• Helen J Burgess, Sonal Bahl, Katelyn Wilensky, Emily Spence, Riley J Jouppi, Muneer Rizvydeen, Cathy Goldstein, Hyungjin Myra Kim, David A Williams, and John W Burns.
• Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States.
• Pain Med. 2023 Jul 5; 24 (7): 787795787-795.

ObjectivesFibromyalgia is characterized by chronic widespread pain, mood, and sleep disturbance. Pharmacological treatments have modest efficacy and are associated with negative side effects, and alternative approaches are needed. Morning bright light treatment may assist in the management of fibromyalgia as it can reduce depressive symptoms, improve sleep, and advance circadian timing.MethodsSixty people with fibromyalgia (58 women, mean age 41.8 ± 13.3 years) were enrolled in a study comparing 4 weeks of a 1-hour daily morning bright light treatment (active treatment) to a morning dim light treatment (comparison treatment). Both light treatments included behavioral procedures to stabilize sleep timing. The morning bright light treatment was expected to produce larger improvements in pain and function than the dim light treatment and larger improvements in potential mediators (mood, sleep, and circadian timing).ResultsBoth the bright and dim light treatment groups achieved significant but similar levels of improvement in pain intensity, pain interference, physical function, depressive symptoms, and sleep disturbance. Overall, the sample on average displayed a clinically meaningful improvement in the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire-Revised score (mean reduction of 11.2 points), comparable to that reported following physical exercise treatments. Minimal side effects were observed.ConclusionsFindings indicate that the effects of a morning bright light treatment did not exceed those of a comparison dim light treatment; yet the changes on average in both conditions revealed clinically meaningful improvements. Future research is warranted to identify what elements of this trial may have contributed to the observed effects.© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Academy of Pain Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

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