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The Mood Benefits Of Heat Therapy May Rival That Of Cold, New Research Says

Hannah Frye
Author:
February 27, 2024
Hannah Frye
Assistant Beauty & Health Editor
By Hannah Frye
Assistant Beauty & Health Editor
Hannah Frye is the Assistant Beauty Editor at mindbodygreen. She has a B.S. in journalism and a minor in women’s, gender, and queer studies from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Hannah has written across lifestyle sections including health, wellness, sustainability, personal development, and more.
Happy Woman Laughing on the beach
Image by Michaela Ravasio / Stocksy
February 27, 2024

Ice bathing, cold showers, and cryotherapy are all the rage these days—and for good reason. Cold water immersion triggers the release of a variety of neurotransmitters1, among them dopamine2—a happy hormone that elicits feelings of pleasure. But while cold plunging can be mood-boosting, it's not accessible (or enjoyable!) for everyone. 

Luckily, another form of temperature therapy may help you feel more positive emotions too, without all the shivering. 

Heat therapy may help support depression treatment

A new study published in the journal Scientific Reports revealed a significant association between higher depression severity and higher body temperature3

To reach these findings, researchers collected data from over 20,000 participants over seven months using self-reported and wearable body temperature measurements. 

Interestingly, the change in body temperature from sleep to waking was smaller for those with more severe depression, given their sleep body temperatures were higher to begin with. 

These findings highlight the potential for refocusing depression treatment on lowering body temperature.

And it may sound counterintuitive, but raising your body temperature temporarily could actually allow it to cool in the long run. This is thanks to the body's counter-cooling process. Researchers from this study state that heat therapy approaches like infrared sauna lamps4, warm baths, and hot yoga have all been shown to have antidepressant effects, warranting these relatively harm-free mood interventions to consider. 

Previous research has also touted heat therapy as a possible depression treatment4, but more research is needed to determine which heat therapy forms are best for this purpose. 

Now, while this finding is both interesting and exciting for the future of depression treatment, it's not a reason to completely shut out antidepressant medication, given that these drugs can be lifesaving and well-tolerated by many people. However, it offers a first step for those seeking treatment outside of pharmaceuticals and provides a strong base for more research on alternative therapies. 

The takeaway

A new study revealed a significant association between higher depression severity and higher body temperature. Researchers suggest that heat therapy, which actually results in body cooling, may be a beneficial addition to depression treatment. Read up on the type of heat therapy with the most research behind it here.

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