Daily Blue Light Therapy Found To Help Improve Sleep Among Patients With PTSD
It has long been known that consistently getting a quality night’s sleep is vital for maintaining your mental health. But, this could not be more true for people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Approximately six out of every one hundred U.S. adults– or six percent of the population– will have PTSD at some point in their lives. This means that about twelve million adults have or are diagnosed with PTSD every single year.
And unfortunately, even though sleep is crucial for managing symptoms of PTSD, those with the disorder often have to deal with turbulent sleep schedules.
The inability to fall or stay asleep can also seriously impact PTSD treatment outcomes since poor sleep lessens treatment effectiveness and can lead to increased symptoms.
So, it has been proven that consistent quality sleep will help patients with PTSD reduce and even eliminate the emotional impact of their traumatic memories.
The persistent problem, though, has been finding a way to ensure PTSD patients can achieve a sound slumber.
Well, a recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Arizona College of Medicine has found that blue light therapy can help people with PTSD on multiple fronts.
“Morning blue light treatment improves sleep complaints, symptom severity, and retention of fear extinction memory in post-traumatic stress disorder,” explained William Killgore, the study’s senior author.
The team came to this conclusion after examining how daily blue-wavelength light exposure impacted individuals diagnosed with clinically high levels of PTSD.
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The researchers hypothesized that the therapy would help improve PTSD symptoms, sleep quality, and the retention of fear-extinction memories.
So, eighty-six participants took part in the study and underwent thirty minutes of daily morning light exposure for six weeks. Half of the participants were exposed to blue light; meanwhile, the other half were exposed to amber light.
And throughout the course of the six weeks, the researchers analyzed all behavioral, autonomic, and neurobiological changes among each participant.
Then, the team ultimately found that participants who received blue light therapy showed significant improvement in PTSD symptom severity. They also reported noticing sleep improvements and greater retention of fear-extinction memories– a benefit that the participants who underwent amber light exposure did not receive.
So now, the researchers are thrilled. After all, the treatment is nonpharmacological, yet it could offer life-saving outcomes for those who suffer from severe PTSD.
“While the limitations of the research include its modest sample size and difficulties monitoring compliance, the possibilities of utilizing a treatment that is relatively simple, drug-free, and inexpensive can offer hope for the large population of people living with the intense challenges of post-traumatic stress disorder,” underscored Killgore.
To read the study’s complete findings, which have since been published in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, visit the link here.
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