Blue‐blocking glasses as additive treatment for mania: Effects on actigraphy‐derived sleep parameters
Open accessAbstract
Improvement of sleep is a central treatment goal for patients in a manic state. Blue‐blocking (BB) glasses as adjunctive treatment hasten overall recovery from mania. This method is an evolvement from dark therapy and builds on the discovery of the blue‐light‐sensitive retinal ganglion cell that signals daytime to the brain. We report effects of adjunctive BB glasses on actigraphy‐derived sleep parameters for manic inpatients as compared to placebo. Hospitalized patients with bipolar disorder in a manic state aged 18–70 years were recruited from five clinics in Norway from February 2012 to February 2015. The participants were randomly allocated to wearing BB glasses or placebo (clear glasses) as an adjunctive treatment from 18:00 to 08:00 hours for seven consecutive nights. Sleep and wake were monitored by actigraphy. From 32 eligible patients, 10 patients in each group qualified for the group analyses. The BB group's mean sleep efficiency was significantly higher at night 5 as compared to the placebo group (92.6% vs. 83.1%, p = .027). The 95% confidence interval (CI) was 89.4%–95.8% in the BB group and 75.9%–90.3% in the placebo group. There were fewer nights of interrupted sleep in the BB group: 29.6% versus 43.8% in the placebo group. The BB group received less‐intensive sleep‐promoting pharmacological treatment and showed significantly higher sleep efficiency and more consolidated sleep as compared to the placebo group. Our findings suggest sleep‐promoting effects through deactivating mechanisms. Adjunctive BB glasses seem to be useful for improving sleep for manic patients in the hospital setting.
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There is now randomised controlled trial evidence for Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy and for dark therapy using blue-blocking glasses.
“there is now RCT evidence for Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy [28, 29] and dark therapy using blue‐blocking glasses [30].”
From Essential Information About Chronobiology and Chronotherapy for the Optimal Care of People With Bipolar Disorders: An Expert Consensus (2026) · cites this paper as [30]
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“…there are now at least eight randomised controlled trials (RCTs) suggesting its efficacy, safety, and tolerability in the treatment of bipolar depression [26, 27], and there is now RCT evidence for Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy [28, 29] and dark therapy using blue-blocking glasses [30].”
Self-citation
- Authors
- Henriksen, T. E. G., Grønli, J., Assmus, J., Fasmer, O. B., Schoeyen, H., Leskauskaite, I., Bjorke‐Bertheussen, J., Ytrehus, K., & Lund, A.
- Affiliations
- Haukeland University Hospital (NO)
- University of Bergen (NO)
- Stavanger University Hospital (NO)
- Division of Psychiatry Stavanger University Hospital Stavanger Norway
- Fonna Hospital Trust (NO)
- Corresponding author
- Henriksen, Tone E. G.
- Venue
- Journal of Sleep Research
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2020-01-21
- Volume
- 29
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- e12984-e12984
- ISSN
- 0962-1105 (ISSN-L)
- 1365-2869
- OpenAlex
- W3002554932
- Cited by
- 40
- References
- 40
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 7
- FWCI
- 6.04
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Sleep Research (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- NORA - Norwegian Open Research Archives (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- Helse Vest
- Universitetet i Bergen
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and related disorders
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Bipolar Disorder and Treatment
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Circadian rhythm and melatonin
- Keywords
- mania, bipolar disorder, sleep efficiency, sleep consolidation, actigraphy, adjunctive therapy, blue light, retinal ganglion cells, sleep promotion
- MeSH terms
- Mania, Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Bipolar Disorder, Circadian Rhythm, Eye Protective Devices, Eyeglasses, Female, Humans, Lighting, Male, Middle Aged, Sleep, Single-Blind Method, Young Adult, Actigraphy
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