How does mental health influence physical health?
In today’s corporate world, people are burdened with tight schedules and deadlines keeping them under a constant state of stress and anxiety that explains the tiredness, headaches and in extreme cases chronic health issues. This is the most common example of our body reacting to a stressful situation. Research from the Stress Management Society reveals that workplace stress is linked to 70% of doctor visits and 85% of serious illnesses that shows us how closely our mental and physical health are linked. There is no one way relationship between our physical and mental health; when one suffers it can affect the other. Conditions like depression, anxiety, and stress can result in various physical problems, impacting your overall health.
Immune Function
Mental health can directly impact the immune system, affecting our physical health. A prolonged state of stress, depression and many other mental illness can weaken the immune system, increasing the likelihood of viral and bacterial infections and making them less able to fight off infections such as the flu and cold. There are some mood disorders can cause impairment of immune function and overall health decline.
Chronic Diseases and Comorbidities
Research has demonstrated a strong relationship between mental illness and chronic ailments like diabetes, asthma, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. People living with mental health problems are more vulnerable to develop these diseases, and coexisting mental and physical health problems can negatively affect treatment outcomes. The World Health Organization (WHO) found that the life-spans of people suffering with serious mental disorders is 10-20 years shorter than the normal population and this is mostly because of preventable physical health conditions such as cardiovascular disease and respiratory problems to name a few.
Lifestyle Factors
Sometimes when we feel sad, some of us don’t feel like eating or sleeping. In terms of people who are suffering from depression, they often found themselves not willing to do daily activities. Lack of sleep, a lack of physical activity, smoking, unhealthy food and other lifestyle choices all together lead to long-term health issues like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity. The World Health Organization (WHO) has asserted that depression serves as a leading cause of disability worldwide, affecting more than 264 million people globally.
Healthcare Disparities and Access to Care
Mental health issues may make people less motivated to access healthcare and follow the recommended treatment plan leading to delays in diagnosing and treating physical conditions. A study by Cohen in 2021 found a link between having major depressive disorder and having a 72% higher chance of cardiovascular disorder (CVD). Anxiety is also linked to a greater risk of heart disease, death from heart disease, CVD, and stroke among other things.
Scientific Connection between our Mind and Body
When we talk about our health, we often talk about our bodies, which makes sense. For example, we’re happy when our muscles are strong and our hearts work well. But they’re not just about the mind at all. They are linked in ways we couldn’t even imagine. When our minds aren’t functioning properly, it causes our bodies to feel abnormal. For example, if you’re dealing with a long-term illness like cancer or diabetes, it could bring up those same emotions of sadness or anxiety all over again and it is totally normal to feel this way.
It works the other way too. When our heads aren’t in the right place, it can make our bodies feel even worse. It can be hard to sleep if you can’t focus or if you can’t control your feelings. This will make you feel tired and worn out. It doesn’t matter if we’re always sad or worried; it can change our heart rate and how it works. Because of this, emotional and physical health are closely linked, and it is very important to stay fit on both levels.
It can be challenging to distinguish between physical and mental health since their connection is intricate and multi-dimensional. There is a strong connection between mental health disorders and the immune system, behavior for maintaining health, healthcare access, and overall health results. Understanding the link between mental and physical health is crucial for overall well-being and improving individuals’ health outcomes at every life stage.
Cardiovascular Health: Chronic stress and depression are linked to the development of heart disease and hypertension, which are among the major causes of death worldwide.(American Heart Association)
Immune System: Having a poor mental health impairs the immune system of an individual thus making the person more susceptible to infections and diseases.(Harvard Health Publishing)
Inflammation: Psychological stress may be the very cause of inflammation in the body; this may lead to inflammatory diseases like arthritis, asthma, and autoimmune disorders. (National Institute of Mental Health)
Pain Perception: The mental health conditions do not only change the pain perception but lead to syndromes like chronic pains as well.(Psychosomatic Medicine)
Sleep Disorders: Anxiety and depression which are common mental health issues cause insomnia and this process can cause obesity and diabetes.(Sleep Medicine Reviews)
Gastrointestinal Health: Stress and relaxation are factors that influence to the bowel diseases like Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).(World Journal of Gastroenterology)
Hormonal Imbalance: Chronic reactions of stress can lead to imbalance in hormones that may cause healthcare issues like thyroid disorders and reproductive problems.(Journal of Endocrinology)
Mortality: Mental health is the cause of a mortality that occurs even when there is no such conditions affecting the person physically.(The Lancet)
Adherence to Medical Treatment: Diligent management of mental illness can be hard for the affected people, with the result that their health problems get worse. (General Internal Medicine Journal)
Life Expectancy: Mental health disorders have been shown to shorten lifespan as much, or more than smoking a pack of cigarettes every day. (New England Journal of Medicine)
The mind-body connection is strong, and nurturing positive emotions and happiness can have profound benefits for both mental and physical health.
Mental health matters not only for your personal happiness
In other word, increasing your mental health is not only beneficial to you personally but also, you are creating a positive impact on the people around you through your environment. When you take care of your mental health, this gives your mind a healthy outlook, adaptability, and stability which in turn improves your relationships and surrounding. To begin with, self-care increases your resilience and helps you deal with stressors and challenges that might occur in the course of your life. Through the process of mastering different stress management and coping techniques, you will acquire the necessary skills to face life’s challenges well and maintain your composure even when things in life become tough. This condition eventually starts giving a feeling of peace and positive atmosphere in your relationships and interactions as you will have less chances of impulsive reactions or bursting out in the face of a stress.
Moreover, apart from enhancing your personal well-being, augmentation of mental health is intimately tied to the development of empathy and kindness towards others. As you are in your good mental place, you become aware of someone nearby feelings and their needs. This ultimately leads to more sorting of relationships putting you in a position to lend support and understanding when others need it. In addition, mental health is not only a healthy mental state but is also associated with a positive view of life that can spread easily. Your optimism and cheerfulness that turn into a subtle infection, lift others up and create a community of hope and aspiration. Your attitude can be contagious in a good way because, by adopting a positive attitude, you will be able to motivate other people to do the same and as a result, everyone would be experiencing joy in a collective manner.
When you put wellness into your mind, you not only become a model for your friends, relatives, and colleagues, but also for a whole society. You may underscore the worth of emotional self-care as well as mental resilience by doing this which will in turn inspire the others to give attention to their mental health and seek help whenever the need be.
Overall, mental health matters not only for your personal happiness, but also it plays a role in shaping a harmonious, positive, and caring environment where you and those around you can enjoy life to a maximum. Through nourishing resilience, building empathy, and spreading compassionate behavior, you ignite the ripple effect of transformation that also reaches far your surroundings and finally society itself.
