Study Finds Hot Yoga Can Ease Depression Symptoms

We are happy to tell you some good news. Just one hot yoga session a week may help reduce symptoms of depression, according to results of a clinical trial.

However, to feel the benefits, you will have to endure temperatures of up to 40.5 degrees Celsius while performing poses and breathing exercises in hot and humid conditions. Naturally, this can lead to considerable sweating.

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THE studyfound that adults with moderate to severe depression had “significantly greater” reductions in depressive symptoms compared to a control group who did not participate in the sessions.

The eight-week trial, led by Massachusetts General Hospital, divided the 80 adults into two randomized groups.

Half underwent 90-minute hot yoga – or Bikram – sessions twice a week, while the other group was told they were placed on a waiting list and received no treatment.

Overall, those who participated completed an average of 10.3 classes over eight weeks.

Researchers found that nearly 60 percent of hot yoga participants experienced a 50 percent or more decrease in their symptoms, compared to just 6.3 percent of waitlist participants.

They also found that 44 percent of those who took the yoga classes saw such a dramatic improvement in their symptoms that they were no longer classified as depressed, compared to just 6 percent of the waiting list group. .

The team said depressive symptoms were reduced even in participants who received only half the prescribed “dose”, suggesting that hot yoga sessions just once a week could be beneficial.

Yoga and heat-based interventions could potentially change the course of treatment for patients with depression by offering a non-drug approach with added physical benefits to boot, said Maren Nyer, assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and lead author of the study.

We are developing new studies with the goal of determining the specific contributions of each element, heat and yoga, to the clinical effects we have observed in depression.

Which European country uses the most antidepressants?

According to data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), consumption of antidepressants increased by almost two and a half times between 2000 and 2020 in 18 European countries.

There has also been a dramatic increase in anxiety and depression during the COVID19 pandemic.

France saw the smallest increase in antidepressant consumption during this period – 38 percent – although it was starting from a relatively high level.

The UK saw an increase of 256 percent while Spain and Germany saw an increase of 208 percent and 200 percent during the same period.

Meanwhile, in 2020, Iceland had the highest consumption rate of anti-AD pharmaceuticals per 1,000 people per day with 153 defined daily doses (DDD), followed by Portugal (131 DDD), the Kingdom -United (108 DDD in 2017), Sweden (105 DDD) and Spain (87 DDD).

Consumption of AD drugs increased by 36.5 percent between 2010 and 2020 in 24 European countries. Denmark was the only country to see a decline – with a drop of 4 percent.

An alternative to antidepressants

It may be too early to say whether hot yoga should be offered as an adjunct to existing treatments, such as antidepressants.

But he isalleged to increase flexibility and improve strength, balance and body composition as well as aerobic fitness.

The warmer environment is said to make it easier for your muscles to stretch, although there is a risk of overstretching.

Typically practiced in a calming environment, it has also long been considered a good way to reduce stress and improve your sense of well-being, particularly insedentary and stressed adults.

Several independents studiesfound that hot yoga was effective in reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Encouraging you to focus on deep breathing,could also help with your stress level.

Although the evidence is still limited – particularly when it comes to aerobic improvements – it seems clear that there are many benefits to be gained from practicing hot yoga.