People with depression have higher body temperature: study

Mental Health

By Brooke Steinberg

Published
Feb. 6, 2024, 4:07 p.m. ET

A recent study found that individuals with depression have higher body temperatures, offering potential new insights into managing the disorder.

The study, published in Scientific Reports, does not conclusively determine whether depression causes higher body temperatures or if higher temperatures can cause depression. However, it suggests that there may be mental health benefits to reducing the temperatures of those with depression.

Researchers from UC San Diego and UC San Francisco analyzed data from over 20,000 participants worldwide who used an Oura ring to monitor body temperature.

Results indicated that as the severity of depression symptoms increased, the participants’ body temperatures also rose.

The data also revealed a trend indicating that individuals with less fluctuation in body temperature over 24 hours tended to have higher depression scores, but these findings were not statistically significant.

It remains uncertain whether the elevated body temperature in people with depression is a result of an inability to self-cool and/or an increased generation of heat from metabolic processes.

Participants reported their body temperatures and depression symptoms daily. The study, which began in early 2020 and spanned seven months, involved data from 106 countries.

Dr. Ashley Mason, lead author of the study and associate professor of psychiatry at UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, stated in a release, “To our knowledge, this is the largest study to date to examine the association between body temperature — assessed using both self-report methods and wearable sensors — and depressive symptoms in a geographically broad sample.”

“Given the climbing rates of depression in the United States, we’re excited by the possibilities of a new avenue for treatment.”

People with depression have higher body temperatures, a new study found. DimaBerlin – stock.adobe.com

An exhaustive study of more than 20,000 people showed that higher than normal body temperature is consistently found in people who suffer strong symptoms of clinical depression. This knowledge may lead to new ways of treating the disorder. Researchers at UC San Diego and UC San Francisco looked at data from more than 20,000 international participants who wore an Oura ring to measure body temperature. Oura Health

Dr. Mason, who is also a clinical psychologist at the UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Health, highlighted how the findings can offer insights into how depression treatments might function.

Some causal studies have indicated that using hot tubs or saunas can help alleviate depression symptoms, possibly by inducing the body to cool itself through sweating, the news release explained.

“Ironically, heating individuals up could potentially result in a longer-lasting rebound in lowering body temperature compared to directly cooling people, such as through an ice bath,” added Mason. “What if we can monitor the body temperature of individuals with depression to time heat-based treatments effectively?”

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