“I’m ready for anything, I just need to be properly cared for now.” In an interview with the magazine Vanity Fairreleased on September 9, Selena Gomez, currently starring inEmilia Perez by Jacques Audiard, looks back on her meteoric career, her lupus, but also her mental health. The singer and actress, who is known to suffer from bipolar disorder, says she is now focusing on sports and using certain “tools and protocols” to take care of one’s psyche.
Among them is anchoring, which is a set of simple strategies aimed at reconnecting with the present moment when stress triggers resurface. The star says: “I remind myself that I’m okay. I focus for a moment. “Where am I? I’m sitting in the office. Everyone I love is there. There’s food. I can eat something. I can take a nap here before I leave.” I immerse myself in the present.”
But Selena Gomez also uses a lesser-known protocol that has been validated by science: temperature variations. In her interview, the 32-year-old artist says she finds “cold water or soothing space heaters.” Research has already shown that temperature, whether it’s an ice bath or a hot bath, could help improve mood.
What about cold water?
In 2007, researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University (USA) had notably demonstrated that taking cold showers twice a week reduced depressive symptoms. The reason? The cold would activate the nervous system and increase blood flow to the brain, triggering the release of noradrenaline. This neurotransmitter would have a positive effect on mood. While this study was conducted on a very small group of people, others have also noted that exposure to cold water can increase dopamine, better known as the pleasure hormone.
But the antidepressant effects induced by cold water could also be due to cold receptors in the skin, according to a study carried out in 2014 on the effects of hydrotherapy. These thermoreceptors, which detect hot and cold, send electrical impulses to the brain, which could trigger an analgesic effect. “Hydrotherapy has been widely used to improve immunity and for the management of pain, CHF, MI, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma (…), anorectal disorders, fatigue, anxiety, obesity, hypercholesterolemia, hyperthermia, work, etc.” the scientists wrote, although they conceded that further research was needed on the subject.
In 2018, the documentary series The Doctor Who Gave Up Drugs (The Doctor Who Gave Up Medication) by the BBC featured a 24-year-old woman suffering from depression who was prescribed a weekly cold-water swim by her doctor. The results: four months after this unusual treatment, she was off antidepressants and her depressive symptoms had stopped. A year later, she had still not taken her medication again.
What about additional heaters?
In her interview, Selena Gomez also mentions space heaters. Here again, studies have shown that warm temperatures can have positive effects on mood. In 2016, researchers from the University of Wisconsin (USA) had supported this theory on patients suffering from severe depression. In 2023, researchers then noticed that negative thoughts in patients with depression reduced in 20% of cases after being subjected to four heating sessions in an infrared chamber.
Explanations? Some experts believe that warm temperatures could help reduce inflammation, others believe that heat relaxes the body and slows down negative thoughts. If you’re feeling down with the arrival of fall, you know what to do!
Source: www.topsante.com
