EP 39 - Can Blue Light Therapy Improve Sleep in Parkinson’s Disease?

September 6, 2026

🎙️ We’re back with the 39th episode of Parkinson Weekly, hosted by Prof. Bas Bloem - on this week’s episode, Prof. Bas Bloem explores an intriguing new approach to one of the most common challenges faced by people with Parkinson’s disease: poor sleep.Could something as simple as blue light therapy make a difference?Prof. Bloem discusses a recent placebo-controlled study investigating blue light delivered through specially designed glasses in people with Parkinson’s experiencing sleep problems. Participants received either blue or red light therapy for two weeks, with the results showing a significantly greater improvement in sleep quality and daytime sleepiness among those receiving blue light.In this episode, Prof. Bloem explores:Why blue light may help regulate the body’s biological clock and sleep–wake cycleThe improvements seen in sleep quality and daytime sleepinessWhy the lack of improvement in motor symptoms may actually strengthen the findingsThe potential for blue light therapy as an easy, home-based interventionWhy larger and longer Phase III studies are still needed before it can become an established treatmentWhile the study involved only 30 participants and further research is required, the findings offer an encouraging glimpse at a potentially safe, non-invasive way of improving sleep for people living with Parkinson’s disease.Have a question you’d like Bas to answer in a future episode? Email us at parkinsonweekly@gmail.com – we’d love to hear from you.