Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 29, 2025
Author Spotlight: Unveiling the Connection Between Sleep Disorders and Cognitive Symptoms in Depression
Published on: April 26, 2024
The acute effects of aerobic exercise on sleep in patients with unipolar depression: a randomized controlled trial
Gavin Brupbacher1,2, Thea Zander-Schellenberg3, Doris Straus2
1Division of Sports and Exercise Medicine, Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Study Objectives:
Insomnia increases the risk of negative disease trajectory, relapse, and suicide in patients with depression. We aimed at investigating the effects of a single bout of aerobic exercise, performed after 02:00 pm, on the subsequent night's sleep in patients with depression.
Methods:
The study was designed as a two-arm parallel-group, randomized, outcome assessor-blinded, controlled, superiority trial. Patients between 18 and 65 years of age with a primary diagnosis of unipolar depression were included. The intervention was a single 30-minute bout of moderate aerobic exercise. The control group sat and read for 30 minutes. The primary outcome was sleep efficiency measured by polysomnography. Secondary outcomes were other polysomnographic variables, subjective sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, mood states, and adverse events.
Results:
Ninety-two patients were randomized to the exercise (N = 46) or control group (N = 46). There were no clinically relevant differences at baseline. Intent-to-treat analysis ANCOVA of follow-up sleep efficiency, adjusted for baseline levels and minimization factors, did not detect a significant effect of the allocation (β = -0.93, p = 0.59). There was no evidence for significant differences between both groups in any other objective or subjective sleep outcomes, daytime sleepiness, or adverse events. The intervention had an immediate positive effect on mood states, including depressiveness (β = -0.40, p = 0.003).
Conclusions:
This is the first trial to study the effects of a single bout of aerobic exercise on sleep in patients with depression to the best of our knowledge. Aerobic exercise had no effect on sleep efficiency but had a strong beneficial effect on mood and did not increase adverse outcomes. These results add to the growing body of evidence that, contrary to sleep hygiene recommendations, exercise after 02:00 pm is not detrimental for sleep.
Clinical Trial Registration:
Clinicaltrials.gov, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03673397. Protocol registered on September 17, 2018.
More Related Videos
08:08Eye Tracking, Cortisol, and a Sleep vs. Wake Consolidation Delay: Combining Methods to Uncover an Interactive Effect of Sleep and Cortisol on Memory
Published on: June 18, 2014
06:23A Chronic Sleep Fragmentation Model using Vibrating Orbital Rotor to Induce Cognitive Deficit and Anxiety-Like Behavior in Young Wild-Type Mice
Published on: September 22, 2020
Related Concept Videos
01:24Substance Use Disorders Affecting Sleep
Understanding the concepts of physical dependence,...
01:13Insufficient Sleep and Sleep Deprivation
Sleep deprivation is a more severe form of sleep loss...
01:17Sedatives and Hypnotics Drugs: Miscellaneous Agents
Melatonin congeners like ramelteon (Rozerem) and tasimelteon (Hetlioz) selectively bind to melatonin receptors (MT1 and MT2) and thus mimic the actions of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles. Tasimelteon is primarily used for non-24-hour sleep-wake disorder, common in blind patients. They are also used to treat conditions like insomnia...
01:19Management of Insomnia
01:21Sleep Apnea
The condition is more prevalent among...