Impact of blue light exposition to alertness of shift workers, patients with sleep deprivation, Alzheimer's disease, or post-traumatic stress disorder

ŻOŁNIEREK, Maja, SIEKIERKO, Nikola, LUBCZYŃSKA, Zuzanna, ŚWIĘTOCHOWSKI, Jakub, LEWANDOWSKI, Mateusz, KOTUSIEWICZ, Wiktoria, POPRAVKO, Yevheniia & BIENIA, Grzegorz. Impact of blue light exposition to alertness of shift workers, patients with sleep deprivation, Alzheimer’s disease, or post-traumatic stress disorder. Journal of Education, Health and Sport. 2023;15(1):11-19. eISSN 2391-8306. DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.12775/JEHS.2023.15.01.001 https://apcz.umk.pl/JEHS/article/view/42868 https://zenodo.org/record/7742766 The journal has had 40 points in Ministry of Education and Science of Poland parametric evaluation. Annex to the announcement of the Minister of Education and Science of December 21, 2021. No. 32343. Has a Journal's Unique Identifier: 201159. Scientific disciplines assigned: Physical Culture Sciences (Field of Medical sciences and health sciences); Health Sciences (Field of Medical Sciences and Health Sciences). Punkty Ministerialne z 2019 - aktualny rok 40 punktów. Załącznik do komunikatu Ministra Edukacji i Nauki z dnia 21 grudnia 2021 r. Lp. 32343. Posiada Unikatowy Identyfikator Czasopisma: 201159. Przypisane dyscypliny naukowe: Nauki o kulturze fizycznej (Dziedzina nauk medycznych i nauk o zdrowiu); Nauki o zdrowiu (Dziedzina nauk medycznych i nauk o zdrowiu). © The Authors 2023; This article is published with open access at Licensee Open Journal Systems of Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Poland Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author (s) and source are credited. This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non commercial license Share alike. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) which permits unrestricted, non commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited. The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper. Received: 28.02.2023. Revised: 14.03.2023. Accepted: 15.03.2023. Published: 17.03.2023. Impact of blue light exposition to alertness of shift workers, patients with sleep deprivation, Alzheimer’s disease, or post-traumatic stress disorder Maja Żołnierek Samodzielny Publiczny Specjalistyczny Szpital Zachodni im. św. Jana Pawła II ul. Daleka 11, 05-825 Grodzisk Mazowiecki https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9030-7505 maja.zolnierek@gmail.com Nikola Siekierko Szpital Praski p.w. Przemienienia Pańskiego, Aleja Solidarności 67, 03-401 Warsaw, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1113-7112 n.siekierko@gmail.com Zuzanna Lubczyńska Szpital Grochowski im. dr med. Rafała Masztaka, ul. Grenadierów 51/59, 04-073 Warsaw, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4860-2508 zuzanna.smiech@gmail.com Jakub Świętochowski Uniwersyteckie Centrum Kliniczne w Gdańsku, ul. Dębinki 7, 80-952 Gdansk, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3848-6520 jakub.swiet@gmail.com Mateusz Lewandowski Centralny Szpital Kliniczny UCK WUM, ul. Banacha 1A, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4968-1770 xm.lewandowski@gmail.com Wiktoria Kotusiewicz Wojskowy Instytut Medyczny- Państwowy Instytut Badawczy, ul. Szaserów 128, 04-141 Warsaw, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4033-0648 ww.kotusiewicz@gmail.com Yevheniia Popravko Szpital Praski p.w. Przemienienia Pańskiego, Aleja Solidarności 67, 03-401 Warsaw, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1164-1802 epopravko1997@gmail.com Grzegorz Bienia Wojskowy Instytut Medyczny- Państwowy Instytut Badawczy, ul. Szaserów 128, 04-141 Warsaw, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9036-5510 grzegorzbienia@gmail.com Abstract Introduction and purpose: In certain professions it is necessary to work at night and to maintain alertness and concentration at that time. Additionally in some conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and post-traumatic stress disorder sleep deprivation is both a symptom and an aggravating factor. A non-pharmacological method is needed to impact the maintenance of concentration and to help the workers adapt to shift work as well as improve their sleep quality. The purpose of this paper is to present recent scientific findings on the effects of blue light on improving concentration and attentiveness in shift workers and people suffering from sleep disorders, Alzheimer's disease, or post-traumatic stress disorder. A brief description of the state of knowledge: Circadian rhythm is a mechanism, which regulates daily functioning of humans and a variety of other species. Light exposure, especially to blue light, is the most crucial factor disrupting circadian consistency. The relationship between the time maladjustment, biological rhythms and factors from the outside world is called phase angle of entrainment. Summary: Studies conducted on various groups have shown the effectiveness of modified light interventions on concentration and focus during shift work at night. Exposure to blue light appears to be a safe method that can improve work quality, concentration and focus in people who work at night. Exposure to light brings hope for improving the quality of life of people with Alzheimer's disease and maintaining their independence longer, which can ease the burden on their caregivers. Establishing some routine in the form of blue light exposure in people with post-traumatic stress disorder also appears to be an easy and accessible method for reducing the severity of PTSD symptoms, especially sleep disturbances. Key words: blue light exposition; shift working; sleep deprivation; Alzheimer’s disease; post-traumatic stress disorder