To better treat and prevent depression, we need to understand more about the brain and body. Interestingly, some studies have identified an association between depressive symptoms and body temperature, but the small sample size leaves much room for doubt.
In a more recent study published in February, researchers led by a team from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) analyzed data from 20,880 people collected over a period of seven months and confirmed that depressed subjects had high body temperatures.
The study, which drew participants from 106 countries, was insufficient to show that high body temperature causes depression or that depression actually causes body heat.
However, it does suggest that there is a relationship here that needs to be explored. If something as simple as keeping cool can help with symptoms of depression, it could help millions of people around the world.
UCSF psychiatrist Ashley Mason says “To our knowledge, there are several studies to date examining the association between body temperature assessed using wearable sensors and self-report methods and depressive symptoms in a wide geographic sample”.
According to researchers, there may be several reasons for the connection. Depression may be related to metabolic processes that produce excess heat or to dysfunctional biological cooling functions.
Or it can be a general cause, such as mental stress or inflammation, which specifically affects body temperature and depressive symptoms.
That is something that future researchers can investigate. For now, we know that depression is a complex and multifaceted condition, possibly with multiple triggers, and body temperature can play a role.
Previous research has found that hot tubs and saunas can reduce symptoms of depression, albeit in small sample groups. Cooling yourself through the skin can also have a psychological effect.
Mason said “Ironically, warming people can cause a longer drop in body temperature than people who cool them down immediately, like ice, What if we could better control the body temperature of depressed people with temporary heat-based treatments?”
Research data show that average body temperature increases with the severity of self-reported depressive symptoms. There is also some association between high depression scores and diurnal temperature variability, but it did not reach statistical significance.
With an estimated 5 percent of people worldwide living with depression, efforts to understand and effectively treat it are more important than ever. Each new discovery brings more hope for solving the problem.
“Given that depression is on the rise in the US, we’re excited to see a new approach to treatment,” Mason said. This research was published in Scientific Reports.
