Saunas Are the Next Frontier in Fighting Depression
May 16, 2024
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Discover how sauna therapy is being explored as a potential treatment for depression, backed by promising clinical trial results. Dive into the benefits of heat therapy on mood regulation, thermoregulation, and circadian rhythms, offering a new approach to mental health treatment.
Sauna therapy shows promise in reducing depression symptoms through heat exposure.
Combination of cognitive behavioral therapy and heat sessions can lead to significant drop in depression scores.
Deep dives
Connection Between Body Temperature and Depression
Noticing a correlation between body temperature and depression, researchers explore the idea of using heat exposure to combat depressive symptoms. Studies show that when depression improves, body temperature normalizes, prompting the investigation of how changing body temperature affects depression symptoms.
Preliminary Results on Heat Therapy for Depression
Preliminary results from a small study suggest that whole-body hyperthermia treatment may significantly reduce depression symptoms. Participants showed an average drop of 15.8 points in depression scores after undergoing a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and heat sessions.
Exploring Heat Therapy as a Potential Depression Treatment
Researchers believe heat therapy could be a promising avenue for treating depression, especially for individuals who do not respond to traditional treatments. While further research is needed to validate these findings, the potential benefits of heat therapy in easing depressive symptoms are encouraging for the future of mental health treatments.
The preliminary results of a clinical trial of using heat exposure to combat depression are in—and are fueling cautious optimism that sauna practice could become an accepted treatment.