Many older people complain of sleep maintenance insomnia and waking prematurely. This occurs even in healthy, non-depressed older people without sleep complaints or circadian rhythm abnormalities. We found an age-related change in the circadian phases over which the latter part of sleep remains consolidated and an age-related increase in the variability of entrained circadian phase. We hypothesize that these age related circadian changes may account for much of the high prevalence of disrupted sleep and early waking in older people. This implies that maintaining an ideal timing between circadian phase and sleep is crucial for sleep consolidation in older people. Adjustment of this relationship can be achieved by evening light exposure, although the duration and intensity required to sustain an effect can make compliance difficult. Our recent studies have revealed that the human circadian system is more responsive to short than to longer wavelength light. This suggests that light treatments for achieving an optimum phase relationship between sleep and circadian rhythms may be achieved using shorter durations and/or lower intensities if the light is enriched in the shorter wavelengths. We propose comparing a light treatment regimen using a newly available blue-enriched light source with the same treatment using standard light sources. We will assess the change in phase relationship between the circadian melatonin rhythm and sleep timing, and the change in subjective &objective sleep quality on treatment nights and for several nights thereafter. Sleep disruption is an important cause of diminished quality of life in otherwise healthy older people, often leading to an overuse of sleep medications with unfortunate physiological and psychological side effects. Greater understanding of the mechanisms causing age-related sleep disruption, and careful evaluation of this new treatment will be important in developing practical, non-pharmacologic treatment methods, and offers promise for improving the health and well-being of older people.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
3R01AG006072-20S1
Application #
7847763
Study Section
Psychosocial Risk and Disease Prevention Study Section (PRDP)
Program Officer
Mackiewicz, Miroslaw
Project Start
2009-07-15
Project End
2009-10-31
Budget Start
2009-07-15
Budget End
2009-10-31
Support Year
20
Fiscal Year
2009
Total Cost
$12,084
Indirect Cost
Name
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Department
Type
DUNS #
030811269
City
Boston
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
02115
Scheuermaier, Karine; Münch, Mirjam; Ronda, Joseph M et al. (2018) Improved cognitive morning performance in healthy older adults following blue-enriched light exposure on the previous evening. Behav Brain Res 348:267-275
Duffy, Jeanne F; Scheuermaier, Karine; Loughlin, Kevin R (2016) Age-Related Sleep Disruption and Reduction in the Circadian Rhythm of Urine Output: Contribution to Nocturia? Curr Aging Sci 9:34-43
Lane, Jacqueline M; Chang, Anne-Marie; Bjonnes, Andrew C et al. (2016) Impact of Common Diabetes Risk Variant in MTNR1B on Sleep, Circadian, and Melatonin Physiology. Diabetes 65:1741-51
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Czeisler, Charles A; Pellegrini, Carlos A; Sade, Robert M (2013) Should sleep-deprived surgeons be prohibited from operating without patients' consent? Ann Thorac Surg 95:757-66
Klerman, Hadassa; St Hilaire, Melissa A; Kronauer, Richard E et al. (2012) Analysis method and experimental conditions affect computed circadian phase from melatonin data. PLoS One 7:e33836
Pullman, Rebecca E; Roepke, Stephanie E; Duffy, Jeanne F (2012) Laboratory validation of an in-home method for assessing circadian phase using dim light melatonin onset (DLMO). Sleep Med 13:703-6
Chang, Anne-Marie; Buch, Alison M; Bradstreet, Dayna S et al. (2011) Human diurnal preference and circadian rhythmicity are not associated with the CLOCK 3111C/T gene polymorphism. J Biol Rhythms 26:276-9
Scheuermaier, Karine; Meyers, Michael; Surprise, Myriam et al. (2011) Reciprocal relationship between age-related sleep disruption and urological symptoms. BJU Int 107:871-3

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