Circadian Light Exposure Adjustment for Restfulness

Many young children are exposed to light int he evening hours before bedtime. Children's biological clocks are highly sensitive to evening light exposure, which can delay the timing of the clock and make it harder to fall asleep. The purpose of this study is to test three strategies (adjustment to home lighting, amber-tinted glasses, clear glasses) to reduce evening light exposure in children ages 5-6 years with parent-reported sleep onset difficulties in order to improve their sleep and the timing of their biological clock. This study takes place over approximately 5 weeks. After baseline assessments of children's sleep timing, light exposure, cognition, and circadian rhythms, they will be randomly assigned to one of three interventions to reduce evening light exposure for two weeks. After the two-week intervention period, the baseline measures are repeated and parents are interviewed about their and their child's experiences with the intervention.