Can My Mental Health Issues Affect My Physical Health? 10 Common Physical Signs of Mental Health Issues.

Physical Health and Mental Health both are interrelated- when we are not physically well, we don’t feel good or happy in our mind- we may feel tired and sad. Here our mental health is affected by our physical health. Similarly, if we are not mentally healthy, we may feel weak, low, irritated and lose our interest to do any kind of work. Actually, the old proverb beautifully describes the relation between physical health and mental health-

” A healthy body leads to a healthy mind and a healthy mind leads to a healthy body“.

Common Physical Signs of Mental Health Issues

Sometimes we have so many physical problems like headache, digestion problem, nausea, sleeping difficulties, stomachache etc. but the result of all medical tests come within normal range. Then those physical problems are may be the signs of the mental health issues but we cannot identify them as the outcome of unhealthy mental health. That’s why the most common physical signs of mental health issues are discussed here to create awareness among people.

Headache

Headache is the most common physical signs of mental health issues- often we feel severe headache when we are in stress, anxiety or tension -when we are upset or depressed. But we cannot identify this headache as the sign of our stress, anxiety or depression. You will see that some stress management strategies, relaxation techniques surely give us relief from those headaches.

Constant Fatigue

Often, we feel very tired, exhausted in our daily life not due to hard works but due to mental health issues. If you are fatigue almost whole day without doing any work- if you feel tired after getting up in the morning- if you don’t have any interest to do any activities- if you like to be lying in your bed- if you have no major physical health problems; then this fatigue is the warning sign of your mental health issues. You should take this feeling of fatigue seriously and try to resolve your mental health problems.

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Sleeping Difficulties

Sleeping difficulties are also the major physical signs of mental health issues. If you have acute sleep apnea or you cannot sleep at night for two or three hours at a stretch or you feel sleepy during daytime but not at night – if you don’t have any serious physical health issues, then obviously your sleeping difficulties are the signs of your mental health issues. When we are in stress, anxiety or in depression we cannot sleep at night- often we need to take sleeping pills to sleep. So we should take our sleeping difficulties as an indicator of our mental health issues.

Eating Disorder

Eating disorder is often associated with mental health disorders- often we don’t like to take food when we are sad, depressed, even the delicious food seems to us as tasteless if we are not mentally well. Is not it? But we use to ignore these physical signs of mental health issues and consult with doctors to take the appetite increasing medicine or others. The Bulimia Nervosa and Anorexia Nervosa are two prominent eating disorder which are associated with the Body dysmorphic Disorder.

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High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is always associated with anxiety, stress, tension, work pressure etc. and one of the major physical signs of mental health issues. That’s why the doctors always advice the patients of high blood pressure to stay in a stress free environment, practice the deep breathing and other relaxation techniques to minimize their tension.

Chest Pain

Sometimes many people experience chest pains but their ECG or EEG and even the other test report related to heart disease are normal, they have no other major physical health issues. But they are suffering from severe chest pains, then this chest pain must be related to their mental health issues. Especially, People who are suffering from Anxiety Attack or Panic Attack have this symptom of chest pain.

Shortness of Breathe

Often many people feel breathing difficulties in stressful situation like to attend the interview board or to give an examination or any other. But sometimes this condition is so critical that we have to take emergency help though no physical issues are detected for this condition. Actually, the breathing difficulties are one of the major physical signs of mental health issues especially in Panic Attacks and Anxiety Attacks.

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Nausea and Vomiting

Nausea and vomiting are also the physical signs of mental health issues but we never consider those related to mental health. People in acute anxiety or stress often have the feeling of nausea and they do vomit- this type of vomiting is known as Psychological Vomiting. Sometimes in extreme stress period people do vomit after a regular interval of time and this type of syndrome is known as Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome.

Digestion Problems

Digestion problems are always associated with anxiety, stress, fear or phobia, always we have upset of stomach, acidity problems, indigestion when we are in a very stressful situation. Sometimes no physical issues are found for the problems associated with our GI tract or others, then the doctors tell us to live a relaxed life- don’t be too tensed in any situation. The patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome are often found to be very anxious and stressed.

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Tachycardia

One of the most common physical signs of mental health issues are the Tachycardia i.e. the fast heart rate – regular or irregular. Often rapid heartbeats are found in people who are in acute stress, anxiety, anger or fear, especially the people who are suffering from panic attacks or anxiety attacks. But, we always ignore this physical sign as the indicator of our anxiety, stress etc. and don’t take initiative to consult psychiatrist or therapist instead of cardiologist.

Words from Wingsofwishes.in

More physical signs of mental health issues are excessive sweating, hot flushes, restless legs, joint pain, back pain etc. which we always think the signs of physical unhealthy conditions but those signs are often associates with mental health disorders. Actually, it’s the time to create awareness among people regarding the mental health issues -the physical signs of mental health issues and give strong emphasis to address our mental health issues as our physical health. Let us make our Mental Health our first priority.

References

1.Stress (who.int)

2.Stress Symptoms: Physical Effects of Stress on the Body (webmd.com)

3.6 Physical Symptoms that Might Be Anxiety – Bing video

4.Anxiety: Physical symptoms and how to cope with them (medicalnewstoday.com)