To better treat and prevent depression, we need to understand more about the brain and body in which it occurs.
Strangely enough, a handful of studies have identified links Despite the influence between depression symptoms and body temperature, the small sample size leaves too much room for doubt.
Researchers led by a team from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) analyzed data from 20,880 people collected over a seven-month period and found that people with depression tend to have higher body temperatures.
Although the study, which included participants from 106 countries, is thorough, it is not sufficient to show that increased body temperature causes depression, or that depression actually makes the body warmer.
However, it does suggest that there is a connection here that is worth investigating. If something as simple as staying cool could address the symptoms of depression, it could help millions of people around the world.
“To our knowledge, this is the largest study to date investigating the association between body temperature, assessed using both self-report methods and wearable sensors, and depressive symptoms in a geographically wide sample. is.” To tell Ashley Mason, a psychiatrist at UCSF.
Researchers say there could be a variety of reasons for the association. Perhaps depression is related to metabolic processes that generate excess heat, or to cooling biological functions that are not functioning properly. Or there may be common causes such as: mental stress or inflammation that affects both body temperature and depressive symptoms separately.
That could be investigated in future studies. We now know that depression is a complex and multifaceted condition, likely to have a variety of triggers, and that body temperature may play a role.
Previous research found that hot tubs and saunas may reduce symptoms of depression, albeit in a small sample group. This is caused by self-cooling through sweating, and may also have psychological effects.
“Ironically, actually warming a person can cause a reactionary drop in body temperature that lasts longer than directly cooling the person, such as with an ice bath.” To tell Masonry. “What if we could track the body temperature of depressed patients and time their heat therapy appropriately?”
According to the study data, as self-reported depression symptoms became more severe, average body temperature also increased. There was also some association between higher depression scores and lower daily temperature variation, but not at a statistically significant level.
around and 5% of people With people around the world believed to be living with depression, the need to understand and effectively treat depression has never been more urgent. Each new discovery brings further hope in tackling the problem.
“Given the rising incidence of depression in the United States, we are excited about the possibility of new treatments.” To tell Masonry.
This study scientific report.
