Light Therapy With Scheduled Rise Times in Young Adults With Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder: Therapeutic Outcomes and Possible Predictors

ABSTRACT

Clinical trials with light therapy (LT) for delayed sleep phase disorder (DSPD) are sparse and little is known about factors that are favorable for improvements. In this study, LT with scheduled rise times was conducted at home for 14 days by 44 participants with DSPD aged 16–26 years. Primary outcomes were sleep onset and sleep offset. Potential predictors were demographic characteristics, chronotype, dim light melatonin onset, the number of days the LT lamp was used, the daily duration of LT, daytime sleepiness, anxiety, depression, worry, and rumination. Significant advances were observed in sleep onset and sleep offset from baseline to the end of treatment. The number of days of LT predicted earlier sleep onset and sleep offset.

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank all of the study participants. They also acknowledge the Bror Gadelius Foundation and the Swedish Sleep Research Society that supported parts of this study.