Autonomic nervous function after evening bright light therapy: spectral analysis of heart rate variability

In order to investigate the effects of 5000 lx evening bright light on autonomic nervous function, a spectral analysis was used to assess heart rate variability in consecutive 5-min epochs just after 60 min of bright light therapy was given to 12 young women (range: 20-21 years of age). The study revealed that a low frequency band (LF) increased in bright light conditions (BL) in comparison with controlled conditions (CL). High frequency band (HF), LF:HF ratio and the coefficient of variance (CV R-R) were not significantly different between the two conditions. These results indicate that 5000 lx evening bright light may affect sympathetic nervous system activity in healthy women.