Morning light may ease OCD symptoms in night owls
NCT ID NCT06720090
First seen Jul 06, 2026 · Last updated Aug 19, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This study tests whether wearing light therapy glasses for one hour each morning can reduce obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms in young adults (ages 18–35) who go to bed at 1 a.m. or later. Participants wear the glasses daily for five weeks, track their sleep, and complete OCD symptom questionnaires. The goal is to see if advancing the body's internal clock with morning light can ease repetitive thoughts and behaviors.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- light therapy
- What this could lead to
- If effective, light therapy could offer a simple, drug-free way to ease OCD symptoms for people with late bedtimes.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early, small trial (40 people) testing a behavioral intervention. Results may not apply to all OCD patients, and the effect on symptoms may be modest or absent.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Early phase 1
The earliest testing in people: a first look at safety, in a very small group.
- Participants
-
About 40 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Dec 2024
- Expected to finish
-
Mar 2029
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
-
17 to 35 years
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Primary DSM-5 OCD diagnosis 2. Bedtime 0100 or later 3. Age 18-35 4. English speaking Exclusion Criteria: 1. Subjects must not be currently participating in another research study that would influence their participation in our study. 2. Diagnostic status 3. Treatment status 4. Night shift work or travel more than 1 time zone outside of Central Standard Time (CST) in the past month 5. Pregnancy status 6. Medication status 7. Regular nicotine or marijuana use
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for OCD are added.
By submitting, you agree to our Terms of use
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
-
The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Washington University
RECRUITINGSt Louis, Missouri, 63130, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Watching the brain and body during OCD triggers: a window into the disorder
- Can continued therapy keep OCD symptoms at bay?
- Sound waves to the brain: a new hope for Tough-to-Treat OCD?
- Retraining the brain: could a Thought-Focused app ease OCD?
- Could a single brain target treat depression, anxiety, and OCD at once?
- Brain scans and Decision-Making tasks aim to uncover OCD's hidden markers