A light source with a heatable filament (1) or an electrode, with the filament or the electrode being arranged in a bulb (2) or in a tube, is provided with an improved service life by the provision of a depot (3) with at least one chemical element that is also present in the filament or the electrode, and which is associated with the filament or the electrode such that the element is supplied to the filament or the electrode. Furthermore, a method is described for regenerating a light source with a heatable filament (1) or an electrode, with the filament or the electrode being arranged in a bulb (2) or in a tube. By the method, the depot (3) is associated in a first step to the filament or the electrode, with the depot comprising at least one chemical element that is also present in the filament or the electrode. Finally, the element is supplied to the filament or the electrode.