Bright Light, Dark Light, and Sleep Deprivation Therapies

Bright light, dark light, and sleep deprivation therapies treat bipolar disorder (BD) by manipulating circadian rhythms. Typically, light therapies are combined with other BD treatments:

• Bright light therapy (BLT). Light activates the retina in the eye, resulting in a stimulus being transmitted from the eye to the brain’s hypothalamus (helps regulate mood). In BLT, a light box (fluorescent bulbs emitting 7,000-10,000 lux of UV-filtered bright white light) is placed on a table at about eye level (or head-mounted units or light visors) for 30 minutes-2 hours/day. This treatment is most effective in helping prevent or lessen depressive episodes, especially medications don’t work.
• Dark therapy. As light therapy can improve mood, decreasing light can dampen manic symptoms. For treatment of mania, amber glasses that block blue light are worn in the evenings.
• Sleep deprivation. Onset of antidepressant effects can be rapid and striking. In total sleep deprivation, a person is kept awake for 36 hours, all night and the following day. In partial, a person sleeps 4-5 hours at night. Unfortunately, mood improvement is short-lived. Switches to mania have been reported, so it should only be used in combination with a mood stabilizer.