Light Exposure, Migraine Outcomes, and Sleep Quality

Daily Light Exposure Patterns and Their Associations With Migraine Outcomes and Sleep Quality

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between daily light exposure patterns, sleep quality, and migraine characteristics in adults with migraine, with and without photophobia, across an 8-week study period.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Sleep; Migraine Headache; Photophobia
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Ambient Lighting Condition

Detailed Description

Migraine is a prevalent neurological disorder that significantly reduces quality of life and daily functioning. Photophobia, or heightened sensitivity to light, is one of the most common and distressing symptoms experienced by individuals with migraine and is frequently reported as a trigger or exacerbating factor for migraine attacks. Additionally, sleep disturbances are commonly associated with migraine and may both contribute to and result from migraine episodes. Despite growing evidence linking light exposure, sleep quality, and migraine characteristics, the role of daily light exposure characteristics in triggering migraine attacks remains poorly understood.

Previous research has largely focused on controlled laboratory studies examining the effects of specific light spectra or intensities during migraine attacks. However, little is known about how individuals with migraine experience and interact with light throughout their daily lives, or how these real-world exposure patterns relate to sleep quality and migraine onset, frequency, and severity.

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between daily light exposure patterns, sleep quality, and migraine characteristics in adults with migraine, with and without photophobia, across an 8-week study period. The first 4 weeks will serve as a baseline observational period in which participants' daily light exposure behaviors, sleep patterns, and migraine characteristics are monitored. The second four weeks will include the introduction of an interventional lighting condition, optimized for those in migraine based on our previous in-laboratory experiment, on the same outcomes (migraine characteristics and sleep).

Using wearable light exposure sensors, actigraphy devices, and daily self-reported measures, this study aims to capture real-world lighting behaviors and objectively assess sleep quality while evaluating whether the introduction of an optimized lighting condition is associated with changes in migraine symptoms and sleep outcomes.

The specific aims of this study are to:

1. Characterize daily light exposure patterns, including intensity, spectrum, duration, and related behavioral patterns, in adults with migraine with and without photophobia.
2. Examine associations between daily light exposure characteristics and migraine attack onset, frequency, and intensity.
3. Evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of an optimized lighting condition on migraine frequency, migraine characteristics, and sleep quality.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 20
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Nina Sharp, PhD; Phone Number: 480-965-6536; Email: nina.sharp@asu.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Arizona
    • Tempe, Arizona, United States, 85281
      • Recruiting
      • ASU DeSmart Lab
      • Contact: Nina Sharp, PhD; Phone Number: 480-965-6536; Email: nina.sharp@asu.edu

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Meet the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition (2018) criteria for migraine, with or without aura or photosensitivity
• Report experiencing more than 4 headache days per month and at least three migraine attacks per month
• No other major health issues based on self-reported data
• Able to read and communicate in English
• Work in a private office space for at least six hours per day, four days per week

Exclusion Criteria:

• Light therapy
• Use light-altering devices (e.g., blue-blocking contact lenses or glasses)
• Traveling out of town during the participation

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: Optimized Lighting Intervention; All participants will complete a 4-week baseline observation period followed by a 4-week intervention period. During the baseline period, daily light exposure, sleep, and migraine characteristics will be monitored under natural conditions. During the intervention period, participants will use an optimized workplace lighting condition during working hours while continuing wearable monitoring and daily electronic surveys. Outcomes during the intervention period will be compared to baseline measurements within participants.

Other: Ambient Lighting Condition; Application of an optimized ambient lighting condition through placement of a dimmable LED floor lamp in participants' private workspaces to create a standardized workplace lighting environment during working hours. The floor lamp emits white light with a specified spectral distribution and intensity. Participants may adjust brightness for comfort. The lighting system is used solely to modify the ambient workplace lighting environment during the 4-week intervention period.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Monthly Migraine Days	Number of migraine days per 28-day period as recorded in daily electronic headache diaries. A migraine day is defined as a calendar day with a self-reported migraine meeting International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-3) criteria. The primary analysis will compare the 4-week baseline period to the 4-week intervention period within participants.	Baseline (Weeks 1-4) compared to Intervention (Weeks 5-8)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Migraine Headache Intensity	Average migraine pain intensity recorded in daily electronic headache diaries using a numerical rating scale (e.g., 0-10). Mean intensity during the 4-week baseline period will be compared to the 4-week intervention period within participants.	Baseline (Weeks 1-4) compared to Intervention (Weeks 5-8)
Change in Migraine-Specific Quality of Life (MSQ v2.1) Score	Change in total and domain scores on the Migraine-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire version 2.1 (MSQ v2.1). Higher scores indicate better quality of life. Scores at baseline will be compared to scores at Week 8.	Baseline (Week 0), Between Baseline and Intervention (end of Week 4), and End of Intervention (Week 8).
Change in Objective Sleep Efficiency	Sleep efficiency measured by wrist-worn actigraphy, defined as the percentage of time in bed spent asleep. Average sleep efficiency during the 4-week baseline period will be compared to the 4-week intervention period.	Baseline (Weeks 1-4) compared to Intervention (Weeks 5-8)
Change in Average Daily Ambient Light Intensity	Average daily ambient light intensity (lux) measured using a wearable light sensor. Daily mean illuminance (lux) will be calculated for each participant and averaged across the 4-week baseline period and the 4-week intervention period. The primary comparison is baseline versus intervention within participants.	Baseline (Weeks 1-4) compared to Intervention (Weeks 5-8)
Feasibility of Workplace Lighting Intervention	Feasibility assessed by adherence to lighting use, defined as average number of hours per workday the intervention lighting was used during the 4-week intervention period, based on participant self-report.	Intervention Period (Weeks 5-8)
Change in Objective Nighttime Sleep Duration	Average nightly total sleep time (minutes) measured by wrist-worn actigraphy. Nighttime sleep duration will be calculated for each night using actigraphy-defined sleep intervals (supplemented by the Consensus Sleep Diary to define time-in-bed). The primary comparison is the mean nightly sleep duration during the 4-week baseline period versus the 4-week intervention period within participants.	Baseline (Weeks 1-4) vs Intervention (Weeks 5-8)
Change in Average Daily Melanopic Equivalent Daylight Illuminance	Average daily melanopic equivalent daylight illuminance (melanopic EDI, lux) derived from full spectral power distribution measurements (350-780 nm) recorded by a wearable light sensor. Values will be averaged across the 4-week baseline and 4-week intervention periods and compared within participants.	Baseline (Weeks 1-4) vs Intervention (Weeks 5-8)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Arizona State University
• Collaborators: Flinn Foundation
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Nina Sharp, PhD, Arizona State University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 24, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): March 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): March 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 8, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 11, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): March 17, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 28, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 23, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Migraine; Sleep; Photophobia; Lighting
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neurologic Manifestations; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Eye Diseases; Headache Disorders, Primary; Headache Disorders; Vision Disorders; Sensation Disorders; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Signs and Symptoms; Migraine Disorders; Photophobia
• Other Study ID Numbers: STUDY00023649

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED
• IPD Plan Description: Individual participant data (IPD) sharing has not yet been determined. De-identified data may be considered for sharing with qualified researchers following publication of primary study results, subject to institutional policies, data use agreements, and protection of participant confidentiality. Decisions regarding data sharing will take into account future research plans.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No