None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
This study is looking at the impact of light therapy on pain levels in an older population. There will be two participant groups, group 1 will receive bright light therapy using light therapy glasses, and group 2 will receive natural light therapy. Both groups will receive their specified light therapy for 10 days (2 weeks, Monday to Friday), and will also have two weeks with care as usual before and after receiving light therapy. Group 1 will receive care as usual for the first 2 weeks, then bright light therapy first for 2 weeks, followed by another 2 weeks of care as usual. Group 2 will also receive 2 weeks of care as usual for the first 2 weeks, and will then receive 2 weeks of natural light therapy. This will be followed by another 2 weeks of care as usual. It is hypothesised that light therapy will reduce reported pain levels in an older population. The Brief Pain Inventory will be administered at baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks and 6 weeks of the study. A daily Sleep Diary will be kept by all participants, and an Actiwatch2 will be worn for the duration of the study.
Interventions
The two interventions being tested are Bright Light Therapy (arm 1) and Natural Light Therapy (arm 2). All participants will wear Actiwatches throughout the study, to monitor sleep and wake cycles, activity, and light exposure. All participants will be required to complete a Sleep Diary each day, detailing their sleep the previous day and night. Pain levels will be measured utilising the Brief Pain Inventory.
Arm 1: Group 1 will be placed in a control group for the first 2 weeks, receiving care
The two interventions being tested are Bright Light Therapy (arm 1) and Natural Light Therapy (arm 2). All participants will wear Actiwatches throughout the study, to monitor sleep and wake cycles, activity, and light exposure. All participants will be required to complete a Sleep Diary each day, detailing their sleep the previous day and night. Pain levels will be measured utilising the Brief Pain Inventory. Arm 1: Group 1 will be placed in a control group for the first 2 weeks, receiving care as usual. After this, Group 1 will be administered Bright Light Therapy using bright light therapy glasses. The researcher will attend PresCare aged care facility every morning for 10 days (2 weeks, Monday to Friday), to administer the glasses to participants. Participants will wear these glasses for 30 minutes each morning, between the hours of 6:30am and 7:30am. The glasses emit blue-green 500 nm dominant wavelength, UV-free light, and participants will be exposed to 30 minutes at 506 lux. The glasses have an adjustable nose piece, one size fits all. The glasses green light source has been independently tested for ocular safety to the standard CEI IEC 62471. The green light has been shown to be more effective in impacting older populations circadian rhythms due to clouding of the eye, which influenced the choice of glasses to be utilized or this study. After the 2 weeks, Group 1 will receive care as usual again, acting as a control group, still completing Sleep Diaries and wearing the Actiwatches. Arm 2: Group 2 will be a control group for the first 2 weeks, receiving care as usual but wearing the Actiwatches and completing the Sleep Diary. After 2 weeks, Natural Light Therapy will be administered to the group of participants. This will entail participants being exposed to natural sunlight for a block of 30 mins per day, to determine the impact of natural light on pain, and allow a comparison between Bright Light and Natural Light Therapy. Participants will be taken outside in the morning for 30 mins, and will be exposed to natural light for this time. After this, Group 2 will receive care as usual for another 2 weeks.
Sponsors
Stephanie Zylstra
Study design
Allocation
Non-randomised trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
65 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Participants must be aged 65 and up, reporting pain, and scoring an average of 4 or above on the Brief Pain Inventory pain severity scale. Participants must be cognitively able to complete the Brief Pain Inventory and a sleep diary, either verbally or written.
Exclusion criteria
For both intervention arms, GP or clinical nurse approval will be sought before commencing the interventions. People who are taking photosensitizing medications are to be excluded, unless written approval from a doctor or clinical nurse can be obtained. The Bright Light Therapy glasses do not produce the wavelengths that photosensitizing medications react to, but it has been recommended that using any light therapy should be avoided, as well as avoiding direct sunlight until you are no longer using photosensitizing medication. For intervention Arm 1, exclusion criteria includes people with epilepsy, people who suffer from manic depressive psychosis or bipolar. People with cataracts, glaucoma or retinal disorders will need written permission from a doctor or clinical nurse in order to participate.
Outcome results
None listed