Bright light treatment for sleep and wake problems in older people with dementia

Bright light exposure improved sleep-wake disturbances in three aged subjects with dementia.

• Three subjects experienced increased percentage of sleep during the lights-out period and/or increased wakefulness during the daytime.
• The remaining three subjects had earlier sleep onset times.
• All subjects showed a tendency for reduced episodes of abnormal behavior around the lights-out time.
• Bright light treatment was applied daily in the late morning.

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