Exercise to overcome 'daytime sleep disorder,' suggests Indian scientist

If you're feeling sleepy in the day even after getting adequate sleep at night, it's time to start exercising as a new study claims that workout could help reduce daytime sleep disorder among depressed individuals.

Madhukar Trivedi of the UT Southwestern said that hypersomnia, as well as insomnia, had been linked in the development, treatment, and recurrence of depression, adding that sleep disturbances are also some of the most persistent symptoms in depression.

Trivedi said that identifying these biomarkers, combined with new understanding of the important role of exercise in reducing hypersomnia, had potential implications in the treatment of major depressive disorder.

The researchers were able to identify the biomarkers based on blood samples provided by participants in the Treatment with Exercise Augmentation for Depression (TREAD) study, who were randomly assigned to two types of aerobic exercise to determine the effects of exercise on their depression.

More than 100 subjects between ages of 18 to 70 suffering from Major Depression Disorder participated in the study had also agreed to provide blood samples.

Chad Rethorst of the Center for Depression Research and Clinical Care said that identification of biomarkers that uniquely predicted or correlated with improvements in hypersomnia and insomnia was an important step towards more effective treatment of (Major depressive disorder) MDD.

The study is published in the journal Translational sychiatry.