Crazy ideas for low mood and mild depression

If you are suffering from low mood or mild depression, you could try the tips here and here.

But, if you fancy trying a more crazy solution, here are some more off the wall ideas. Instead of trying to fight against the symptoms of low mood, they approach the problem from a different angle. Perhaps your symptoms might be your body’s way of giving you a clue about how to treat your depression.

Please don’t stop taking any medication you may be on, though, and do take care if you are thinking of trying any of these ideas.  Make sure you talk them through with your GP, counsellor or a friend beforehand.  Stop immediately if you have any concerns.

Sleep deprivation

Sleep deprivation is being looked at in scientific trials to see whether it can help treat depression. The idea is to try to reset your body clock, as it might have got out of sync. If you find that your low mood or depression is accompanied by difficulties in sleeping, and you find your mood fluctuates during the day, this could be something you might be interested in.

The method currently being studied is:

• Go without sleep completely for the first night (night 1)
• Go to bed at 5pm the next day, and get up at 1am (night 2)
• That night go to bed at 7pm (night 3)
• The next night, go to bed at 9pm (night 4)
• Each morning at 7am, shine a bright white light on your face
• From night 5 onwards you should be able to return to your normal sleep pattern

However, it is important to note that sleep deprivation can be linked to suicidal thoughts.  Make sure that you talk to someone before you think about trying this, and have someone who can check up on you whilst you are trying it out.

Eat more porridge

Recent studies suggest that there is a close link between the health of your gut and your mood.  For most people, trying to eat a diet is low in processed food should  reduce inflammation in the gut, and may lead to an improvement in mood.  Eating more soluble fibre found in oats is a great way to improve the health of your gut, so try adding porridge or flapjacks to your diet.  To improve your gut bacteria, you could try eating probiotic yoghurts.  Other recent studies have suggested eating a Mediterranean diet and that eating insects may increase the variety of good bacteria in your gut.  Other studies have shown that eating more fruit and vegetables could help prevent depression.  But generally just making sure that you eat a wide variety of different foods should do the same thing.  Everyone is different, though, so try listening to your body.  Think back to when you felt good – were you eating anything different?  Go with whatever works for you.

Poo transplant

Recent studies have suggested that poo transplantation is more effective than probiotic yoghurts in improving the bacteria in your gut. An article in the journal Cell in 2018 compared the effectiveness of probiotic yoghurts and poo transplantation in reducing cases of diarrhoea and vomiting in patients after taking antibiotics.  They found that eating probiotic yoghurts reduced the speed with which the good bacteria in the gut recovered, whilst poo transplantation led to a quick recovery.

This compares to earlier research in 2008 which showed that patients who had taken antibiotics and were given Actimel probiotic yoghurt were less likely to develop diarrhoea and vomiting.

Poo transplantation (scientific name autologous faecal microbiome transplantation or aFMT) is being explored in the USA. It can involve either donor poo being cleaned in a lab and then administered into the patient in an enema, or having the donor poo freeze dried and made into a pill.

Cold water swimming

A theory is emerging that cold water swimming could reduce the chronic stress response that can cause depression and inflammatory complaints in some people.  This is one you should only try if you can swim, and you should also make sure that you take someone else with you.  See the Outdoor Swimming Society website for more safety advice.  If you don’t fancy swimming outdoors, a trial found that cold showers helped to relieve feelings of low mood.  The trial was based on having a cold shower once or twice a day for several weeks (over 5 minutes reduce the water temperature  of the shower to 20 degrees C, and keep it like that for 2-3 minutes).  The study only involved a small number of people, but cold showers are easier to try than outdoor swimming.

Lift weights

A study published by the JAMA Psychiatry found that resistance exercise training was associated with a significant reduction in the symptoms of depression.  Resistance training includes weight training, and any other exercise where you lift or pull against anything, including your own body weight.

Cannabidiol

Cannabidiol is a component of marijuana, but does not cause a high.  It has been claimed to have a wide-range of health benefits, but there is little scientific evidence to back them up.  One of the health benefits claimed  is that it can improve mood.  If you suffer from bloating and other IBS type symptoms, it might be worth trying.  You can currently buy CBD+ Oil from Holland & Barrett in the UK.

Lavender

Lavender has a long association with improving mood.  Why not try some aromatherapy, or treat yourself to some lavender products.

Yoga

A trial at the University of California found that yoga (specifically kundalini yoga, which has an emphasis on breathing exercises and meditation) improved symptoms of depression and anxiety.  Those with the most severe symptoms had the least benefit, though.