Effects of hyperthermic baths on depression, sleep and heart rate variability in patients with depressive disorder: a randomized clinical pilot trial.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Individual randomized controlled trial
PubMed 28351399 · doi:10.1186/s12906-017-1676-5
What was done
A randomized, two-arm, placebo-controlled 8-week pilot trial evaluated the effect of hyperthermic baths on depressive symptoms in medically stable outpatients with moderate depressive disorder (ICD-10: F32/F33; 17-item HAM-D score ≥18). A total of 36 participants were randomly allocated to either twice-weekly hyperthermic baths (40 °C) for 4 weeks (n = 17) or a sham green-light intervention (n = 19), with a 4-week follow-up. The primary outcome was the change in total HAM-D score from baseline (T0) to week 2 (T1, after 4 interventions).
What was found
Intention-to-treat analysis showed a statistically significant difference in HAM-D score reduction favoring the hyperthermic bath group over the sham group by 3.14 points at 2 weeks (P = .037).
Why it matters
This study provides preliminary evidence that hyperthermic baths may serve as an accessible non-pharmacological intervention for reducing depressive symptoms.
Limits
The trial had a small sample size (n = 36) and was retrospectively registered. The abstract reports data only for the 2-week midpoint rather than the full 4-week intervention or 8-week trial duration, and reports no numeric data for sleep or heart rate variability outcomes mentioned in the title.
Cited by
- supports A 2017 study found that hot bath sessions improved depressive symptoms at two weeks, with the symptom reduction fading somewhat by four weeks.