Bright lights may be an effective way to reduce numerous dementia symptoms, a new study finds. The lighting appears to help sufferers strengthen their circadian rhythms — the 24 hour cycles that help regulate bodies.
Nearly four dozen (46) patients took part in the 14-week study. Investigators used a variety of light sources, including floor luminaires, light boxes and light tables. The intervention helped reduce depressive symptoms and agitated behavior while improving sleep quality, said Mariana Figueiro, Ph.D., Professor and Director at the Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
“It is important to use, deliver and measure the right lighting to see the positive effects,” Figueiro added.
She said that lighting in long-term care facilities and senior living settings is often not bright enough during the day, and can be too bright during the evening. As a result, residents often fail to experience the robust daily patterns of light and dark that synchronize the body’s circadian clock to local sunrise and sunset, she added.Full findings appear in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.
