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Blue light in the morning improves sleep and activity in elderly people - research

Kyiv • UNN

 • 20618 views

A study showed that a morning dose of blue light improves sleep quality and increases activity in elderly people. Evening sessions may disrupt sleep.

Blue light in the morning improves sleep and activity in elderly people - research

An early morning dose of blue light can help older people sleep better at night, giving them an incentive for everyday activities the next day. This is evidenced by the results of a study conducted by scientists at the University of Surrey in the UK, UNN reports with reference to Science Alert.

Details

It is noted that the researchers conducted an experiment involving 36 volunteers aged 60 and older, testing their response to two-hour sessions of blue and ordinary white light twice a day for several weeks.

Attention to the elderly was deliberate: as we age, we tend to spend less time outdoors and more time in artificial light, while our aging eyes also let in less blue light. These different factors can affect the body's circadian rhythms and, consequently, our sleep

- the article says.

The results were impressive: blue light treatment significantly improved sleep quality and increased regular daily activity. However, this was only true for morning sessions, while evening "sessions" often led to falling asleep.

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In other words, timing is crucial. Researchers suggest that morning doses help train our daily rhythms and teach the body when to wake up, and therefore when to sleep. Evening doses, on the other hand, disrupt the same patterns, which is why your phone or laptop may have a blue light filter for evening use.

Morning light enriched with blue can enhance the signal to wake up during the day, increasing sleep pressure and the homeostatic urge to sleep in the evening, thus improving sleep consolidation

- the scientists point out in their article based on the results of the experiments.

The study also showed that daylight – exposure to light with an intensity equivalent to ambient light on a cloudy day – increased daily activity, with participants tending to go to bed earlier.

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This is consistent with what we know about daylight, which contains more blue light with a wavelength and can boost our mood and alertness levels.

Our study shows that light intervention with clear timing can be a powerful tool for improving sleep and daily activity in healthy older adults. By focusing on morning blue light and maximizing daylight exposure, we can help older adults achieve more restful sleep and maintain a healthier and more active lifestyle

- says chronobiologist Daan Van Der Veen from the University of Surrey.

The publication notes that the benefits of blue light therapy have been proven in previous studies, which, however, usually involved elderly people with dementia living in a controlled environment. Instead, the new study is more like a real test.

Let us remind you

In developed societies, people sleep 45 minutes longer than in less technological countries, averaging more than 7 hours a night. However, this improvement in sleep quality comes at a price — disruption of natural biological rhythms.

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