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Light Therapy for Chronic Insomnia in General Practice

Light Therapy for Chronic Insomnia in General Practice

Non Recruiting
18-70 years
All
Phase N/A

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Overview

  • Sleep disorders, especially insomnia
    • Attention deficits (or disorders), daytime somnolence and drug dependence
    • The goal is to evaluate whether light therapy could be used as an efficient alternative treatment with direct application in general practice

Description

Insomnia affects 15 to 20% of the general French adult population and increases with age. General practitioners (GPs) are the first confronted to sleep disorders, especially insomnia.

Cognitive-behavioral therapies (CBT) have proven effective, but their implementation in everyday practice is limited, and alternative treatments are still needed.

Light not only has a great influence on the sleep-wake cycle and alertness, but also on mood and cognitive functions.

The administration time of light condition will be calculated for each individual in a modality that has no impact on the circadian phase.

Study will be conduct on an outpatient basis in general practice

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Complaining of chronic insomnia according to ICSD-3 (International Classification of Sleep Disorders) criteria and/or taking hypnotics at least 3 nights per week for more than 3 months.
  • Non-hypnotic medication: stable medication during one month preceding the inclusion and for the 8 weeks of the study.
  • Compliance with the treatment: the patient is able to have light therapy during the required time and at the agreed schedule.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Severe psychiatric disorder (severe major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder), obvious acute psychiatric comorbidity.
  • Untreated intrinsic sleep pathology: sleep apnea syndrome based on clinical criteria: STOP-BANG questionnaire score, restless legs syndrome manifesting more than 2 times a week and/or requiring treatment.
  • Mild to severe dementia.
  • Neurodegenerative sleep troubles
  • Severe intercurrent pathology.
  • Ophthalmic troubles presenting a contraindication to light therapy: retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, macular hole, epiretinal membrane); lens opacifications (cataract) justifying surgery (correction of poor visual acuity, visual discomfort); glaucomatous and non-glaucomatous optic neuropathy resulting in visual impairement.
  • Toxicomania, chronic alcoholism.
  • Secondary insomnia linked to somatic non-stabilized pathology.
  • Elements influencing circadian rhythm
  • Pregnancy, breastfeeding.
  • Participation in another interventional clinical trial which includes an exclusion period
  • No information could be given to the patient (subject faces emergency situation, comprehension difficulties, etc.)
  • Patient under guardianship
  • Non hypnotic treatment potentially inducing a level 3 sleepiness one week before

Study details
    Insomnia Chronic
    Sleep Disorder
    Circadian Rhythm Disorders

NCT04612192

University Hospital, Strasbourg, France

20 August 2025

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