Did you ever find yourself so overstressed about something that you noticed you were no longer as hungry as you had been earlier? Did this lack of hunger manifest as stomachaches, headaches, or even muscle pains? Several times, people fail to understand that they have been worrying a lot until they start to experience physical symptoms like these. In contrast, a few have not yet started to recognize that these ailments are the outcome of whatever they have in mind.
Now, coming to the subject of the impact of mental health on physical health is a complex yet seamless understanding. As noted, 1 of every 5 adults in the United States are impacted by mental illness every year. The manner in which we think and feel about ourselves and the world that surrounds us has a direct correlation with both our minds and physical bodies. So, we need to care for both. Since both mind and body are often considered separate entities, mental and physical health are often correlated. Good mental health often positively influences our physical well-being. Consequently, poor mental health conditions have an adverse impact on our physical health.
To understand how mental health affects physical health, it is essential to know the difference between them, which is often not as important as we might assume. Our moods, thoughts, and mental state might appear separate or abstract from the physical as they happen as part of our brain’s activity.
For example, a couple of physical signs due to stress include muscle tension, blood pressure fluctuations, and headaches. In the same way, conditions such as depression would often lead to poor sleep quality, loss of appetite, and chronic feelings of tiredness. The connection between mind and body is a two-way street, with mental health impacting physical condition and vice versa.
While you understand the answer to the question, how does mental health affect physical health? You will find that the mind-body connection stretches out to healing and recovery. Positive mental health is often found to help with the physical healing processes while boosting the immune system. Similarly, mental health conditions, when left untreated, would often slow down the recovery and healing process. It is the reason why those living with depression or anxiety often experience slower body healing than the rest.
The mental and physical health challenges are often not as pronounced as you think. For years, researchers have been exploring the answer to the challenging question of is mental health is more important than physical health. The answer is often complex; however, we hardly know that mental illnesses often influence physical health both directly and indirectly. Let us scroll through a few of the staunch ways in which your body and mind impact each other.
The most common disorder in the United States is depression, and it never just impacts motivation or mood. It directly impacts the immune system by suppressing the T-cell responses to bacteria and viruses, making it easy to become sick and remain sick for a prolonged time. A weakened immune system would lead to the seriousness of asthma or allergies.
Research often suggests that it is often the other way around, with the immune system forming the real cause behind depression. Stress, mainly the chronic type would trigger the immune responses in the brain. The inflammatory response might prove the real drive to depression.
Recent studies conducted on immune inflammation or depression involving the manipulation of immune receptors in mice. The study conductors exposed the mice to constant stress and observed how stress caused the mouse brains to release cytokines. Cytokine is the type of protein often linked with inflammation, with its release leading to damage in the medial prefrontal cortex, a part of the brain that plays an integral role in depression. Alternatively, the researchers triggered the depressive symptoms as an outcome of the response to the stress of the immune system.
A staunch immune system leaves a hallmark of physical health with the addition of stress that increases the scope for depression. Depression often weakens immune functionality, which results in a discouraging cycle. The case illustrates the real fact that several health issues have both physical and mental elements added to them.
To answer whether or not mental health is just as important as physical health, it is well-noted that anxiety, depression, and other type of mood disorders result in persistent feelings of exhaustion and fatigue. A few of the inappropriate suggestions were made, like “it is all in your head,” however the researchers mentioned otherwise. Becoming tired mentally would lead to physical signs of fatigue.
A study conducted by Bangor University in Wales, UK, involved active participants riding stationary bikes until they reached the point of exhaustion. The researchers defined this condition as the inability to stay at the pace of 60 revolutions per minute for five or more seconds.
The participants often performed the test in two different situations. In one situation, they rode the bike as they would in general. In the other setup, they initially engaged in a 90-minute task with components like drawing on memory, rapid reactions, and inhibiting impulsive responses to the stimuli. Once they engaged in the mental challenges, they reported feeling listless or tired. Essentially, the participants often reached their point of exhaustion 15% beforehand.
To answer, is mental health more important than physical health? It is essential to know about its impacts. There is a huge effect of stress on mental and physical health. Mental illnesses are often closely connected with fatigue and the persistent feeling of tiredness that eventually leads to the decline of physical health conditions. Whenever there is someone anxious or chronically depressed, they are often less likely to start engaging in exercises and quit early whenever they would. Feelings of tiredness due to mental illness often interfere with basic hygiene, making one prone to the risk of diseases.
The outburst of anger and the stress of anxiety are often bad for the heart. A study made by the researchers proposed that repeated episodes of negative emotions such as anger might have a cumulative impact on cardiovascular health. Over time, the constant anger may often lead to permanent, irreversible damage with increased risks for heart disease.
In a couple of hours following the bout of intense anger, the study defined tense body language, clenched teeth or fists, and the feeling of being already prepared for a burst; an individuals rose to heart attack turns 8.5 times more.
To understand the connection between mental and physical health, there is often a correlation between depression along numerous other chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes, arthritis, and asthma. Schizophrenia is yet another mental health condition leading to elevated chances of chronic or respiratory diseases. Additionally, mental health conditions make things complex for individuals to effectively manage the chronic illnesses that adversely impact their physical health.
The risk of heart attacks increases by 9.5 fold in the following couple of hours in cases of anxiety. However, youths are typically a long way off from having to worry about the heart attacks, anxiety, and anger involved with the impulse control disorders that negatively impact their growing hearts.
To answer your question as to how does mental health affect physical health? It is important to know that mental health impacts one’s sleep. Conditions such as chronic stress or depression often make it complex for those who wish to get a healthier amount of sleep, which is a requisite to operate optimally throughout the day.
Losing an adequate amount of sleep can worsen the symptoms of mental health conditions, making it tougher to stay or fall asleep. Sleep contributes directly to the physical and mental health of a person since one can seamlessly influence the other. Whenever it is left unaddressed, an individual often develops sleep disorders like insomnia or sleep apnea, influencing mental health.
Individuals have often heard about the mind-gut connection, and a lot goes into the reality. Consider the time when you felt those butterflies hit your stomach. There is nothing wrong with your gut as you can feel this manner since you are excited or too nervous. The mental health conditions often disrupt the digestive tract function or cause a greater amount of discomfort.
The generic conditions impacting gut health include the following:
Since there is a connection between mental and physical health in several ways, it plays a critical part in a person’s life span. Any untreated mental health conditions would reduce life expectancy since they would worsen the existing health conditions or impact your overall immune system.
Sleep Well: You should get about seven hours of sleep every night. Adequate daily sleep can help boost mood, reduce anxiety and sadness, strengthen the immune system, and allow appropriate immune system function.
Eat Healthy: Your energy levels, mood, and immune system often suffer if you are not maintaining a well-balanced and healthier diet that offers you sufficient minerals and vitamins. Although you need not give up on your best treats, you should aim at consuming lean proteins, veggies, fruits, and whole grains, as well as healthier fats.
Exercise Daily: Regular exercises can help strengthen your immune system, promoting your overall emotional well-being. Although not all patients would exercise, those who would should do their exercises well-suited to their overall energy levels. Exercise can help boost the temperature of your body to the point where it often disrupts harmful germs, encouraging white blood cells to circulate through the body to spot invasive bacteria rapidly. The production of endorphins in the body, along with serotonin, gets stimulated, enhancing mood while reducing stress levels.
Social engagements can help boost your overall immune system, helping you ward off illnesses better. Your family and friends form the ideal source of emotional support whenever you are dealing with an illness. Understanding that you have a support system among your friends is known to boost your mood and help you feel less lonely, depressed, or anxious. This demonstrates the direct relation between mind and body and how mental health is just as important as physical health.
It is a well-known fact that the significant effects of stress on mental and physical health are huge. Stress often disrupts your immune system, and living with illness, the uncertainties of life, or stressing about the future is never good for your mental health. Keeping your mind active can help reduce stress levels. You can start engaging in hobbies, bringing back joy, or picking up new skills like painting, cooking, playing a musical instrument, or gardening.
Re-prioritize Your Life
It is important to reduce stress by reducing engagements and activities to the ones that matter most. Re-analyzing life priorities and better managing time can help you stay more productive and effectively boost your immune system and overall emotional well-being.
Now that we have checked everything about how mental health affects physical health, the matter is a bit complex. If you have any more queries about the mental health of the disorders concerning your overall life, then you might not be clear about your next move. Taking care of yourself is important to find a better balance on both sides of the table leading to happiness or health. It is important to keep in mind that everyone’s endeavor for mental health as well as stress reduction is distinctive. It is essential to experiment with the varied types of proven tactics and find the one that works the best for you, enhancing your overall physical well-being.