Orthostatic Hypotension
Conditions
Brief summary
One of the most physiologically demanding things that older people do every day is to get up in the morning. After spending a night laying flat, where the blood distributes evenly across the body, when they stand in the morning (and the blood rushes to their feet), their cardiovascular system may not be able to compensate and maintain blood flow to the brain. This phenomenon is known as orthostatic or postural hypotension. The investigators have found in a group of young individuals that use of a dawn-simulation light that gradually wakes the brain is able to increase cardiovascular tone prior to arising. The goal of this experiment is to determine whether this dawn simulation light is able to increase cardiovascular tone in older adults such that they would have reduced or absent postural hypotension when they awaken in the morning. This would greatly reduce the risks of falls and their associated morbidities in older adults.
Interventions
DEVICELight
30 minutes of dawn simulation
Sponsors
Velux Fonden
Palo Alto Veterans Institute for Research
VA Palo Alto Health Care System
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
55 Years to 85 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* History of falls or dizziness at exit from bed in the morning (at least two incidents in the past year) * At least 20/200 corrected visual acuity * Stable health * Normal hearing
Exclusion criteria
* Regular cigarette smoker * Alcohol abuse * Drug abuse
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Sympathovagal balance derived from blood pressure measurement | 30 minutes | measure of sympathovagal balance derived from blood pressure measurement at wake time |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed