Light Therapy Treats Depression

As the colder months arrive, days become shorter and nights become longer, an individual might find themselves suffering from excessive sleeping, insomnia, anxiety, apathy, loss of interest, fatigue, weight loss or gain, and agitation. An individual may be suffering from Seasonal Affective disorder (SAD). Bright light therapy is an option for individuals whom are affected by SAD. Bright light therapy is exposure to a specialized light for a certain amount of time. Bright light therapy may now be an option for people that are affected by depression. Bright light therapy can help regulate the circadian rhythm. People that have depression or SAD have disruptions in their sleep cycles; they either suffer from excessive sleep or from insomnia. If the circadian rhythm could possibly be regulated through this option, then an individual could get a healthy amount of sleep and that could help fight against their depression.

Participants in this experiments took a placebo antidepressant along with light therapy, then other participants took antidepressants along with a placebo light therapy. Researches discovered that over eight weeks, the participants who took the placebo along with the light therapy was more effective than just an antidepressant. Light therapy is even more beneficial when used is combination with antidepressants.

Dan Cavanaugh presented a speech on the circadian rhythm and the homeostatic sleep pressure mechanisms. The main findings from his research with drosophila indicated that the circadian rhythm constantly fluctuates during the 24-hour day. Sleep is regulated by the circadian rhythm and homeostatic mechanisms. Through the interaction of the sleep homeostatic mechanisms and the circadian rhythm, the sleep timing and duration is regulated. The homeostatic sleep pressure builds throughout the day. A person’s homeostatic pressure may be building as the day progresses and they could be sleepy, but due to the constantly fluctuating circadian rhythm a person may not be able to fall asleep till the circadian rhythm is at its highest peak. No matter how high the homeostatic pressure is, a person may not be able to fall asleep due to their circadian rhythm. Cavanaugh also demonstrated that exposure to light at certain times during the day can interfere with the circadian rhythm.

This research parallels Cavanaugh’s research about the genetic analysis of the circadian rhythm. Just as neurons are exposed to light; individuals are exposed to light to help regulate their circadian rhythm. As a disrupted circadian rhythm is regulated, an individual may gain a healthy amount of sleep rather than excessive sleeping or insomnia. The amount of sleep an individual receives will benefit an individual suffering from depression. Better sleep results in a more content individual.

References: 

Sifferlin, Alexandra. “Light Therapy Might Work for Non-Seasonal Depression Too.” Time Health  Magazine, Nov 18, 2015.

Cavanaugh, Daniel J., Vigderman, Abigail S., Dean, Terry, Garbe, David S., and Sehgal, Amita. “The Drosophila Circadian Clock Gates Sleep through Time-of-Day Dependent Modulation of Sleep-Promoting Neurons.” Sleep, Vol. 39 (2016). 345- 356. http://dx.doi.org/10.5665/sleep.5442

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