"Bright Light Therapy Improves Sleep In People Treated For Cancer"

Results of a randomized controlled trial suggest that systematic bright light exposure can improve sleep for fatigued people who have been treated for cancer. The pilot study results show that mean sleep efficiency, the percentage of time in bed when the person is sleeping, improved to clinically normal levels in the bright light therapy group. "In a pilot study, a systematic light exposure intervention with a mixed group of fatigued cancer survivors was significantly more effective than comparison dim light exposure in improving sleep efficiency," said lead author Lisa M. Wu, PhD, adjunct assistant professor of population health science and policy at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The study results were published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. The research team, led by principal investigator William H. Redd, PhD, professor of oncological sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, studied 44 people who had completed treatment for cancer and met criteria for clinically significant fatigue at screening. Participants were randomized to either a bright white light intervention or a comparison dim light condition. They were provided a light box and instructed to use it every morning for 30 minutes for four weeks. Sleep was evaluated using wrist actigraphy and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. The authors noted that larger-scale studies are needed to test the efficacy of systematic light exposure to treat sleep disturbances in people who have been treated for cancer.

- William H. Redd, PhD, Professor, Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

- Lisa M. Wu, PhD, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Population Health Science and Policy, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
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