You might see mental and physical health as two separate entities. However, this is not often the case. Depression, anxiety, and addiction can have a great impact on your physical health and can leave you with long-term effects even once you have recovered.
Then, here are some of the biggest impacts that poor mental health has on your physical health and what you can do about them.
Dental Hygiene
If you are depressed or have another mental health condition, you might struggle or forget to brush your teeth as much as you should. However, for your teeth to remain healthy, you should brush them with fluoride toothpaste twice a day. Not only this, but you might be consuming more sugar and salt, which can impact your teeth, and create unhealthy habits, such as smoking, drinking a lot of alcohol, and taking drugs.
To make sure that your dental hygiene is maintained, you should see a dentist regularly, as well as a hygienist, and you should try investing in no-water toothpaste tabs that you can leave by your bedside. This will allow you to care temporarily for your teeth with minimal effort.
Drug-Taking
If you have a mental health condition, such as depression, this could lead to an unhealthy relationship with drugs, or even addiction. This addiction could increase your risk of getting heart and lung disease in the future, as well as cancer. Not only this, but you might find that drug use could lead to you causing yourself physical harm, such as breaking bones. You might also develop insomnia and be at risk of heart failure.
To make sure that you can recover from your addiction in a healthy and supportive environment, you should consider looking for top programs across the United States. For instance, you might sign yourself up for an addiction detox program that will allow you to eradicate any signs of drugs from your body and experience withdrawal under supervision.
Sedentary Lifestyle
If you have depression, anxiety or another mental health concern, you might find that you struggle to leave the house or to go to work. You might feel fatigued and have less energy than your peers. If this is the case, you might start to lead a more sedentary lifestyle.
This could lead to the development of arthritis and back pain, and put you at an increased risk of heart disease. This means that you should try to commit to gentle exercise, even if you have to have a buddy to encourage you or if you try out exercise videos and other forms of physical activity at home.
Poor Diet
You might have no energy to cook when you are depressed, or you might forget to do so altogether. You might also develop issues like eating disorders, which make you eat too little or too much. This can cause extreme weight loss or gain.
Not only this, but you will not be consuming the right amount of vitamins and minerals through your diet. If that is the case, you should consider taking vitamin supplements and trying out basic recipes that will allow you to enjoy a rich and healthy meal that takes as little time and thought as possible.
