The Acute Effects of Aerobic Exercise on Nocturnal and Pre-Sleep Arousal in Patients with Unipolar Depression: Preplanned Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial

Journal of Clinical Medicine

Roland von Känel¹  Thea Zander-Schellenberg²  Markus Gerber³  Gavin Brupbacher⁴  Arno Schmidt-Trucksäss⁴  Denis Infanger⁴  Doris Straus⁵  Hildburg Porschke⁵ 

[1] Department of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital Zurich, Culmannstrasse 8, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland;Department of Psychology, Division of Clinical Psychology and Epidemiology, University of Basel, 4055 Basel, Switzerland;Division of Sport and Psychosocial Health, Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, Birsstrasse 320 B, 4052 Basel, Switzerland;Division of Sports and Exercise Medicine, Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, Birsstrasse 320 B, 4052 Basel, Switzerland;OBERWAID AG, Rorschacher Strasse 311, 9016 St. Gallen, Switzerland;

关键词: aerobic exercise;    depression;    heart rate variability;    polysomnography;    sleep;    pre-sleep;   

DOI  :  10.3390/jcm10174028

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Unipolar depression is associated with insomnia and autonomic arousal. The aim of this study was to quantify the effect of a single bout of aerobic exercise on nocturnal heart rate variability and pre-sleep arousal in patients with depression. This study was designed as a two-arm, parallel-group, randomized, outcome assessor-blinded, controlled, superiority trial. Patients with a primary diagnosis of unipolar depression aged 18–65 years were included. The intervention consisted of a single 30 min moderate-intensity aerobic exercise bout. The control group sat and read for 30 min. The primary outcome of interest was RMSSD during the sleep period assessed with polysomnography. Secondary outcomes were additional heart rate variability outcomes during the sleep and pre-sleep period as well as subjective pre-sleep arousal. A total of 92 patients were randomized to either the exercise (N = 46) or the control (N = 46) group. Intent-to-treat analysis ANCOVA of follow-up sleep period RMSSD, adjusted for baseline levels and minimization factors, did not detect a significant effect of the allocation (β = 0.12, p = 0.94). There was no evidence for significant differences between both groups in any other heart rate variability measure nor in measures of cognitive or somatic pre-sleep arousal. As this is the first trial of its kind in this population, the findings need to be confirmed in further studies. Patients with depression should be encouraged to exercise regularly in order to profit from the known benefits on sleep and depressive symptoms, which are supported by extensive literature.

【 授权许可】

Unknown