May 31, 2009

Sunday, May 31, 2009
The Lighting Research Center (LRC) has designed a pair of goggles that deliver blue light directly into the eyes. This new device is said to improve the quality of sleep for older adults. Many elderly suffer from serious sleep disturbances often times as a result of changes to their circadian rhythm. In brief, the circadian rhythm refers to the body’s 24 hour sleep/wake cycle, which relates to one’s exposure to light and shifts in hormone levels.

Many recent studies over the past few years have demonstrated the effectiveness of blue light in stimulating the circadian system. All types of light travel through the retina to the circadian clock in the brain. Unfortunately, several changes to the eyes and brain as well as lifestyle adjustments come with age, which can seriously impact the amount of light stimulus reaching the retina, therefore affecting the circadian clock. In addition, our lenses thicken and our pupils shrink with age, hence further reducing the amount of light that can pass through the retina.

Furthermore, the elderly may suffer from mental health conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease, that require even more light to keep the circadian rhythm in tact because of weaker neural connections in the brain. Less time spent outdoors also reduces the amount of daylight taken in preventing a good night’s sleep.

“The device was worn by eleven subjects between the ages of 51 and 80 years of age. Each subject was exposed to two levels of blue light (about 50 lux and 10 lux) from the personal light-treatment device for 90 minutes on two separate nights. Blood and saliva samples were collected at prescribed times to assess levels of nocturnal melatonin, a hormone used as a marker for the circadian clock, with high levels at night when a person is in a dark environment and low levels during the day."

The light-induced nocturnal melatonin was suppressed by about 35% with low levels of light exposure and about 60 percent with high levels of light after only one hour of wearing the glasses. Nocturnal melatonin appeared to be more rapidly suppressed and sustained with higher levels of blue light.

The study provides hope that a practical, comfortable, and effective solution may soon be available for those suffering from circadian sleep disorders.

Light-treatment Device To Improve Sleep Quality In The Elderly

© www.mentalhealthblog.com

, , , ,

3 comments

3 comments:

Gary graye said...

Hi Meg,
That’s fantastic news, my mother who is 75 years old frequently wakes at 4.00am every morning, she finds this very frustrating.
Last year I did some research and came across another form of light therapy but this was a white light. I found reports that indicated that it was usually a very bright white light that could cause eye problems because it caused a dazzling glare.
Thank you for heightening my awareness of this blue light therapy product.
Regards
GaryGray.com

Terry Pitts said...

I found your blog through goggling and read carefully. Really I
impressed by this news.Definitely New blue light will a boon of old adult who are suffering from
Alzheimer’s disease and mental
disorder.

Sandy Hutchens said...

This is extremely interesting to me. I have found that melatonin doesn't work as well as it used to.

Popular Posts

Dentalget.com is dental equipment supplier, we provide high quality dental instruments, dental handpiece at a discount price. Free shipping worldwide.

Categories

9/11 AADD Abortion Academic Success Acetylcholine ADD Adderall Addiction ADHD Adult Attention Deficit Disorder Adultery Advertising Aggression Aging Agreeableness AIDS Air Pressure Alcohol Alcohol Abuse Alcohol Dependence Alcoholism alpha-CaM kinase II Altitude Alzheimer's Amphetamine Amygdala Amyloid Amyloid Deposition Anesthesia Anger Anterior Cingulate Cortex Anterograde Amnesia Anti-Depressants Anti-Psychotic Anticholinergic Anticonvulsant Antiepileptic Antioxidants Anxiety Anxious-Avoidant Anxious-Preoccupied Apolipoprotein E Army Aromatherapy Asperger Syndrome Assessment Associative Learning Asthma Attachment Theory Attention Attention Deficit Disorder Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Autism Autism Spectrum Disorder Autonomic Nervous System Average Sleep Requirements B-type Natriuretic Peptide Babies Balance Behavioral Problems Behaviour Behavioural Impairment Behavioural Therapy Benadryl Bipolar Disorder Blood Clot Blood Pressure Blue Light Blue Light Goggles Body Mass Index Bone Marrow Brain Brain Development Brain Imaging Brain Injury Brain Stem Brain Surgery Breast Cancer Buddhism bullying Bupropion Business C-reactive Protein Calories CAMH Canada Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms Cancer Carbohydrates Cardiovascular Disease Care Facilities Caregiver cars Cdk5 Cell Phone Central Nervous System Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Cerebellum Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy Cerebral Cortex Cerebrospinal Fluid Cerebrovascular Accident Cerebrovascular Insult Chat Rooms Chewing Childhood Disabilities Childhood Disintegrative Disorder Childhood Emotional Neglect Children Chitin Chitosan Cholesterol Choline Chromosome Chronic Pain Syndrome Chronic Stress Circadian Rhythm Cirrhosis Citalopram Classical Conditioning Climate Change Clot-Busting Drug Co-morbidity Cocaine Cognition Cognitive Development Cognitive Impairment Colloquially Brain Attack Coma Communication Device Communication Technology Concentration Concerta Concussion Conflict Confusion Conscientiousness Control Group Coordination Correlation Cortisol Counselling Couples CPAP Crack CRASH-2 CRASH-3 Creativity Criminal Code Cyberbullying Cyberpsychology Cyklokapron Daytrana Death Death Toll Decision-Making Declarative Memory Deep Brain Stimulation Delusion Dementia Dentures Depression Destrostat Deviant Behaviour Dexedrine Dextromethorphan Diabetes Diet Dietary Supplements Diphenhydramine Disability discrimination Dismissive-Avoidant Disorganized Attachment Disorganized Speech Disorientation Dizziness Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) Double-Blind Dream Drinking Drowsiness Drug Abuse Drug Dependence Drug Use Drugs DSM DSM-5 Dual Diagnosis Early Onset Alzheimer's Economic Crisis Ecstasy Effexor Ego Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) Elderly Electrical Stimulation Electroconvulsive Therapy Electrodes Email Embitterment Embolic Emotion Emotional Neglect Emotional Problems Emotional Well-Being Employee Enrivonment Enzyme Epilepsy Estrogen Ethics Evolution Experimental Group Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase (ERK) Extroversion Facebook Facebook Fan Page Facebook Friends Family Family Therapy Fast Food Father Father Absenteeism Fatherhood FDA Fear Fearful-Avoidant FeelingBetterNow Fetus Fibrin Fish Oil fluoxetine fMRI Focalin Focus Food Fraud Friday Gamma Secretase Genetic Disorders Genetics Ginkgo Biloba Glucose Glutamate Receptor God Gout Guest Blogger Hair Pulling Haiti Hallucination Hallucinogenic Halo Effect Harm-Reduction Headache Healthy Eating Hearing Heart Attack Heart Disease Hematopoietic Stem Cells Hepatitis Hepatitis C Herbal Supplements Hereditary Angioedema Heredity Heroin High Blood Pressure Hippocampus Hockey Homelessness Hormone Housing Hox Genes Hoxb8 Cells Human Rights Hydromorphone Hyper-social Networker Hyperactivity Hypothalamus Illness Impulse Control Impulsivity Inattentiveness Infant Infidelity Inflammation Insecure Attachment Insomnia Instant Messaging Insulin Intellectual Development Intellectual Disability Internet Intracranial Bleeding Introversion Introvert Ischemic Stroke KASPAR Ketamine Ketogenic Kleptomania Laptop Latent Inhibition Learning Learning Disability Leukotrienes Limbic System Lithium Liver Locked-In Syndrome Long Term Memory Long-Term Potentiation Longevity Lupus Lysteda Maestro Rechargeable System Major Depression Mania MAOI Marriage MDMA Medication Meditation Melatonin Memory Memory Loss Memory Task Men Mental Health Mental Health Forum Mental Heath Mental Illness Metadate Metyrapone Mice Microglia Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Military Mind-Body Mindless Eating Mitochondria MOHLTC Mood Disorder Morphine Mortality Rates MRI MS-275 Multiple Sclerosis Muscle Weakness music therapy Narcissism Natasha Richardson National Sleep Foundation Natural Disaster Nature/Nurture Nausea Necrosis Neglect Nerve Neuro-imaging Neurobiology Neurodegeneration Neurodegenrative Diseases Neurodevelopment Disorders Neurogenesis Neurological Disease Neuromarketing Neuron Neuropathy Neuroticism Neurotransmitter News Nintendo Wii Non-REM Sleep Nose Nurse Ratched Nutrition Obesity Obessive Compulsive Spectrum Disorder (OCD) Offspring Olfactory Gland OM3 Emotional Balance Omega 3 Ontario Ontario Review Board Ontario Works Opioid Oral Health Organic Ottawa Over-activity Over-Medication Ovulation Oxidative Cell Oxygen Oxytocin p35 Pacemaker Pain Pain Killer Pain Management Pancreatic Polypeptide Pancreatitis Paralysis Paranoia Paraskevidekatriaphobia Parenthood Parents Parkinson's Paroxetine Paxil PDD-NOS perception Perfume Peripheral Nervous System Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma (PPARγ) Pathway personality traits Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) PET Scan Pharmacology Phobias Physical Health Physiological Plasmin Plasminogen Plasticity Platelet-Activating Factor Politics Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Test (ImPACT) Potassium Ion Channel Poverty Pregnancy Pressure Procedural Memory Promiscuity Prozac PsychBoard.com Psychiatric Ward Psychological Psychological Inventories Psychologist Psychology Psychology Forum Psychology of Eating Psychosis PTED PTSD Public Health Pyromania Quadriplegic Rehab Relationships Reliability Religion REM Research Retigabine Retrograde Amnesia Rett Syndrome Risperdal Ritalin road rage Robot Robotics Rodent Research Rosiglitazone Samsung Satiety Scales Schizophrenia School Screening Secure Attachment Sedatives Seizure Self-Affirmation Intervention Self-Confidence Self-Esteem Self-Integrity Self-Worth Semantic Memory Senior Seroquel Serotonin Serzone Sex Sex Therapy Sexual Orientation Sexual Satisfaction Shock Therapy Sideline Concussion Assessment Test (SCAT2) Sleep Sleep Apnea Sleep Disorders Sleep Quality Sleep Stages Smartphone Smoking Snacking Sniffing Technology Social Assistance Social Deficits Social Isolation Social Media Social Network Social Rejection Social Skills Social Worker Socialization Societal Change Soft Palate Soldier Somatic Nervous System Spatial Memory Special K Speech Spinal Cord Spinal Cord Injury Spinal Tap Sports Injury SSRI Statin Stem Cell Stimulant Strattera Stress Stress Hormone Stroke Substance Abuse Sugar Suicide Superstition Support Survey Suspicious Tablet Talk Therapy Tamoxifen Tanorexia Tax Payer Technology Television Telomere Temperature Testosterone Texting Therapy Thorazine Threshold Thrombosis Thrombotic Tinnitus Tissue Plasminogen Activator Topographical Disorientation Tranexamic Acid Trauma Treatment Tremors Trial Tribunal Trichotillomania Type-2 Diabetes Vagus Nerve Validity Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex Video Games Virtual Reality Vision Visual Attention Vitamin B Vitamins Vitiligo Voice Vyvanse Walnuts Weight Loss Welfare Wellbutrin Wernicke–Korsakoff syndrome Wet Brain White Blood Cells Women Work World Health Organization Zileuton Zyban Zyprexa µ-opiate receptors (MOR)