The effects of depression aren\u2019t just in your head.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmotions impact your physical health,\u201d says cardiologist Nieca Goldberg, M.D., medical director of New York University Women\u2019s Heart Program, and author of The Complete Guide to Women\u2019s Health (Ballantine Books).<\/p>\n
They disrupt your sleep and rob your sex drive. Depression also takes a toll on your ticker.<\/p>\n
But that\u2019s not all. Read on to learn 10 surprising ways depression hurts your health.<\/p>\n
1. Sick and Sad
Chronic depression can lower your immunity. The result? You get sick more often.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou may see a higher incidence of colds or infections,\u201d says Kate Muller, Psy.D., director of the cognitive behavior therapy program at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, N.Y.<\/p>\n
In a 2009 Stanford University study, depressed women with breast cancer had much higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol and almost half the immune response of cancer patients who weren\u2019t blue.<\/p>\n
Mood booster: Exercise and stress reduction are key to a healthy immune system.<\/p>\n
Exercise 30 minutes at least three days a week, Muller says. And when you\u2019re under pressure, she suggests this de-stressing exercise:<\/p>\n
1. Sit in a chair, imagining you\u2019re a robot, tensing all of your muscles. Hold for a count of three.<\/p>\n
2. Then imagine you are a ragdoll and release muscles for a count of three.<\/p>\n
3. Repeat twice.<\/p>\n
2. Ticker Troubles
Depression often increases levels of stress hormones, such as cortisol, epinephrine and norepinephrine, which also boost blood pressure and heart rate, Goldberg says.<\/p>\n
Plus, \u201chigher cortisol levels make arteries more vulnerable to plaque build-up,\u201d she explains. As fatty plaque deposits clog arteries, they block blood. All are prescriptions for heart attack and stroke.<\/p>\n
Mood booster: To relax, try mindful listening, suggests Muller.<\/p>\n
\u201cSelect a favorite song or type of music. Close your eyes and listen \u2018mindfully,\u2019 picturing each instrument or even imagining each note moving past you,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
This is also an excellent distraction from depressing thoughts, she says.<\/p>\n
3. Diet Damage
Melancholy and bad eating are common partners. You nibble too little or gobble too much.<\/p>\n
For some people, \u201cthe body tends to go into starvation mode,\u201d Muller says. \u201cIt shuts down to conserve resources.\u201d<\/p>\n
But others pig out. That\u2019s because food is comforting and \u201ceating is a self-soothing or coping behavior,\u201d Muller says.<\/p>\n
Mood booster: If your appetite has vanished, munch on something small and healthy \u2013 such as veggies, fruit or nuts \u2013 every three hours, Muller advises.<\/p>\n
\u201cEating at regular intervals re-regulates your appetite,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s like jumpstarting your body.\u201d<\/p>\n
If overeating is the problem, find another soothing activity, especially one that occupies your hands, like knitting, she suggests.<\/p>\n
4. Sex Sapper
Hopelessness doesn\u2019t feel sexy \u2013 and neither do you when you\u2019re blue. Depressed people have low levels of serotonin (a feel-good brain chemical). That also dampens desire.<\/p>\n
Plus, when the body is stressed, whatever isn’t necessary for survival \u2013 like sexual desire \u2013 becomes a luxury, says Muller.<\/p>\n
Mood booster: You can\u2019t recharge your libido without treating depression, says Muller.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, many antidepressants also suppress sexual appetite. But some solutions won\u2019t smother the sizzle.<\/p>\n
Some antidepressants, such as bupropion (Wellbutrin), don\u2019t squash desire, says Tracy Latz, M.D., an integrative psychiatrist and co-author of Shift: A Woman\u2019s Guide to Transformation (Morgan James Publishing).<\/p>\n
Other options:<\/p>\n
* Buspirone (Buspar), an anxiety medication that raises the effectiveness of antidepressants, so you can take a lower dose.<\/p>\n
* Fish-oil capsules, which reduce anxiety. Their omega-3 fatty acids may have an indirect calming effect on the brain, Latz says. Start with one 200-250-milligram capsules daily for a week, increase to three, if necessary. \u201cIf you have no response after 10 days, it\u2019s probably not going to work,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
5. Energy Zapper
When you\u2019re depressed, just getting off the couch requires a huge effort. Why?<\/p>\n
It may that the body is conserving resources and \u201coften, the person isn\u2019t doing enough to recharge,\u201d Muller says.<\/p>\n
Mood booster: Find activities that make you happy and feel productive, she says.<\/p>\n
Even simple tasks like washing the dishes, clearing clutter or shopping for a special meal \u201ccan have a big effect on energy level,\u201d says Muller.<\/p>\n
Seek out other small pleasures too, like spending time with friends or renting a chick flick. It\u2019s OK to pamper yourself.<\/p>\n
6. Sleep Saboteur
Depression disrupts sleep patterns. People either get too little or too much.<\/p>\n
Some stay awake all night because their body \u201cisn\u2019t getting cues it needs to sleep,\u201d says Barbara E. Ensor, Ph.D., a psychologist at Stella Marin, a long-term care facility in Timonum, Md.<\/p>\n
Others react by sleeping most of the time.<\/p>\n
That’s because depressed people often feel abandoned by the world, says Ensor. \u201cNegative thinking kicks in,” she says. They think, \u201cI\u2019m going to get in bed and pull the covers up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mood booster: Oversleeping? Don\u2019t allow yourself to sleep at certain times, Ensor advises.<\/p>\n
Gradually crank up activities during the day \u2013 even 5- to 10-minute bursts are enough to make you sleepier at night.<\/p>\n
Sleeping too little? Develop a nighttime ritual.<\/p>\n
\u201cBrush your hair, your teeth, read some poetry,\u201d Ensor suggests. \u201cAs with small children, you begin to associate those activities with going to sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n
7. Baby Bummer
The joy of a new baby can go bust if you\u2019re suffering from the blues.<\/p>\n
Part of postpartum depression is hormonal, says Goldberg. \u201cYou go from having a high level of [estrogen and progesterone] to low levels.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thyroid hormone levels can also drop, adding to fatigue that\u2019s automatic when caring for a newborn. Plus, women also put tremendous pressure on themselves to be perfect in their new role as moms.<\/p>\n
Mood booster: Even if you don\u2019t feel like it, go through the motions of bonding with your baby. It can foster a genuine connection, Muller says. \u201cSpend time with your child, just looking at her,\u201d she advises.<\/p>\n
But if you can\u2019t care for your newborn, get help from friends and family and see a therapist immediately, says Ensor.<\/p>\n
Untreated postpartum depression threatens the infant\u2019s safety and leads to learning and developmental disabilities in childhood.<\/p>\n
8. Pain Pusher
Headaches often feel worse when you\u2019re blue. Depressed people feel much stronger pain levels than happy people, according to a 2010 Oxford University study that examined their brain scans.<\/p>\n
\u201cA depressed person is already suffering and sees things in a negative way,\u201d Ensor says. They also have fewer activities to distract them from pain.<\/p>\n
Mood booster: See a doctor to find out what\u2019s behind your pain and how to banish it. Treating the depression with psychotherapy may also address aches, says Ensor.<\/p>\n
9. Stomach Troubles
Is your depression linked to anxiety? Then you probably often suffer diarrhea, upset stomach and ulcers, says Latz.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnxiety creates more stomach acid,\u201d leading to gastrointestinal troubles, she says.<\/p>\n
Mood booster: Ask your doctor for an antidepressant that addresses anxiety and depression.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could try an [serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor] SNRI, such as Effexor or Cymbalta,\u201d Latz suggests. \u201cThey handle anxiety, so people tend to be happier.\u201d<\/p>\n
10. Back Beater
\u201cWith depression, we get more sedentary,\u201d Latz says. \u201cAnd when we sit more, our leg muscles are chronically flexed.”<\/p>\n
When you stand up and you pull on taut leg muscles attached to the pelvis, which creates more strain on the lower back.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany depressed people [also] gain weight,\u201d which strains their back, says Latz. \u201cSo you have stress and tension on your back from two forces.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mood booster: Take a break from your desk chair every hour for 5-15 minutes, changing position and stretching leg muscles, suggests Latz.<\/p>\n
She also recommends this exercise:<\/p>\n
1. Place your thumb on the outside of your thigh at your hipbone.<\/p>\n
2. Push in hard while you take deep breaths. Continue to do that all the way down your thigh.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll those muscles [will] release,\u201d she says. So will the ones going to the back and pulling on the pelvis.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s bad enough that you feel tired, listless and blue. But do you know how depression hurts your body<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-446268","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n