SynthesisScientific reports2021
Dose-response effects of light therapy on sleepiness and circadian phase shift in shift workers: a meta-analysis and moderator analysis.
Synthesis in Scientific reports, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 23 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review and meta-analysis on light therapy for sleep disorders in shift workers.Scientific reports · 2025Pooled it
- Interventions to improve the sleep of nurses: A systematic review.Research in nursing & health · 2023Pooled it
- Unlocking the potential of circadian biology for cardiovascular health.Physiological reviews · 2026Review
- Retinal light perception and biological rhythms: The role of light in sleep and mood from an ophthalmic perspective (Review).Molecular medicine reports · 2026Review
- Chronotype, Night Shift Work, and Diurnal Salivary Cortisol Rhythms Among Healthcare Professionals.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Obesity as a Multifactorial Chronic Disease: Molecular Mechanisms, Systemic Impact, and Emerging Digital Interventions.Current issues in molecular biology · 2025Review
- Significance of Melatonin in the Regulation of Circadian Rhythms and Disease Management.Molecular neurobiology · 2024Review
- Evidence summary on the non-pharmacological management of sleep disorders in shift workers.Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung · 2024Review
- Effects of Lighting Interventions to Improve Sleepiness in Night-Shift Workers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Disturbance of the Circadian System in Shift Work and Its Health Impact.Journal of biological rhythms · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Light therapy has been considered to be effective in mitigating sleepiness and regulating circadian phase shift in shift workers. However, the effective treatment dose of light therapy remains undetermined. We performed a meta-analysis of randomized experimental studies to determine the effect of light therapy doses on sleepiness and circadian phase shift in shift workers. An article search was performed in 10 electronic databases from inception to June 2020. Two raters independently screened and extracted data and reached consensus. Twenty-one eligible studies were included. Analyses were performed using random-effects models. Light therapy exerted significantly small to medium effects on sleepiness and large treatment effects on circadian phase shift. Moderator analyses performed with subgroup and metaregression analyses revealed that medium-intensity light therapy for a shorter duration more effectively reduced sleepiness at night, whereas higher-intensity light therapy more effectively induced phase shifting, but the required treatment duration remained inconclusive. This study provides evidence regarding the effect of light therapy in reducing sleepiness and shifting circadian phase in shift workers. Exposure to medium-intensity light for a short duration at night reduced sleepiness, whereas exposure to high-intensity light improved sleep by shifting their circadian phase.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.