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A few cold, dark weeks of winter, those who suffer from seasonal depression or any other type of depression tend to fight a little more than everyone else.
Fortunately, science has discovered something very simple that can relieve depression and make your days much better: hot baths.
According to a new study from the University of Freiburg in Germany, only two hot and relaxing afternoon baths a week significantly improved the symptoms of depression and were apparently even more effective than exercise.
For the study, the researchers estimated that 45 people with depression had been immersed in a bath at 30 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes, then wrapped in blankets and hot water bottles for an additional 20 minutes twice a week. or between 40 and 45 minutes of aerobic exercise twice a week.
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After eight weeks, both groups scored lower on a commonly used depression scale, but those who taking baths scored significantly less than the exercise group with an average of six points less than an average of three points, respectively.
The reason hot baths help relieve depression, according to New Scientist, this is because they help to normalize and strengthen your natural circadian rhythm, which corresponds to the 24-hour cycle of our physiological functions and processes.
In people with depression, circadian rhythms are unbalanced and, instead of increasing their body temperature during the day and decreasing during the night (which causes the release of melatonin at night), their core temperature remains approximately the same. throughout the day. fluctuations are delayed by several hours.
Maxim
That said, hot baths increase body temperature, helping the physiology of people with depression to return to normal.
However, we do not all have time to take a soothing and long bath in the afternoon twice a week. So for those who do not have the luxury of booking a "hot bath time", here are some options to create a similar effect:
- Take a hot shower
- If you are at work, fill a bottle with hot water and hold it against your abdomen
- If you go to the gym in the afternoons, use the steam room and / or the sauna
- Relax in a jacuzzi
But I would like to note that these suggestions are not scientifically studied, but are simply enlightened recommendations for increasing your core temperature.
In addition, "depression is thought to be related to low levels of serotonin, a brain signaling molecule, and research in rats has shown that serotonin-releasing neurons are connected to regions of the fire that control the brain." ;mood in response to the increase in body temperature, "says the Guardian.
More research is needed to really understand why hot baths help improve depression. But anything that works, especially if it involves doing nothing else than soaking.
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