The strange method that helps Selena Gomez reduce depression

After being diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2018, the 32-year-old singer and actress found her own ways to improve her mental health. Selena Gomez uses somewhat unusual therapies, such as cold showers and full-body heat. In an interview with Vanity Fair On September 10, she shared that she has “tools and routines” for self-care. The singer uses heat as a “healing mechanism.”

Having suffered from depression, anxiety and panic attacks, she loved the feeling of cold water on her skin and basking in the heat from a heater. It may sound strange, but studies have shown that both cold and hot temperatures are key to improving mood.

Depression is a mood disorder that causes feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed. This state lasts for a long time and can affect a person’s ability to function on a daily basis.

Although it may not be pleasant, taking a cold shower can help improve your mood. A 2007 study by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine found that taking cold showers twice a week significantly reduced symptoms of depression. Exposing your body to cold temperatures activates your nervous system and increases blood flow to your brain, which stimulates the release of noradrenaline, a neurotransmitter that has a positive effect on mood.

Some studies have also found that dopamine levels in the body spike after exposure to cold water. This is the hormone that creates feelings of pleasure, excitement, and happiness. The antidepressant effect is due to the water coming into contact with cold receptors in the skin. These heat receptors send electrical impulses to the brain, which can trigger pain-relieving effects, according to a 2014 study on the effects of hydrotherapy.

In addition, a medical report indicates that open-water swimming is also a treatment for depression. Professor Michael Tipton, a physiologist at the University of Portsmouth, describes the case of a 24-year-old woman who suffered from anxiety for many years and then developed depression. After taking many medications that did not work, she was recommended to swim in cold water once a week.

“This method resulted in an immediate improvement in mood after each swim, gradually reducing depressive symptoms,” the doctors wrote. A year later, she still needs no medication.

In addition to cold showers, singer Selena Gomez also feels better when using a heater. This is a form of relaxation that helps her improve mental health issues.

A 2016 study at the University of Wisconsin tested this theory on 24 patients with major depression. Researchers heated copper coils and placed them around the patients, raising their skin temperature to 101.5 degrees Fahrenheit. They then turned off the power and allowed the patients to cool down for an hour. The study found that 60 percent of the patients responded to treatment and 40 percent met the criteria for depression remission after a single session.

Experts don’t fully understand the connection between body temperature and depression. However, some believe that higher temperatures play an important role in reducing inflammation. Others say that feeling warm helps relax the body and slow down negative thoughts.

In a 2023 study, researchers gave 12 adults with depression eight sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and four sessions of heat therapy. After the heat therapy sessions, they found that the volunteers had a 20% reduction in negative thinking. By the end of the study, 11 of the 12 adults no longer met the criteria for major depressive disorder.