CU Cancer Center Psychologist Tests Bright White Light Therapy as a Remedy for Cancer-Related Fatigue

There are a lot of treatments for cancer-related fatigue — together with train, therapeutic massage, and acupuncture — however sufferers in Colorado have quick access to one of the crucial efficient: pure daylight.

Daylight is likely one of the handiest sources of brilliant white gentle remedy, which helps to reset the physique’s pure clock, says University of Colorado Cancer Center member Benjamin BrewerPsyD, who research the results of brilliant white gentle remedy on cancer-related fatigue.

“It’s simple in Colorado, as a result of I can simply inform individuals to get entry to daylight inside the first two hours after they get up,” says Brewer, affiliate professor of hematology, on the CU Division of Medication. “We would like them to get at the least a half-hour dose of brilliant white gentle per day.”

Most cancers-related fatigue is pushed by many elements, together with schedule disruption, remedy negative effects, and stress. Brewer works carefully with CU Most cancers Heart member Catherine JankowskiPhD, chair of the Nationwide Complete Most cancers Community’s Panel for Most cancers-Associated Fatigue, who oversaw new guidelines for the situation that have been launched in October 2023.

Hacking circadian rhythms

Vibrant white gentle remedy works on particular sensors within the eyes that join on to the mind and restore pure circadian rhythms, Brewer explains.

“There’s a particular a part of our mind referred to as the suprachiasmatic nucleus, which is just like the grasp clock for the physique,” he says. “And there are these items referred to as zeitgebers, which is a two-part German phrase which means ‘time giver.’ A time giver is something that units that clock. What occurs throughout most cancers remedy is that sufferers get dysregulated. They rise up early for hospital appointments, they get caught within the hospital, we give them chemo, they don’t really feel good, they don’t go outdoors, they don’t get gentle publicity. And light-weight is probably the most highly effective zeitgeber. Gentle remedy works by realigning individuals with the pure world, which all of us want.”

Brewer is a psychologist who works to assist sufferers with blood cancers. When points round fatigue come up, he seems at a person’s way of life and whether or not they’re a “day particular person” or a “evening particular person” — a trait identified scientifically as a chronotype.

“I have a look at their routine: What time do you get away from bed? When do you go to mattress?” he says. “Folks have a pure chronotype. However with most cancers, you are not residing by your previous chronotype; you’re residing by a brand new chronotype. Most cancers-related fatigue is a big downside, and it’s not simply throughout chemotherapy. It’s one thing that may final for a decade after remedy for lymphoma, and it’s life limiting.”

Three steps to higher sleep

Folks in different components of the nation typically use particular gentle bins or LED glasses for brilliant white gentle remedy, however we’re lucky in Colorado to have 300 days of sunshine a 12 months, Brewer says. To remain in a wholesome circadian rhythm, he recommends at the least half-hour of publicity to daylight inside two hours of waking. He additionally counsels sufferers on “darkish remedy” — turning off screens and units earlier than bedtime, and in some circumstances dimming lights at the least an hour earlier than.

“Once I develop a every day routine with someone, there’s a 3-2-1 rule that I actually like,” he says. “I inform individuals to cease consuming three hours earlier than bedtime, cease working two hours earlier than bedtime, and cease screens and light-weight about an hour earlier than bedtime. You might learn a guide in dim gentle, however you don’t need all of your lights on.”

Successful mixture

Together with Jankowski, Brewer not too long ago utilized for a grant to review a mix of brilliant white gentle remedy with train and sleep modifications that seems to revive most cancers sufferers to their pre-treatment circadian rhythms.

“We need to set them again on that pure circadian rhythm. Train is a technique to do it. That’s a confirmed intervention for fatigue by itself,” he says. “There are confirmed interventions for sleep enchancment. I’m not doing something tremendous experimental, however I’m combining them and utilizing them as zeitgebers. I’ve discovered that when individuals do that, their fatigue does appear to enhance after just a few weeks. So we need to take a look at it and see. So far as I can inform, no one else has thought to attempt to mix these items that work for fatigue into one intervention that’s lined up with circadian alignment.”