Could a single sauna session lift depression and anxiety?
NCT ID NCT06144294
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study investigates whether a single session of whole-body hyperthermia (using an infrared sauna) can quickly improve symptoms of depression and anxiety. Researchers will measure brain activity, inflammation, and mood changes in four groups: healthy postpartum women, postpartum women with depression, healthy adults, and adults with major depression or anxiety. The goal is to understand how heat therapy might work in the brain and whether it is a feasible treatment for postpartum depression.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Whole-body hyperthermia (infrared sauna)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a fast-acting, non-drug option for treating depression and anxiety, including postpartum depression.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage study exploring mechanisms, not a proven treatment. The effect may be small or temporary, and sauna use carries risks like overheating or dehydration.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 240 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Jun 2028
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2032
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 50 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria * Group 2 * Arm 1: Healthy women or transgender men 18-50 years of age, ≤ 6 months postpartum * Arm 2: Women and transgender men 18-50 years of age, ≤ 6 months postpartum, meeting criteria for a major depressive episode in the postpartum period on the MINI. * Arm 3: Healthy adults of both sexes 18-50 years of age. * Arm 4: Adults of both sexes 18-50 years of age meeting criteria for an episode of major depression or generalized anxiety disorder on the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) * Group 2: Sub-study * Subjects enrolled in Group 2 are eligible for an optional additional sub-study (Group 2: Sub-study); inclusion criteria are the same as for Group 2. Exclusion criteria for all: * For logistics, we will exclude individuals with BMI \>30 and waist size \> 35, who may not fit comfortably in the sauna dome for all cohorts described above. * For contraindications to hyperthermia, we will exclude from all cohorts listed above, individuals with severe cardiovascular disease, including congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, uncontrolled hypertension, and hypotension; pregnancy; active substance use disorders; recent major injuries or surgeries (\<1 week prior); impaired sweating (those with multiple sclerosis, diabetes mellitus with neuropathy, central nervous system disease, heat insensitivity); a history or family history of malignant hyperthermia, fever or active signs of infection; taking medications that may have interactions with hyperthermia (for example, barbiturates, diuretics, and beta blockers) and the use of an antipyretic or anihistamine medication in the 12 hours prior to the WBH intervention. Individuals with above mentioned conditions will be excluded since either WBH might deteriorate their conditions or it is unknown how their condition will be affected by WBH. * For contraindications to immune analyses, we will exclude individuals with conditions that might affect immune analyses, including individuals with known active autoimmune or endocrine disease and individuals with active infection at baseline. Additional exclusion criteria by cohort or applicable study group: * Group 2 * Arm 1: For psychiatric contraindications, we will exclude individuals with a history of psychiatric disorders as assessed by MINI since the cohort will consist of mentally healthy individuals as a control group. * Arm 2: For psychiatric contraindications, we will exclude individuals with bipolar disorder or other Axis I psychiatric disorders except depressive and anxiety disorders and individuals taking antidepressants who are unwilling to hold antidepressant dose steady from recruitment through study termination. In this cohort we exclude individuals with other psychiatric disorders except depressive and anxiety disorders to rule out the effect of other psychiatric diseases on the outcome. * Arm 3: For psychiatric contraindications, we will exclude individuals with a history of psychiatric disorders as assessed by MINI since the cohort will consist of mentally healthy individuals as a control group. * Arm 4: For psychiatric contraindications, we will exclude individuals with bipolar disorder or other Axis I psychiatric disorders except depressive and anxiety disorders and individuals taking antidepressants who are unwilling to hold antidepressant dose steady from recruitment through study termination. In this cohort we exclude individuals with other psychiatric disorders except depressive and anxiety disorders to rule out the effect of other psychiatric diseases on the outcome. * Group 2 and Group 2: Sub-study - All participants * For contraindications to use of the e-Celsius capsule that will be used to measure core temperature, we will exclude individuals with pacemakers or any other electric medical implant, individuals with a current intestinal disorder that could lead to obstruction of the digestive tract including gastroparesis, individuals with history of diverticula, individuals with history of past surgical procedures in the gastrointestinal tract, individuals with a swallowing disorder and individuals with Crohn's disease. * Study Group 3 - All participants * For contraindications to MRI, individuals with metal in the body will be excluded from participating in the MRI portion of the research since magnetic fields in MRI scanners can cause dangerous interactions in patients with metallic foreign bodies: projectile effect, twisting, burning, artifacts, and device malfunction (interference with a pacemaker).
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Weill Cornell Medicine
New York, New York, 10021, United States
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