Healthy living
Mind matters
Brightening the lives of Alzheimer’s sufferers
A daily dose of bright light could be just what the doctor ordered for people with dementia, says a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
It seems that bright light therapy could help elderly sufferers feel happier and more alert.
The research focused on the body’s internal ‘clock’ – the natural rhythm that makes sure we feel alert in the day and sleepy at night. Our body clocks are highly sensitive to both light and the naturally-occurring hormone, melatonin. Disruptions to our natural rhythm, called the circadian rhythm, can result in poor sleep, depressed mood and behavioural problems. In elderly patients with dementia this body clock can often be often out of kilter, making many of the distressing symptoms worse.
Scientists from the Netherlands used bright daytime lighting – sometimes combined with a melatonin drug – to try and restore the circadian rhythms of elderly dementia patients. The study involved 12 care homes and 189 residents, most of whom were suffering from some form of dementia. Half of the facilities had bright lighting installed that was switched on from 9am to 6pm every day. Every evening all participants were then given either 2.5mg of melatonin or a placebo alternative.
The researchers found that bright light slowed cognitive decline by five per cent, reduced depressive symptoms by 19 per cent and slowed overall functional decline by 53 per cent.
Those people given melatonin without the light therapy had better sleep patterns but were often more withdrawn and depressed. But those taking melatonin in conjunction with light therapy seemed to avoid such negative changes in mood.
‘The simple measure of increasing the illumination level in group care facilities (improved) symptoms of disturbed cognition, mood, behaviour, functional abilities, and sleep,’ said the authors of the study. ‘The long-term application of whole-day bright light did not have adverse effects, on the contrary, and could be considered for use in care facilities for elderly individuals with dementia.’
Susanne Sorensen, Head of Research at the Alzheimer’s Society would like to see this research replicated in the UK.
‘Bright light therapy opens up an exciting line of research,’ says Sorensen, ’this study has found that the use of powerful light, can improve mood, lift depression and even increase cognitive function in dementia sufferers – without any of the negative side affects often witnessed with new drug treatments. I would like to see pilot schemes set up in the UK - we may find that light therapy is something that we should consider when thinking about care home design.’
Rebecca Wood, Chief Executive of the Alzheimer’s Research trust also welcomes the study, ‘These are exciting results indicating a promising direction for future research. With the number of people with dementia forecast to double within a generation, we urgently need to fund more research like this to find better treatments.’
More on dementia
- The dementia time bomb
- What's your risk of developing dementia?
- My story: caring for a loved one with dementia
- Statin may halve Alzheimer's and Parkinson's risk
- Folic acid foils dementia
- Stay active for an active mind
- Keeping Mum: Marianne Talbot's gripping diary is about caring for her mother, who has Alzheimer's disease
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Information on this site is for interest only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should consult your own doctor about any specific health concerns.
