title: [Bright light therapy].
abstract: Bright light is a treatment of choice for seasonal affective disorder. Other indications for bright light therapy have also been tested. These include circadian rhythm sleep disorders, early-morning awakening or sleep-maintenance insomnia in elders and behavioral disturbance or insomnia in organic dementia. In these sleep disorders, the pattern of sleep-wake is misaligned with the patient's circadian system or the external environment, resulting in insomnia. Appropriately-timed exposure to bright light can shift the sleep-wake cycle to earlier or later times, in order to correct for misalignment between the circadian system and the desired sleep-wake schedule. Evidence of the efficacy of bright light was so limited. Further research is needed to determine guidelines for the appropriate timing and safe use of bright light therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Kohnodai Hospital, International Medical Center of Japan.
authors.forename: Yuichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kamei
mesh_terms: D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D006801:Humans; D010789:Phototherapy / Q000379:methods*; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000628:therapy*