We know that depression and anxiety may affect our thoughts, behavior, and overall emotional well-being. What is less talked about is how much our mental health can physically affect our bodies.

Today, Megan Potts explores five physical symptoms to look out for when experiencing an anxiety attack or depressive episode.

For some people struggling with mental illness, psychological symptoms are only part of the struggle. From headaches to changes in toileting habits, mental illness can affect your body in many ways.

I've lived with mental health issues for many years. Today, I want to highlight some of the unexpected physical side effects I have experienced due to these conditions.

5 physical ways mental health issues can impact your body

1. Headaches

When experiencing a mental health setback, I seem to struggle more with headaches. Generally, these are called tension headaches. These tend to occur when I'm anxious and the muscles across my shoulders and neck tense up.

You can see how suffering from anxiety or anxiety-like symptoms could leave me battling with frequent headaches.

Massages can help release the tension from these muscles, reducing the frequency of headaches. Likewise, relaxation exercises can also prove effective.

Drinking plenty of water throughout the day can also help. Hydration is crucial for preventing the onset of headaches.

2. Muscle pain

Looking at the level of tension I experience while battling mental illness, it's easy to see how I can struggle with regular muscle aches. Think about the last time you did an intense workout at the gym or carried a heavy load of groceries for a ten-minute walk home. I bet your muscles ached the next day! For me, anxiety and panic attacks can cause an "after-a-workout" ache throughout my whole body. Again, massage or relaxation exercises can help these symptoms.

On the same lines, I sometimes realize that my mental health affects my diet. Relying on junk food or not eating much can lead to a deficiency in select vitamins and minerals, resulting in muscle cramps and pain. If you can relate to this, consider checking your body's vitamin levels with your doctor.

3. Dental issues

Depression may cause struggles with personal hygiene. When we're not motivated to brush our teeth, it can lead to tooth decay as time goes on. Setting daily alarms prompts me to brush my teeth at the start and end of each day.

I also find that I often struggle with toothache and broken or chipped teeth. Initially, I didn't know that my mental health was the reason behind this.

I only found out I was grinding my teeth in my sleep when my ex-partner told me so. For me, teeth grinding can be a sign that I'm dealing with a lot of stress in my day-to-day life. If you're experiencing this, speak to your dentist. There are solutions available that protect your teeth from further damage.

4. Racing heart

This one may be familiar to anyone struggling with anxiety or a panic disorder. My heart will often speed up when anxious or panicked. Sometimes, I notice it; other times, it fades into the background, drowned out by other symptoms like sweating or breathlessness.

I find that having the physical symptoms of anxiety under control makes it easier to address the psychological symptoms. It can be a vicious cycle; as my anxiety symptoms feed into my physical symptoms, my physical symptoms cause me to panic more. It's easy to see how this can end up in a mental health spiral.

5. Abdominal cramping

Nobody likes talking about their toilet habits. Often, during a mental illness flare-up, I will experience painful cramps in my lower abdomen, frequently accompanied by a change in stool.

A flare-up of depression or anxiety can trigger irritable bowel syndrome. When responding to stress, the bowels can start to work overtime, causing an urgent need to use the bathroom. But, in other cases, stress can have the opposite effect and cause the bowels to slow down, leading to constipation. It feels like I can't win!

Sluggish or overactive bowels negatively impact my daily life. They prevent me from leaving the house freely and feed into my anxiety, creating an inescapable cycle. While there is no single cure for IBS, some treatments and dietary changes may help. Speak to your doctor for more information.

The takeaway

You may recognize some of these symptoms, or you may not relate to any of them. Mental health is complex, and everybody's experience is individual to them. Just because this is my experience or your friend's experience doesn't mean it will be yours. It doesn't invalidate your diagnosis.

Every day is a school day when living with long-term illness. We mustn't presume that we (or our loved ones) know all the ins and outs about how our chronic conditions work.

I'm ten years into my mental health journey, and I'm still learning new ways in which my conditions impact me. I'm also constantly discovering new triggers or experiences that affect my illnesses.

The information presented is solely for educational purposes, not as specific advice for the evaluation, management, or treatment of any condition.

The individual(s) who have written and created the content and whose images appear in this article have been paid by Teva Pharmaceuticals for their contributions. This content represents the opinions of the contributor and does not necessarily reflect those of Teva Pharmaceuticals. Similarly, Teva Pharmaceuticals does not review, control, influence, or endorse any content related to the contributor's websites or social media networks. This content is intended for informational and educational purposes and should not be considered medical advice or recommendations. Consult a qualified medical professional for diagnosis and before beginning or changing any treatment regimen.

NPS-ALL-NP-01209 APRIL 2024