed an uptick in my concentration levels, but apart from that I didn’t notice any changes. This device isn’t cheap – it retails at £154, but is currently on sale for £128. Because it didn’t work for me, I wouldn’t say it’s worth the price, but I’d be interested to try the device out during the winter months to see if it has more of an effect then.”

“We put 4 of the latest pieces of wellness tech to the test – here’s what worked”