Bright Light as a Sleepiness Prophylactic: A Laboratory Study of Subjective Ratings and EEG

Sleepiness is a major problem when driving a vehicle and contributes to 15 to 30% of all road accidents. One possible countermeasure may be exposure to light. This study was designed to test whether 30 min. of exposure to a bright light would reduce subjective sleepiness and EEG indicators of sleepiness, such as alpha and theta power density. 10 female and 10 male university students (recruited through advertisements) participated in a laboratory study, consisting of 30 min. of dim light followed by 30 min. of bright light (or red light in the control condition) exposures and then by 30 min. of dim light exposure. In the dim light exposure, the luminance was 20 cd/m², and the illuminance was about 5 Lux. In the bright exposure, the luminance was 500 cd/m² and the illuminance about 2000 Lux. In the red light exposure, the luminance was 10 cd/m² and the illuminance about 30 Lux. The subject sat in a chair with a seating comfort corresponding to that of a driver's seat. Analysis showed that the subjects became subjectively sleepier during the pre-exposure condition, and alpha and theta power density increased in their EEGs. The intervention significantly reduced subjective sleepiness but did not have significant effects on alpha or theta power density. The results suggest that a short (30 min.) exposure to bright light may not be a useful prophylactic against sleepiness for the period following the exposure.