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Hello World; Today’s post is a continuation of my last post on depression. Here are some physical signs that you may be depressed…  

Physical Symptoms of Depression

There are obvious signs of depression that you may experience, like your feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and anxiety–but depression can also cause you unexplained physical symptoms, or make your already existing symptoms worse.

Your physical pain and depression are closely related. Simply put, pain can be depressing, and your depression causes and intensifies your pain.

Some research shows that your pain and your depression share common pathways in your limbic (emotional) region of your brain. In fact, the same chemical messengers control your pain and your mood.

According to an article published by the Harvard Medical School, people with chronic pain have three times your average risk of developing psychiatric symptoms–usually mood or anxiety disorders–and depressed patients have three times the average risk of developing chronic pain.

Many people suffering from depression never get help because they don’t realize that their pain may be a symptom of their depression. The importance of understanding your physical symptoms from depression is that treating depression can help you with your pain–and treating your pain can help with your depression.

Headaches. 

Headaches and migraine headaches are fairly common in people with

depression. If you already had migraine headaches, they may become worse if you’re depressed. The relationship between your depression and your migraine headaches, which affect more than 10% of Americans, is especially close. One study found that over a two year period, a person with a history of major depression was three times more likely than average to have a first migraine attack, and a person with a history of migraine was five times more likely than average to have a first episode of depression.

Back pain. 

If you already suffer with back pain, it may get worse if you become

depressed. A study from the University of Alberta followed a random sample of nearly 800 adults without neck and low back pain and found that people who suffer from depression are four times as likely to develop intense or disabling neck and low back pain than those who are not depressed.

Muscle aches and joint pain.

Depression can make any of your chronic pain worse. According to research

published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, arthritis-like physical symptoms may improve if your depression is treated with medication, or first try some natural solutions to help your aches and pains that are caused, in part, by your depression. 

Chest pain. 

It’s very important to get your chest pain checked out by an expert right

away. It can be a sign of serious heart problems, but chest pain is also associated with your depression. A study from the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, indicates several common factors among those affected by chest pain not linked to biomedical factors such as heart disease or some other illness—depression was one of your significant common factors.

Digestive problems. 

Queasiness, nausea, diarrhea and chronic constipation can all stem from

your depression. Studies show that up to 60% of people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) also have a psychological disorder, most commonly depression or anxiety. According to one study published in General Hospital Psychiatry, those who reported symptoms of nausea were more than three times as likely to also have an anxiety disorder, and nearly one-and-a-half times more likely to suffer from depression. Depression is a possible cause for your digestive disorders, and should be investigated before you begin any aggressive treatments.

Exhaustion and fatigue. 

No matter how much you sleep, do you still feel tired and exhausted?

Fatigue and depression are not a surprising pair. Depression and fatigue feed off each other in a vicious cycle that makes it hard for you to know where one begins and the other ends. Researchers have found people who are depressed are more than four times as likely to develop unexplained fatigue, and those who suffer from fatigue are nearly three times as likely to become depressed.

Sleep disturbances.

People with depression often have difficulty falling asleep, or awaken in the

early hours of the morning and find themselves unable to get back to sleep. While around 15% of people suffering from depression sleep too much. Lack of sleep alone doesn’t cause your depression, but it can contribute—and your lack of sleep caused by your other illness or your anxiety can make depression worse. 

Change in appetite or weight. 

Several studies have found that if you have excess weight, it may be linked

 

with your depression symptoms, a history of depression, and other measures of your psychological distress (e.g. anxiety). Earlier studies also suggest a stronger link in women compared to men; however, this may be changing. According to a 2006 study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, your depression-obesity link was found to be the same in both men and in women. Others suffering from depression experience a reduction in appetite and thus, weight loss.

I found this to be excellent information so I am sharing it with you, in my hope you find it helpful; I am not a doctor, but I believe in helping myself, naturally, whenever possible. I’d love to hear your thoughts about this and you can leave me a comment below, telling me what you do when feeling down, or how you treat your depression. Do you use natural remedies?

I hope you have a great healthy day!