Increasingly,
light therapy is being used to reset our body clocks - sometimes along with
melatonin and sometimes on its own-no matter how or why they've been put off
track. Scientists are discovering that light therapy may have potential for
treatment of several other disorders in addition to that of SAD.
Early Morning Insomnia
Those suffering
from this illness, find that they cannot sleep in the early morning. In a 1993
study conducted at South Australia,
9 persons who have suffered from early morning insomnia underwent bright-light
stimulation in the evening. They were given photo therapy that involved exposure
to 2,500 lux light from 10 p.m. to midnight. The result:
They fell asleep at their normal times; but, stayed asleep an average of one and
a half hours longer than usual.
Productivity Enhancement
A study in
Wetaskiwin, Alberta, Canada, clearly showed that students in classrooms with
full-spectrum light had less absenteeism and had a higher academic-achievement
than students in classes conducted under ordinary fluorescent lighting.
Night-owl insomnia
One type of
insomnia involves a nightly inability to fall asleep until the wee hours of the
morning. This often results in the abuse of alcohol and sleeping pills. It's
called delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS), or night-owl insomnia, and it
usually develops during the teen years. Researchers blame it on having a
maladjusted biological rhythm that doesn't say "good-night" until several hours
past a normal bedtime.
In one study of
people suffering from delayed sleep-phase syndrome, light therapy involving two
hours of bright light exposure in the morning and then restriction from bright
light in the evening hours, successfully altered the troubled sleepers'
circadian rhythms. In addition, both sleep and morning alertness improved
significantly during the treatment.
Jet Lag
Some people have
been able to avoid, or at least minimize the effect of, jet lag with light
therapy. Experts recommend that if you are planning a trip eastward-to Europe,
for example-you may want to try to get up a few hours earlier than normal on the
day you intend to fly. Take a walk and soak up the sun, or stay inside with all
the lights on. Stay awake and surround yourself with light. Then, once you
arrive at your destination, try to stay outside in the sun for an hour or two.
By doing so, you may be able to move your clock forward to more closely match
the rhythm of life in the new time zone.
Late-shift drowsiness.
According to the
National Commission of Sleep Disorders Research, people who work nights are two
to five times more likely to fall asleep on the job and have accidents.
Late-night sleepiness may impair the judgment of police, firefighters and
ambulance drivers. In addition, a disturbing number of airline disasters have
occurred in the wee hours.
In an analysis of
ten studies involving nightshift workers, researchers found that the circadian
rhythms of the subjects could be successfully shifted after bright light
exposure at night and complete darkness during the day for four days. These
shifts resulted in significant improvement in both alertness and cognitive
performance during work hours. In addition, the workers were able to sleep an
average of two hours longer during the day.
Later studies show
that circadian rhythms of young subjects can be shifted more easily compared to
middle aged subjects. In one study, the subjects slept well when given
melatonin; but it did not improve their performance at work. The best
performance improvement at work was found when subjects were exposed to bright
light and asked to wear goggles when they are going home from work. The
scientists speculated that the exposure to the morning sun may be affecting
their circadian rhythm shift; and it can be prevented by wearing gloves. Most of
studies seem to suggest that the workers performed better when they were exposed
to the bright light treatment. To get the optimum effect, exposure of 3 hours
was found to be all that is needed. There was no improvement when the subjects
were exposed to 6 hours of bright light of 4000-6000 lux.
Bulimia.
This binge/purge
eating disorder typically develops in women during their teenage or early adult
years. If bulimia remains untreated, it can cause serious physical and emotional
problems. Some researchers have noted that bulimic episodes seem to occur most
frequently in winter, leading to speculation that the illness might have a
seasonal component. People who underwent high intensity light therapy had shown
a remarkable improvement in this condition.
Lupus.
Lupus is an
autoimmune disease-meaning that the immune system mistakes the body's own
tissues for germs and attacks them. It strikes many more women than men and can
cause a confusing array of symptoms, including fatigue, rashes, joint pains and
kidney damage.
People with lupus
are usually warned to avoid sunlight because it can aggravate their symptoms.
But scientist have discovered that one type of ultraviolet sunlight, UVA - 1,
helps relieve lupus symptoms.
Nonseasonal depression
Some10 to 15
million Americans are seriously depressed, and the suicide claims 30,000 lives a
year. The success of light therapy in treating SAD has led to studies of its
effectiveness for non-seasonal depression-with promising preliminary results.
Prolonged menstrual cycles
The typical
menstrual cycle lasts about a month, but some women's extend up to twice as
long.
In a study, a
number of women who suffered from prolonged menstrual cycles were asked to sleep
with a 100 watt light on for five nights near the middle of their extended
cycles. The result were amazing. Their cycles became shorter. Scientists
speculate that the light might be affecting the regulation of female sex
hormones. If so, phototherapy might one day be used to treat some cases of
infertility.
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