Scheduled Bright Light for Treatment of Insomnia in Older Adults (original) (raw)

2009, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society

Objectives-To determine if bright light can improve sleep in older individuals with insomnia. Design-Single-blind, placebo-controlled, twelve-week, parallel-group randomized design comparing four treatment groups representing a factorial combination of two lighting conditions and two times of light administration. Setting-At-home light treatment, eight office therapy sessions. Participants-Thirty six females, fifteen males (63.6 ± 7.1 years) meeting primary insomnia criteria, recruited from the community. Interventions-A 12-week program of sleep hygiene and exposure either to bright (∼4000 lux) or dim light (∼65 lux) scheduled daily in the morning or evening for 45 minutes. Measurements and Results-Within group changes were observed for subjective sleep measures (sleep logs, questionnaires) after morning or evening bright light, but were not significantly different from those observed after exposure to scheduled dim light. Objective sleep changes (actigraphy, polysomnography) after treatment were not significantly different between bright and dim light groups. Scheduled light exposure was able to shift circadian phase predictably, but was unrelated to changes in objective or subjective sleep measures. A polymorphism in CLOCK predicted morningness, but did not moderate the effects of light on sleep. The phase angle between the circadian system (melatonin midpoint) and sleep (darkness)

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