Digital Social Hour: Thaddeus Owen – Modern Humans Live Under Alien Light (DSH #1742)

Podcast: Digital Social Hour
Host: Sean Kelly
Guest: Thaddeus Owen
Date: January 8, 2026

Overview

In this episode, Sean Kelly sits down with Thaddeus Owen, a biohacker, circadian health expert, and advocate for optimizing the indoor light environment. The conversation centers around the concept of “light poisoning,” how modern artificial lighting disrupts biology, negatively impacts sleep, alters metabolism, and stands at the root of many health problems. Thaddeus provides an in-depth critique of LEDs, blue light, EMF, and modern living while offering practical guidance for reclaiming circadian health. The episode interweaves discussions about lab-grown meat, GLP-1 shots, biohacking trends, and the profound impact of light on well-being.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Problem with Modern Light Environments

• Light as a Biological Force:

  • Only 1–2% of the sun’s spectrum is visible to the human eye, but all parts of the light spectrum influence biology.
    • “The visible light that we can see is like 1 to 2% of the whole spectrum of light that our body is tuned to naturally.” – Thaddeus (00:45)
  • Artificial LED lighting in studios, offices, and homes bombards people with blue light, missing the balancing effects of red and infrared.

• Why Red/Infrared Light is Important:

  • Modern lighting lacks healing red and infrared wavelengths.
  • Use of red light panels and saunas “mitigates blue light toxicity.”
    • “Once we switched everything to LED lights, we lost red and infrared from our spectrum indoors.” – Thaddeus (01:29)
  • Pro athletes use red light for recovery.

• Consequences of Blue Light Overexposure:

  • Causes free radicals, oxidative stress, disrupts melatonin production, and is linked to cancer, metabolic disorders, and poor sleep.
  • "We're a light poisoned culture." – Thaddeus (01:29)
  • "It's causing a huge problem in our society from this one wavelength of light that we get without anything else backing it up." (03:51)

2. Melatonin: Not Just a Sleep Hormone

• Master Antioxidant:

  • Melatonin is the most potent antioxidant known, cleaning up damaged cells and supporting immune function.
    • “Melatonin is the most potent antioxidant that we know about.” – Thaddeus (05:08)
  • Blue light destroys melatonin by day and, if present at night, impairs nighttime repair.

• Circadian Rhythm and Sleep Health:

  • Only darkness starts melatonin repair functions.
  • Artificial lighting and late-night device use block normal hormone cycles.
  • "When we see blue light from the phone, it's changing your circadian rhythm every single time." (06:25)

3. Strategies to Minimize Light Poisoning

• Device Management:

  • Phones, tablets, TVs emit toxic blue light and cause flicker stress.
  • "When you dim your iPhone, it flickers more, which causes stress in the brain." (07:28)

• Bedroom Tips:

  • Don’t look at your phone in the middle of the night, or use blue-light-blocking glasses.
  • Use a red LED battery-powered clock instead of a phone for time-checking (09:57).
  • Airplane mode disables EMFs and still lets you use the alarm clock (08:25).

• Blue Light Blocking Contacts and Sunglasses:

  • Most contacts and sunglasses block UV, but you need a bit of UV for healthy circadian signaling and melanin production.
  • "If you block all the UV light... your brain doesn't read how much UV there is and we can get sunburned faster." (09:29)

4. The Case Against Sunglasses and Over-Protection from Sun

• Historical Fact:

  • Sunglasses were invented for movie stars under harsh studio lighting, not for outdoor health (12:45).

• Sunlight, Food Cravings, and Weight Gain:

  • Artificially dimming sunlight with sunglasses can increase carb cravings.
  • "We start craving carbohydrates and then we put on more weight … there are all these unintended consequences." (13:27)

• Views on Sun Avoidance:

  • Critique of extreme sunlight avoidance a la Brian Johnson; nature and studies favor more sun exposure, not less (34:39, 34:45).

5. Alien Light, EMF, and Surveillance

• LED Lighting as an 'Alien Spectrum':

  • LEDs deliver an unnatural composition of light never found before in human history.
  • Discusses the ban and shortage of incandescent bulbs, and the difficulty finding authentic ones (17:32–18:22).

• LEDs and Microwave Radiation:

  • LED bulbs emit microwave radiation, needing FCC certification to avoid device interference.
    • “If you look at every LED bulb package, it will say, FCC certified... they give off microwave radiation from an LED bulb.” (19:49)

• WiFi, 5G, and Surveillance Concerns:

  • WiFi routers, like microwave ovens, emit the same 2.45 GHz radiation (21:26).
  • WiFi and LEDs can potentially be used to “map” interiors (20:28, 21:26).
  • “That microwave radiation is a light.” (22:16)
  • Shut off WiFi when sleeping to improve sleep and decrease EMF exposure (21:22).

6. Circadian Disruption: Always-On Summer

• No More “Winter”:

  • Modern life eliminates seasonal cues such as cold and darkness, creating a perpetual summer state.
  • “So the whole book is about how we have lost winter in our society.” (25:03)
  • “Winter never comes, so we never get a break from eating carbohydrates, from craving sugars, and from having the lights on.” (25:33)

• Winter Adaptation Strategies:

  • Sleep more in winter; expose yourself to cold; adopt a ketogenic diet temporarily.
  • “In 1910, men and women slept 500 hours more a year than they do today.” (27:01)
  • “Every study shows there’s no such thing as a night owl…” (27:16)

• Melatonin Supplementation vs. Natural Production:

  • Modern reliance on supplements signals a broken light environment.
  • Block blue light and prioritize darkness, especially in winter, to naturally increase melatonin (28:49).

7. Timing of Eating and Weight Gain

• Eating After Dark:
  • People who eat after dark gain more weight even on the same calories, due to circadian disruption.
  • Mouse studies show that 24/7 light exposure causes obesity, regardless of calorie intake or exercise (30:00).

8. Systemic Resistance and Censorship

• Studies and Mainstream Science:
  • Light’s role as a biological regulator is universally accepted by Nobel laureates, but nutrition/exercise research ignores it (34:07).
  • “If light can act as a drug, then it invalidates all of their studies.” (32:15)
  • Social media platforms censor information on sunlight’s health benefits (33:20).

9. Quick Fixes vs. Foundational Health

• Critique of Modern Biohacking Trends:
  • Trend towards quick fixes, magic supplements, and injectables (GLP-1 shots, peptides, etc.) ignores foundational biological needs.
  • “If any of them did what they claim, you wouldn’t have to chase the next one.” (38:38)
  • Thaddeus recommends prioritizing natural behaviors before advanced interventions (38:13–38:31).

10. Personal Journey & Advocacy

• Thaddeus’s Story:

  • Suffered insomnia and anxiety for decades working in pharmaceutical labs.
  • Fixed these issues primarily by changing his light environment (47:16).
  • “When I started addressing my light environment, things got massively better for me … For me, the most powerful tool was light.” (47:26)

• Analogy:

  • “If somebody’s hitting you in the hand with a hammer and you’re taking Tylenol to get rid of the pain, maybe you should think about the environment of the hammer.” (48:39)

11. Practical Recommendations

• Light Bulb Swaps:

  • Use amber, red, or blue-light-free bulbs at night; seek bulbs that mimic firelight (50:08).
  • “If people literally just swapped out their light bulbs for healthier light bulbs, like, that could be a massive change for almost everybody in our country.” (50:48)

• Bedroom Environment:

  • Dark, cold, no-EMF; blackout curtains, minimize light before bed (29:30).

• Behavioral Tweaks:

  • Get sunlight in your eyes within 30 minutes of waking up (10:49).
  • Do not use sunglasses or contacts that block UV for early-morning sun.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “We're a light poisoned culture. I invented this term ‘weapons of mass illumination.’” – Thaddeus (01:29)
• “Melatonin is what helps us sleep … and it's the master antioxidant.” (04:25)
• "The iPhones use pulse wave modulation. When you dim your iPhone, it flickers more, which causes stress in the brain..." (07:28)
• “Sunglasses … were invented for movie stars under studio lighting ... not for outdoors.” (12:45)
• “The more sun you have, the less you die from all causes. Like, all causes.” (34:45)
• “If you look at every LED bulb package, it will say FCC certified… because they give off microwave radiation.” (19:49)
• “I've had massive insomnia for 16 years … When I started addressing my light environment, things got massively better ... For me, the most powerful tool was light.” (47:16–47:26)
• “You just want blue light free light bulbs...if people literally just swapped out their light bulbs...that could be a massive change.” (50:13–50:48)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:29] – Defining “light poisoning” and weapons of mass illumination
• [03:02] – Blue light’s effect on skin and melasma
• [05:08] – Melatonin as a potent antioxidant
• [07:28] – Pulse wave modulation and phone flicker
• [09:57] – Red LED clocks and EMF-free recommendations
• [12:45] – Sunglasses: Origin and consequences
• [19:49] – LED bulbs and microwave radiation, FCC certification
• [21:26] – WiFi as a light source, microwave equivalency
• [25:03] – Loss of winter, perpetual summer, circadian mismatch
• [27:01] – Historical sleep data and circadian rhythm
• [30:00] – Mouse study: light exposure and weight gain
• [34:39] – Critique of Brian Johnson’s sunlight avoidance
• [38:38] – Critiquing the “magic supplement” mentality
• [47:16] – Thaddeus’s personal journey, insomnia and anxiety
• [50:08] – Practical lighting swaps and firelight mimicry

Guest & Resources

• Thaddeus Owen
  • Podcast: Primal Hacker Podcast, returning for Season 3 (51:08)
  • Book: The Ketogenic Hibernation Diet
  • Company: DreamWalkers AI (circadian wellness for women)
  • Find more: YouTube: Primal Hacker | DreamWalkers AI

Conclusion

This episode delivers an urgent and evidence-backed message: the light you are exposed to every day is a powerful determinant of your health. From “weapons of mass illumination” to the wisdom of respecting natural light cycles, Thaddeus Owen lays out the case for a lighting revolution—one accessible through simple, actionable changes. Whether you’re a biohacker or just seeking better sleep and energy, understanding and optimizing your light environment may be among the most potent interventions you can make.

Quote to Remember:
"If people literally just swapped out their light bulbs for healthier light bulbs, that could be a massive change for almost everybody." – Thaddeus Owen (50:48)