According to France’s public health insurance agency Ameli.fr, depression, loss of enjoyment, sleep disturbances, low energy, loss of confidence, low self-esteem, and feelings of hopelessness about the future can all be signs of depression. It is said that there is.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization estimates that 5% of adults worldwide suffer from depression, citing additional symptoms such as excessive guilt and suicidal thoughts.
Now, another indicator, this time a physical indicator, can alert people to a potential depressive condition. It’s body temperature.
These are the findings of researchers at the University of California who sought to see if there was a link between body temperature and depression. Scientists analyzed data from 20,880 participants from 106 countries with an average age of 47 years.
They wore thermometers and were asked to report their body temperature and potential symptoms of depression every day for seven months.
The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, suggests that people suffering from depression have a higher body temperature. In detail, the researchers reported that participants’ body temperatures increased as depression-related symptoms worsened.
“The body temperature data also showed a tendency for people whose body temperature fluctuated less over a 24-hour period to have higher depression scores, but this finding was not significant,” explained an accompanying news release. .
However, the researchers could not determine whether the increased body temperature was a cause or a consequence of the depression. Still, this does not preclude advancing hypotheses about the possibility of “new depression treatments” that involve lowering the body temperature of those involved.
In particular, it is reminiscent of the use of a jacuzzi or sauna, as it achieves this by stimulating the body’s self-cooling.
“Ironically, when you actually warm someone up, their body temperature may drop for a longer period of time than when you directly cool them down, such as with an ice bath,” said study lead author, professor of psychiatry and clinical practice. says psychologist Ashley Mason.
“To our knowledge, this is the first study to date that has investigated the association between body temperature and depressive symptoms, assessed using both self-report methods and wearable sensors, in a geographically broad sample. This is the biggest study.
“Given the rising incidence of depression in the United States and other countries, we are excited about the possibility of new treatments,” Mason concluded.
