Effect of Exercise and Partial Sleep Restriction on Body Weight, Depressive-Like Behavior, and Hormonal Changes in Rat

There is growing awareness that healthy sleep is an integral part of the quality of life.

The aim of this study was to examine the influence of an exercise training protocol and partial sleep restriction (SR) in male Wistar rats. We also assessed the changes in thyroxine (T4) and norepinephrine (NE) hormones.

Rats were randomly housed in four groups including without exercise without SR (Non-Ex-Non-SR), without exercise with SR (Non-Ex-SR), with exercise without SR (Ex-Non-SR), and with exercise with SR (Ex-SR). The rats in the exercise groups ran on a treadmill for four weeks. Also, the columns-in-water model was applied to induce SR for 16 hours per day for a week. Then, the depressive-like behavior was assessed with the forced swimming test (FST) and blood samples were collected to measure the serum levels of T4 and NE hormones.

Body weight gain was significantly (P < 0.05) lower in exercise groups. During the SR period, weight losses of 24.83 and 15.50 g occurred in the Non-Ex-SR and Ex-SR groups, respectively. The lowest climbing and swimming durations were observed in the Non-Ex-SR group. For sleep-restricted rats, the plasma concentration of T4 was significantly (P < 0.05) lower and the NE level was higher although statistically insignificant.

Taken together, our findings indicated that exercise can reduce the negative effects of sleep restriction. For knowing the negative effects of sleep restriction, we need more basic studies in this area.