Whole-Body Hyperthermia as Novel Antidepressant Therapy: Review
Can heat therapy treat depression?
Whole-body hyperthermia produces immediate and persistent improvements in depression symptoms, with effects lasting up to 6 weeks after a single treatment session. A comprehensive review of 11 clinical studies (including 9 randomized controlled trials) found that heat therapy works faster than traditional antidepressants, which typically require weeks to show benefits.
Heat therapy works by temporarily raising body temperature, which activates heat shock proteins, influences inflammatory pathways, and may help restore normal thermoregulation that’s often disrupted in depression.