This randomized, parallel-group study will examine how artificial light exposure during nighttime awakenings affects sleep and brain health in midlife women experiencing vasomotor symptoms, such as hot flashes and night sweats. Participants will be randomly assigned to exposure to either typical indoor-intensity light (approximately 100 lux) or dim light (less than 3 lux) during the night. The study will assess the effects of nighttime light exposure on sleep fragmentation, daytime alertness and sleepiness, stress responses, cognitive and emotional functioning, and daily functioning. It will also explore whether sleep fragmentation helps explain the effects of nighttime light exposure on stress and neuropsychological health. The findings may inform strategies to reduce nighttime light exposure and improve sleep and brain health in women during and after the menopause transition.
peri/postmenopausal females aged 45-65 years with nocturnal VMS
selected diagnosed sleep or psychiatric disorders, current treatment with hypnotics or antidepressants, use of systemic hormones, or nocturnal caregiving responsibilities
Parallel
Artificial Light at Night (ALAN) 100 lux
BehavioralParticipants will be exposed to a controlled artificial-light-at-night condition during the scheduled overnight sleep episode. Light will be delivered using a standardized light source at a predetermined intensity and timing to examine its effects on sleep, brain health, and related physiological outcomes in midlife women with vasomotor symptoms.
Artificial Light at Night (ALAN) Dim Light
BehavioralParticipants will be exposed to a controlled dim-light condition of approximately 5 lux during the scheduled overnight sleep episode. This condition will serve as the comparator for the artificial-light-at-night condition of approximately 100 lux.
Wake After Sleep Onset
Wake After Sleep Onset (WASO) is a measure of sleep fragmentation. Participants complete a daily diary each morning for a week where they report how many minutes they think they were awake the previous night after first falling asleep. Nightly WASO collected over 1 week immediately preceding each timepoint are averaged. Higher WASO indicates more sleep disruption.
Number of lapses on the Psychomotor Vigilance Test
Number of lapses recorded during the 10-minute Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT) is a measure of neurobehavioral alertness. A lapse on the PVT is a response to stimulus \>500 msec. A higher number of lapses indicates lower vigilance and greater neurobehavioral impairment.
Karolinska Sleepiness Scale
The Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) is a measure of self-reported sleepiness, a one-item scale from 1 (very alert) to 9 (sleepy; great effort to keep awake).
Resting state stress visual analog scale
Self-reported resting state stress is measured using a one-item visual analog scale (VAS) from 0 (Stressed Out) to 100 (Calm/Relaxed). Participants answer the resting state stress VAS each morning upon wake. Daily scores collected over 1 week immediately preceding each timepoint are averaged
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Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Lead sponsor
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Collaborator
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