0906 LIGHT FLASHES DURING SLEEP WITH ADJUNCT COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY INCREASES SLEEP IN TEENS

Abstract

Introduction: Biological and psychosocial pressures across the teenage years contribute to delayed bedtimes and insufficient sleep. In two separate randomized controlled trials, we determined whether a novel set of interventions using both light exposure during sleep and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) would increase total sleep time in teens by allowing them to go to sleep earlier than usual. Method(s): Study 1: Teens were assigned to receive either three weeks of Light (3 millisecond light flashes every 20 second during the final three hours of sleep) or Sham therapy and asked to try to go to sleep earlier. Study 2: Teens received four brief motivation-focused CBT sessions in addition to a modified Light (3 millisecond light flashes every 20 seconds during the final two hours of sleep) or Sham therapy. Outcome measures included diary-based sleep times, momentary ratings of evening sleepiness, and subjective measures of sleepiness and sleep quality. Result(s): Study 1: Mixed effects models revealed that light therapy alone was inadequate in changing the timing of sleep. Study 2: Mixed effects models showed that Light+CBT successfully moved sleep onset 50.1 +/- 27.5 minutes earlier, increased nightly total sleep time by 43.3 +/- 35.0 minutes, and improved sleep quality 0.50 +/- 0.61 points. While Sham+CBT had similar effects, compliance with bed timing was three-fold greater in the Light+CBT. At the end of the intervention, teens in the Light+CBT group reported increased evening sleepiness relative to teens in the Sham+CBT group. Conclusion(s): Light exposure during sleep, in combination with a brief, motivation-focused CBT intervention consistently moved bed times earlier and increased total sleep in teens. This type of passive light intervention in teens may lead to novel therapeutic applications.