Bright lights for an old problem

Poor sleep is a problem for many older people. The lens of the eye thickens with age, letting less light through and, with inadequate light cues during the day, sleep is often disrupted at night. This research once again suggests that light therapy could be a simple and effective way of re-aligning their body clocks. Researchers from the Lighting Research Center, N.Y. used 6500Kelvin bulbs (lots of blue light compared with normal 3000K bulbs) on timers to provide simulated daylight conditions in care homes. Participants wore wrist activity monitors and were shown to be sleeping for up to 90% of the night. Mariana Figueiro, who led the study, said "It was incredible. They said, 'For the first time in years I was able to sleep through the night.'"

 

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