Daily light exposure habits of youth with migraine: A prospective pilot study

TL;DR

This study explores how youth with migraines are exposed to light and finds they avoid light, especially before bed, which may affect their migraine patterns.

Contribution

The study introduces a novel approach to measuring light exposure in youth with migraines using wearable devices and text-based diaries.

Findings

Youth with migraines received recommended light exposure only 14.5% of daylight hours.

Participants were below recommended light levels 3 hours before bed and at night.

Chronic migraine youth showed a 60-minute phase shift in light exposure patterns.

Abstract

Photophobia is a common symptom in youth with migraine, but it is unknown if it leads to light avoidant behavior, and if such behaviors worsen disease burden. We conducted a feasibility study between November and March 2024 measuring light exposure using wearable light logger pendants in 20 youth with migraine (10–21 years old) while migraine symptoms were tracked with a text-based daily diary. On average, participants received recommended light exposure during only 14.5% +/− SD 7.0 of daylight hours but were consistently below the recommended maximum light levels 3 hours prior to bed (77.5% +/− 21.6 of the time), and at night (99.1% +/− 2.9 of the time). Daily light exposure patterns that were phase shifted 60 minutes later in youth with chronic (compared to non-chronic) migraine. Measuring daily light exposure is feasible in pediatric populations with photophobia and reveals intriguing trends that warrant further study.

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