Exercise May Be the Key to Reducing Daytime Sleepiness

Exercise May Be the Key to Reducing Daytime Sleepiness

According to research from the UT Southwestern Medical Center’s Center for Depression Research and Clinical Care, exercise can help reduce the feeling of daytime sleepiness in people with depression. The study looked at blood samples to identify two proteins that cause extensive daytime sleepiness as well as the need to sleep too much at night. They found that exercise reduced the level of these proteins in people with Major Depressive Disorder.

“Researchers had previously found a negative loop in which sleep, inflammation and depression interact and progressively worsen. The results of the current and previous research on insomnia suggest that exercise may be resetting this negative feedback loop, said Dr. Trivedi, who holds the Betty Jo Hay Distinguished Chair in Mental Health, and received the 2015 American Psychiatric Association Award for Research, the Association’s most significant award for research.” – Science Daily

The findings were published in Translational Psychiatry, a Nature Publication Group. Read more about the study and the potential for exercise as a treatment for certain depression symptoms at Science Daily.