Bright Light Therapy on Post-stroke Insomniawith Post-stroke Insomnia

The Effect of Bright Light Therapy on Sleep and Quality of Life in Patients

The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of bright light therapy as a treatment for early, mild-to-moderate stroke patients with post-stroke insomnia.

Inclusion Criteria:

• first occurrence of stroke for the patient
• matched International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 codes (nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage [I60], nontraumatic intracerebral hemorrhage [I61], other and unspecified nontraumatic intracranial hemorrhage [I62], or cerebral infarction [I63]) (World Health Organization, 1997)
• mild-to-moderate stroke (the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale ≤14)
• age ≥18 years
• satisfactory cognitive function
• post-stroke insomnia.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) score of ≤10
• recurrent stroke
• aphasia
• transient ischemic attack
• schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, mood disorder, previous insomnia disorder, or dementia before stroke
• taking sleeping pills or antidepressants for 5 or more days within a 6-month timespan before the onset of stroke
• post-stroke delirium
• a National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score ≥ 14
• previous eye disease or post-stroke eye disease
• severe auditory impairment
• the use of psychotropic medications (hypnotics, benzodiazepine, benzodiazepine agonists, antidepressants [mirtazapine or trazodone] or antipsychotics)