One Small Change Makes Antidepressants Much More Effective

Depression and sleep have a complicated but close relationship: Studies suggest as many as 75 percent of people with depression also have symptoms of insomnia. And other research suggests having insomnia makes you up to 10 times more likely to be depressed. Althought that sounds like an endless feedback loop for feeling sick and tired, it actually might be good news for those looking to improve their treatment: A new study found that getting two extra hours in bed made patients who took antidepressants twice as likely to have improved depression symptoms.   The study was relatively small, but provides important evidence that sleep could help antidepressant medications work better, said co-author J. Todd Arnedt, director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program at the University of Michigan Medical School. That’s particularly important because up to 40 percent of people don’t respond to antidepressants in a meaningful way, so a complementary therapy that boosts how well the medications work could help a significant number of people. The study followed a group of 68 adults with moderate or severe depression as they took the same antidepressant (Prozac) over the course of eight weeks. For the first two weeks of the study, the individuals were assigned to spend either eight or six hours total in bed, following specific bedtimes and wake times. At the end of eight weeks, 63 percent of the individuals who had spent eight hours per nigh...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news