How Does Mental Health Affect Physical Health
Mental health is comprised of emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It forms part of your overall mood, how you think, feel, and behave. This includes the decisions you make, how you relate to others, and how you cope with stress. Research demonstrates a strong relationship between mental and physical health, both of which are important components of our overall health.
A mental health condition can impact whether or not you engage in behaviors that support your physical health such as exercising and seeking routine medical care. Living with chronic physical conditions can lead to mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. The same is true for the flipside of the coin; not engaging in healthy lifestyle choices due to depression and anxiety, can affect our physical health. Thus, having both a mental health condition and physical health issues can make coping with chronic illness all the more challenging.
The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that around one in five adults live with a mental health disorder. Mental health disorders can range from mild to severe with varying impacts on one’s behavior. Common side effects of depression, for example, include a lack of motivation and concentration, low energy, decreased physical movement, increased eating, and withdrawal from others. You may be less likely to schedule a walking date with a friend, brush your teeth regularly, or refill your medications. All of these factors and behaviors have an impact on our physical and emotional health.
How Mind & Body Go Hand in Hand
Mental health conditions typically involve physical symptoms that can directly impact how you are feeling. When anxious, you may experience a feeling of tightness in your chest, trembling, sweating, and nausea. Or, as noted above, you may feel fatigued when depressed. Mental health conditions can also change the felt experience of a physical condition. For example, anxiety and depression have been found to increase pain sensitivity in people with chronic pain.
How we sleep also greatly impacts physical health. Sleep is often disrupted when experiencing decreased mental health. When you’re feeling anxious, you may experience difficulty “switching off” and falling/staying asleep; if you are experiencing a state of depression, you may sleep either less or more than usual. According to the Sleep Foundation for example, reports show that up to 75 percent of people with depression have symptoms of insomnia.
Feeling properly rested and sleeping well plays a big role in mental and physical health. Disrupted sleep naturally contributes to feeling more irritable and on edge, and consistently not sleeping can increase the risk of certain physical problems such as heart disease, stroke, and dementia. This article from the National Institutes of Health discusses the relationship between sleep and health.
How to Find Stress Relief for Both Brain & Body
As you can imagine, stress is a major culprit when it comes to physical and mental health too. In general, stress is a state of mental strain and tension, and factors in on our overall mental health. Chronic stress can lead to elevated levels of cortisol in the body which can disrupt body functions such as the digestive tract, immune system, and cardiovascular system. This, in turn, can put you at a higher risk for developing chronic physical concerns such as high blood pressure and heart disease.
Below are some general tips that support both your mental and physical health:
Engage in regular exercise (note: this does not need to be a sport or a visit to the gym; even regular short walks can work wonders)
Practice helpful sleep behaviors (read here a CBT Denver blog on Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Insomnia)
Practice stress management strategies
Take time to rest
Engage in social activities
Schedule activities that are meaningful to you
Of course, implementing any of these tips can be challenging when you’re in the amidst of a mental health crisis, but not to worry – we are here to help.
Knowing When to Ask for Help
We are aware that, when you are going through a spell of depression or anxiety, knowing what is good for you and actually having the drive to implement healthy behaviors, are two different things. We can offer the support needed to get you back to a routine that is beneficial to both your mental and physical wellbeing.
To learn more about our services and how we can support you in your mental and physical health journey, please contact us at CBT Denver.