Melatonin, Light May Aid People with Alzheimer's
A morning-time dose of bright light coupled with an evening dose of melatonin may help normalize the sleep-wake cycle in elderly adults with Alzheimer's.
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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A morning-time dose of bright light coupled with an evening dose of melatonin may help normalize the sleep-wake cycle in elderly adults with Alzheimer's disease, a study suggests.
People with Alzheimer's commonly have disrupted sleep at night and nap frequently during the day, which can keep them from activities and social interactions that could alleviate some of the effects of the disease.
The neurological damage inflicted by Alzheimer's disease appears to contribute to the problem. At the same time, many patients, especially those in nursing homes, have limited exposure to daylight, which further throws off natural sleep-wake rhythms.
In the new study, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, researchers looked at whether light therapy—alone or in combination with melatonin supplements—could restore a more natural sleep-wake cycle.
Melatonin is a hormone produced by the brain; it rises at night and falls in the morning, and is thought help regulate sleep-wake rhythms. Synthetic melatonin supplements are a popular over-the-counter remedy for jet lag, insomnia and other sleep problems.
For their study, Dr. Glenna A. Dowling, of the University of California, San Francisco, and her colleagues randomly assigned 50 nursing home patients with Alzheimer's to one of three groups.
In one, patients were given light therapy for one hour, five mornings per week; the light therapy consisted of either natural light alone, or additional artificial light when needed. Patients in the second group received both morning light therapy as well as a dose of melatonin a few hours before bedtime. Those in the third group were exposed to only normal indoor light and were not given melatonin.
Over 10 weeks, the researchers found, the combination of light therapy and melatonin helped curb daytime sleepiness and increase patients' activity during the day. Light therapy alone, however, was ineffective.
It's unclear, Dowling and her colleagues write, whether melatonin alone, or the combination of the supplement with light therapy, yielded the benefits.
They say more research is needed to answer that question, and to determine the best ways to give melatonin and light therapy. As yet, the researchers point out, there are no set standards for the optimal dose range or timing of melatonin therapy, or for the most effective intensity, timing or duration of light therapy.
SOURCE: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, February 2008.
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