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Updated: Feb 19, 2026

Author Spotlight: Unveiling the Connection Between Sleep Disorders and Cognitive Symptoms in Depression
Published on: April 26, 2024
Short-term effects of wake- and bright light therapy on sleep in depressed youth
Inken Kirschbaum1, Joana Straub2, Stephanie Gest1
1a LWL-University Hospital for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Heithofer Allee 64, Hamm , Ruhr-University Bochum , Germany.
Abstract:
Chronotherapeutics are well established for the treatment of depression and associated sleeping problems in adults. However, effects are still understudied in adolescents. Two pilot studies highlighted the crucial role of sleep when it comes to the treatment of depression, by means of chronotherapeutics, in adolescents. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of adjunctive wake therapy (WT) in addition to bright light therapy (BLT) with respect to sleep behaviors. In the present study, 62 depressed inpatients (aged 13-18 years; diagnosed with Beck Depression Inventory Revision) were randomly assigned to two groups: BLT only (BLT-group) and a combination of BLT and WT (COMB-group). After one night of WT adolescents in the COMB-group revealed longer sleep durations, time in bed, advanced sleep onset, less wakes during night and an improved sleep efficiency. However, one night of WT plus BLT had no additional effect on sleep parameters compared with BLT-group in the long run. Therefore, future studies should assess whether more nights of WT might lead to more sustainable effects.
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