The effect of bright light on sleep and behavior in dementia

Evidence-based long term care design

“…In these studies, bright light is delivered at different times (morning, mid-day and/or evening), may have different color temperature (cooler or warmer), may be natural light (sunlight) or electric, exposure ranges from 20 minutes to two hours, and outcomes generally include either quality of sleep or presentation of challenging behaviors (see [20] for a brief review of research conducted prior to 2003). Despite earlier research that showed positive results on nighttime sleep with evening bright light [42,51], Ouslander and colleagues [33] found no impact on nighttime sleep of an intervention that included evening bright light exposure (2 hours at ∼1500 lux) reduced nighttime noise and disruption reduction routines.…”

Bright Light Treatment in Elderly Patients With Nonseasonal Major Depressive Disorder

“…28 Results of controlled BLT trials in nonseasonalMDDarepromisingbutinconclusive,especially with respect to efficacy in elderly patients with MDD. 26,[29][30][31][32][33][34][35] Reviews emphasize the need for further study because of the greatdiversityofstudydesignsandtherelativelysmallsample sizes. 30,36 We showed that bright light attenuated the development of depressive symptoms in elderly residents of group care facilities.…”

Nighttime Insomnia Treatment and Education for Alzheimer's Disease: A Randomized, Controlled Trial

“…Another 11 found that a program of daily structured social and physical activity improved sleep in nursing home residents. Investigators have also examined the use of bright light or dawn‐dusk simulation for improving sleep in institutionalized dementia patients 12–14 . The largest controlled study to date 15 found that light exposure delayed patients' activity rhythm acrophase (timing of activity rhythm peak), consolidated nighttime sleep, and made circadian rhythms more robust, supporting the potential usefulness of light exposure as an intervention tool 15,16 …”