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Health

Hot baths could improve depression as much as physical exercise

By Clare Wilson

22 October 2018

A rubber duck in a bubble bath

Hot baths seem to have a therapeutic effect on depression

Frank Muckenheim/Plainpicture

Long soaks in a hot bath could help with depression. A small study has found that afternoon baths just twice a week produce a moderate but persistent lift to mood. The size of the benefit was similar to that seen with physical exercise, which is a recommended therapy for mild or moderate depression.

The method could work because raising body temperature in the afternoon helps restore the normal circadian rhythm of temperature, which is often disturbed in people with depression. The …

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