#067 Dr. Ashley Mason on Drug-free Approaches for Treating Depression, Insomnia, and Overeating

Dr. Ashley Mason is a clinical psychologist and director of the Sleep, Eating, and Affect Laboratory at the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at UCSF. Her research centers on nonpharmacological approaches for treating depression, insomnia, and overeating.

In this episode, you’ll hear Rhonda and Ashley discuss:

• 08:10 - How whole-body hyperthermia (WBH) and sauna use differ. 
• 17:06 - How people with depression have thermoregulatory dysfunction – but sauna use may correct it.
• 21:12 - How WBH and sauna use may reduce symptoms of depression.
• 33:22 - How heating the body slowly may improve heat tolerance and increase WBH effectiveness. 
• 39:35 - How sauna use may benefit people with depression and cardiovascular disease – which often coincide. 
• 40:18 - How Dr. Mason and I are collaborating on a new research project to measure biomarkers associated with depression and WBH.
• 44:19 - How sauna bathing and similar practices often provide opportunities for people to connect socially. 
• 53:12 - How insomnia differs from being a "night owl."
• 57:10 - How insomnia often arises from major changes in a person's life. 
• 01:01:26 - How cognitive behavioral therapy, sleep hygiene, stimulus control, and sleep restriction can help treat insomnia without drugs.  
• and so much more!

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