Our modern lives have changed our natural sleep patterns through shift work, artificial light, and air travel. This decreases sleep quality and causes conditions such as insomnia and delayed sleep phase disorder.
Light therapy is a modern solution for controlling the sleep-wake cycle. Today, we’ll explore how it can treat various sleep problems.
Key Takeaways
- Light therapy addresses sleep disorders by resetting the body’s circadian rhythm or sleep-wake cycle.
- This treatment uses special devices replicating natural sunlight, generally rated at 10,000 lux of light.
- Your specific condition will determine the specific approaches to light therapy for sleep problems. For example, you can use a light therapy box or lamp in the evening to treat advanced sleep phase disorder.
Table of Contents
- What is Bright Light Therapy?
- How to Use Light Therapy for Sleep Disorders
- Insomnia
- Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome
- Advanced Sleep Phase Disorder
- Jet Lag
- Seasonal Affective Disorder & Oversleeping
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
Visit the Alaska Northern Lights blog for more information on bright light therapy.
What is Bright Light Therapy?
First, it helps to understand the role of the circadian rhythm and the importance of light in regulating sleep.
We all have a biological clock inside the brain that ensures we fall asleep and stay awake at the right times. As humans, we are naturally inclined to fall asleep when it is dark and stay awake during the day. From the biological clock’s understanding of the time of the day, it regulates the body’s processes that make us feel alert or sleepy.
The most important thing to remember is that the body associates light with alertness and darkness with sleepiness.
If your circadian rhythm changes, bright light therapy can reset it. This popular treatment for sleep-related disorders uses light from special devices to improve the body’s sleep-wake cycle. It’s often performed with a light box or a light therapy lamp for sleep disorders that simulate natural sunlight, helping your body change its sleeping pattern.
Learn what light therapy is on our website.
How to Use Light Therapy for Sleep Disorders
Some of the sleep-related conditions that bright light therapy can treat include:
Insomnia
This common sleep disorder is characterized by difficulty falling or staying asleep or getting enough sleep. Insomnia causes fatigue and problems with your body’s ability to function, potentially leading to physical and mental health issues.
Older studies have shown that bright light therapy can work for insomnia.
- In 2016, an exhaustive literature review on the subject found the treatment beneficial for insomnia, including insomnia related to Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD).
- Another study published the following year identified the following benefits of light therapy for treating ADRD:
- Better sleep at night
- Increased wakefulness in the daytime
- Decreased evening agitation and behavioral problems associated with ADRD
How Does Bright Light Therapy for Insomnia Work?
For the best results, it’s recommended to use light therapy devices with a 10,000-lux output. This amount of light comes close to natural sunlight.
Bright light therapy boxes and lamps are available in different sizes and weights. Most devices, like the North Star 10,000 light box, are placed on tables, shelves, or similar surfaces. Depending on its size, you can use a light therapy device at home or elsewhere. For example, the Aurora LightPad Mini is portable and easy to transport.
Once you’ve chosen a light therapy device, you must set it up. Place the device on a table or counter and set it at eye level or higher. Also, make sure to follow the manufacturer’s recommended sitting distance. Using a 10,000-lux light box or lamp means you should sit about two feet away from it.
Other Tips for a Successful Treatment
- Proper timing is important for effective light therapy. The best time to start treatment is early morning when you wake up. Exposure times range from 20 to 60 minutes, but 20 to 30 minutes is often enough to see results with bright light therapy.
- Avoid looking straight into the light. Your light therapy device should be directed at the top of your eyelids.
- Keep your eyes open during the session. You can read, knit, or do other activities while using your light therapy device.
Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome
Delayed sleep phase syndrome occurs when people sleep late at night and struggle to wake up in the morning. This causes their sleep-wake times to shift later in the day.
This disorder affects one’s ability to control sleeping time. DSPS is divided into two major types, distinguished by when melatonin tells one’s circadian rhythm and body clock to sleep at a certain time.
- Circadian-aligned DSPS occurs when melatonin signals the circadian rhythm (its onset) less than two hours before you sleep.
- In circadian-misaligned DSPS, this onset happens more than two hours before sleeping or only when you start sleeping.
The symptoms of DSPS may cause extreme daytime sleepiness, memory problems, reduced focus or concentration, or behavioral and/or mood changes.
How to Treat DSPS with Light Therapy
If you suffer from DSPS, make sure to avoid light at night before you go to bed. Start by limiting your exposure to light produced by electronic devices—it’s been found that it can extend the time you stay awake.
To use light therapy for delayed sleep phase disorder, get up at a reasonable time and expose yourself to light immediately. You can also use light therapy to keep you alert throughout the day, but stop using it mid-afternoon so your alertness can begin to fall. By doing this, you’ll feel more alert in the morning and less alert in the evening when it is time to fall asleep.
Alternatively, your physician may recommend 30 minutes of sun exposure outside after waking up.
Advanced Sleep Phase Disorder
Advanced sleep phase disorder (ASPD) is the opposite of delayed sleep phase syndrome. Instead of falling asleep and waking up late, you sleep and wake up early.
Older people can be diagnosed with ASPD, whereas younger people’s risk for DSPD is greater. Moreover, ASPD is less common than DSPD, possibly because it’s underdiagnosed. This comes with the fact that an earlier schedule meets societal expectations.
What are the Symptoms of ASPD?
The symptoms associated with ASPD include:
- Falling asleep during the late afternoon or early evening
- Waking up at an earlier time in the morning and failing to fall back asleep
- Falling asleep and waking up earlier than usual
How to Treat ASPD with Light Therapy
Light exposure in the evening can help you stay awake and alert for longer. This will help shift your sleep pattern forward so you can fall asleep and get up later.
If you have ASPD and bright light therapy is recommended, try using a light box or light therapy lamp between 7 and 9 p.m. To stay asleep in the early morning hours, ensure your room is kept as dark as possible, with no light entering through the curtains.
You may also be encouraged to wear light-preventing goggles in the morning. Excess morning light can make you sleep earlier than expected.
Jet Lag
Jet lag is a condition wherein you struggle to sleep after traveling across different time zones. This is due to the time it takes for your internal clock to adjust to your new time zone and resynchronize your sleep-wake cycle.
When you switch time zones, the external cues (such as light) are different. Until your circadian rhythm has adjusted, there is a conflict between your body clock’s internal time and the external time cues, causing major problems sleeping.
How to Treat Jet Lag with Light Therapy
Treatment that’s done up to three days before your trip can help you adjust to your destination’s time zone. For trips to the east, try waking up an hour before your usual wake time and expose yourself to light for at least an hour. Repeat until your departure.
Additionally, consider sleeping an hour before your usual bedtime.
If you’re traveling west, you’ll gain an hour for each time zone you cross, extending the time you need to stay awake. Difficulty in doing this can cause the same effects as advanced sleep phase syndrome. Ensure you get plenty of light during the evenings, and avoid light during the morning.
Light Therapy During Your Trip
You can also use light therapy to treat jet lag at your destination. If you’re in the East and have crossed three to five time zones, change your light exposure time from early morning to mid or late morning.
Trips across more time zones or to the west require less exposure to bright light in the morning. Instead, get some sunlight in the early afternoon. You can also wear dark glasses to avoid excessive sun exposure.
Finally, as you sleep in the evening, draw the window blinds or drapes or wear a sleep mask. Remember to change your exposure times slowly during the trip as well.
Seasonal Affective Disorder & Oversleeping
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression caused by the lack of light in the winter months. Its symptoms start in the fall or winter and ease in spring. People with SAD can experience the common symptoms of clinical depression and other symptoms, including overeating and oversleeping.
Those living farther north are more likely to suffer from SAD since their location has gloomier days during the winter months. It’s suggested our species lived near the equator, where it was meant to receive 12 hours of sunlight and 12 hours of darkness. The farther you are from the equator, the less daylight you’ll receive, especially in winter.
Besides being a symptom of SAD, oversleeping is a problem for many people without sleep disorders. The symptoms of SAD and oversleeping can be treated by introducing light into your bedroom as soon as you wake up through a light therapy device. This has the effect of telling your body it’s daytime and to stop producing the chemicals that make you sleepy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do patients use light therapy?
Patients diagnosed with sleep disorders use light therapy to reset their circadian rhythm. Consistent treatment helps them sleep better, raises energy levels, and improves overall well-being.
Furthermore, bright light therapy can ease symptoms of SAD by increasing serotonin (the neurotransmitter that regulates mood) levels to boost an individual’s mood.
How effective is light therapy?
Research shows that this therapy is significantly effective for sleep and mood disorders.
As we’ve mentioned earlier, bright light therapy has been found to work for certain types of insomnia and symptoms of conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. Some studies have also reported improved alertness, mood, energy, attention, concentration, happiness, and more with consistent treatment.
Does light therapy have side effects?
Yes, light therapy has side effects. You may experience mild headaches, nausea, dizziness, or eye strain during treatment. Irritability, euphoria, or the sensation of being “too high” may also occur.
Who should avoid light therapy?
People with the following conditions should avoid light therapy:
- Conditions related to the retina, including diabetes
- Skin cancer
- Systemic lupus erythematosus
Treatment is also discouraged if you take photosensitizing medications.
When should I stop light therapy?
For SAD and its sleep-related symptoms, you should stop light therapy in the springtime. Postponing your treatment is also recommended if you feel grouchy, exhilarated, or “too high.”
Conclusion
Light therapy is a good treatment option for sleeping disorders. It can shift your circadian rhythm to help you sleep and wake up on time, improving your sleep quality and increasing your alertness in the daytime.
Related Articles
- Light Therapy for Insomnia
- The Winter Blues: Treatment for SAD – Light Therapy
- Types of Light Therapy
- Can’t Sleep? 7 Ways to Regulate Your Sleep Schedule
Ease the symptoms of sleep disorders with medical-grade light boxes from Alaska Northern Lights.