Effect of short duration morning bright light in elderly men: sleep structure.

Sleep structure was measured in five healthy elderly men in their homes. The subjects were exposed to bright light (60001x) for 30 min in the morning or instructed to sit In front of a desktop lighting device without light. Relative to the control conditions, bright light exposure significantly decreased time in bed and the number of awakenings. Rapid eye movement sleep was significantly fragmented by stage 1 sleep in the control condition compared with the bright light condition. These findings indicate that a short duration of morning bright light changes sleep structure and is effective in maintaining sleep.