Objective: To study the effect of bright light therapy (10 000 lux) on patients who have agitation or sleep disturbance as part of their dementia syndrome.
Design: Stratified randomised placebo-controlled trial.
Materials and Methods: 48 nursing home residents. Light therapy at 10000 lux for 2 weeks, 2 hours duration each morning.
Outcome measures: Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (reported elsewhere), Actigraph measures of sleep parameters and diurnal rhythm.
Results: A trend for longer sleep and reduced sleep latency with BLT when the days were shorter was present. BLT did not affect naps (daytime sleep), sleep efficiency or fragmentation. BLT reduced the mean level of activity compared to placebo. There was a greater response for those patients treated during the winter (shorter days). Females on BLT showed a phase advance of almost 3 hours compared to those on placebo light. BLT advanced the timing of the trough of activity in shorter days.
Conclusion: Bright Light Therapy has a positive effect on sleep duration and latency and on the diurnal rhythm of patients with dementia, and the effect is greater in winter.
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