Blue Light Therapy in Sleep Apneas

Hey, again so I came across an interesting type of therapy for central sleep apnea and other types of apnea called blue light therapy. Now after seeing this type of therapy, I don't believe that blue light therapy alone would be sufficient in treating central sleep apnea and other types of apneas, but it might be a helpful adjunct to cpap, bipap, or autopap. I'd really be interested to see if anyone has tried this type of therapy and what type of results they got. Blue light therapy uses blue light via lamps, lasers or light-emitting diodes to expose individuals to specific wavelengths for a prescribed amount of time. It is thought to be advantageous in the treatment of certain sleep disorders like central sleep apnea, obstructive sleep apnea, and insomnia, and may improve mental alertness during the daytime.

Insomnia often corresponds with altered circadian rhythms of body temperature and melatonin secretion. Light therapy in the morning or evening has shown to be an efficient method to reset the internal clock. With sleep disorders like central sleep apnea, obstrucive sleep apnea, or mixed sleep apnea, disruptions in circadian rhythm prevents people from experiencing a complete or restorative sleep. Most people find that the symptoms associated with sleep disorders diminish when their circadian rhythms work properly. There are a few minor potential side effects from blue light therapy for people with central sleep apnea and other sleep disorders, including jumpiness, headache and nausea. Blue light therapy also considered a mood changing treatment, and therefore has a possibility of causing anxiety. Anyone beginning blue light therapy is recommended to use under doctor supervision. Again, please leave comments, questions, or reviews if you've tried out this type of therapy, as it seems kind of under the radar as a treatment option for central sleep apnea and other types of apneas. Thanks.

Mike M, RN BSN
owner of centralsleepapnea.blogspot.com