Individually Tailored Lighting System to Improve Sleep in Older Adults

Completed · Not applicable · Has a placebo group

Conditions studied: Sleep Disturbances

In brief

In conjunction with investigators at the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill, we propose to develop and evaluate a low-cost, minimally obtrusive device that delivers individualized light therapy to adults with early-awakening insomnia - the most common sleep disturbance in older adults, and a significant problem because of its relationship to daytime sleepiness, use of potentially hazardous sleep medication, and reduced quality of life. The proposed device will measure light/dark exposure data over 24 hours, estimate optimum timing for light delivery, and deliver an individualized light dosage while subjects are asleep. Light applied through closed eyelids in the early part of the night will delay the dim light melatonin onset, a marker of the circadian clock, and help those with early sleep onset to fall asleep later

Key facts

Study ID

NCT01855126

Run by

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

People needed

46

Starts

2013-03-01

Expected to finish

2017-04-01

Last updated by the study team

2019-01-29

Who can join

Age: 65 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• age 65 or older
• cognitively capable
• able to respond to study staff verbally and in English
• score greater than 6 using the Pittsburgh Sleepiness Quality Index
• suffer from insomnia
• suffer from excessive daytime sleepiness

You may not qualify if…

• Severe sleep apnea
• Severe restless leg syndrome (RLS)
• Significant cognitive impairment
• History of severe photosensitivity dermatitis

Where it is running

• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute — Troy, New York, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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