Blue light therapy shown to improve sleep in Parkinson's

Many people with Parkinson's experience trouble with sleep. This can involve finding it difficult to fall asleep, waking up in the night, or feeling sleepy throughout the day. Over time, it can significantly reduce quality of life. Early research has shown that blue light therapy, delivered through a device called PROPEAQ, may help to improve these challenging symptoms.

PROPEAQ are light therapy glasses. They were developed by a company called Chrono Eyewear, founded by healthcare professionals in the Netherlands. The glasses deliver blue light to the wearer via a series of LED lights that are built into the frame. The glasses are designed to improve the sleep-wake cycle, helping to improve sleep and increase energy levels during the day.

In this study, researchers explored whether exposure to blue light can improve sleep and daytime sleepiness in people with Parkinson's.

What did the study involve?

Researchers at Radboud University in the Netherlands and King's College London in the UK, led by Professor Bas Bloem, conducted a small clinical trial of the PROPEAQ light glasses involving 30 people with Parkinson's.

During the trial, participants were randomly assigned to wear either glasses that delivered blue light therapy, or glasses with red tinted lenses. The study was single-blinded, meaning that only the researchers conducting the study knew which treatment each participant was receiving.

The participants wore the glasses for an hour, twice a day over the course of 2 weeks. Sleep quality and daytime sleepiness was measured 3 times: at the beginning of the study, after 2 weeks of wearing the glasses, and again after 5 weeks.

What did they find?

The results show that the glasses were easy for people with Parkinson's to use, with most of the participants quickly learning to use the glasses by themselves. Most participants were positive about the glasses, and there were also no major side effects reported during the study.

In terms of sleep quality, the group using the blue light glasses reported that they slept better than the group using the red tinted glasses. Daytime sleepiness also improved significantly in the blue light group compared to the placebo group, with levels of sleepiness falling from 50% to 7% after exposure to blue light.

Read the full published paper on the Journal of Parkinson's Disease website.

What does this mean for people with Parkinson's?

Dr Daniel van Wamelen, part of the research team at King's College London, said:

"Blue light therapy, delivered through dedicated light therapy glasses, may be an accessible and user-friendly intervention for people with Parkinson's. The combined effect of improved sleep quality and reduction in daytime sleepiness, as well as possible improvement of symptoms such as depression, make this a particularly exciting intervention. With further research, this non-drug approach may become available as a valuable addition to existing treatments."

Emma Rodgers, Research Communications Manager at Parkinson's UK, shares:

"It's encouraging to see that blue light therapy may have potential to help people with Parkinson's sleep better and feel less sleepy during the day. We know that sleep troubles affect around 1 in 2 people with Parkinson's. As the therapy is delivered through wearable glasses, it may be a very practical way for people to manage difficulties with their sleep.

"That said, the study was small. We'd need to see bigger studies in the future to understand how blue light therapy may support sleep difficulties in Parkinson's."