3493: The Mind-Body Connection: How Mental and Physical Health Are Interconnected by Sydney Evans on Preventive Health

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[00:01:23] The Mind-Body Connection. How Mental and Physical Health Are Interconnected by Sydney Evans with elliemcginnis.com. The mind and body are often viewed as two separate entities, but this couldn't be further from the truth. The mind-body connection is undeniable and powerful as they can influence each other in complex and dynamic ways.

[00:01:49] Our physical health cannot peak if our mental health declines, and vice versa. This is why any holistic approach to your health needs to consider the connection between the two. Without it, we may only treat the symptoms and not the cause of whatever is making us ill, physically or mentally. Understanding the mind-body connection is the first step in living a healthy lifestyle. Listen on to learn more about some of the ways that our mental health and physical health interconnect.

[00:02:19] 1. Stress and Immunity Your stress levels have a close-knit relationship with your immune system. If your mental health is under stress, your immune response is too. This is because your stress levels directly affect your immune system's functionality when the stress hormone, also known as cortisol, is released. Cortisol then produces an inflammatory response in the body. In the short term, this response is beneficial for combating illnesses,

[00:02:47] as it helps the body deal with stressful situations. However, the same doesn't apply to long-term chronic stress, during which the body continually produces higher cortisol levels than usual. This increased dose can negatively impact your anti-inflammatory response, decreasing the number of lymphocytes in your body. We need lymphocytes to fight off illnesses, so chronic stress can cause persistent infections.

[00:03:13] Additionally, chronic stress increases your risk of health problems like diabetes, heart disease, and even some types of cancer. With stress being so closely linked to the effectiveness of our immune system's response to infections, we must take care of our white blood cells and our mental well-being if we want to be healthy. 2. Anxiety and Stomach Problems

[00:03:37] Phrases like having butterflies in your stomach or experiencing a gut-wrenching feeling are common in most people's vocabulary. This is because there's a connection between your anxiety and your stomach that goes far beyond wordplay. Common stomach or intestinal problems like loose stools, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcers, abdominal cramps, and heartburn have links to stress and anxiety. The gastrointestinal tract is very sensitive to our emotions,

[00:04:06] and feelings of anxiety can trigger the release of cortisol, affecting our digestive system's functioning. Because of this mind-body connection between anxiety and stomach problems, a large body of literature supports psychotherapeutic interventions for treating gastrointestinal issues. A National Library of Medicine study found that irritable bowel syndrome can be managed without prescriptive medication, but through cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness-based therapies, and hypnosis.

[00:04:35] 3. Exercising our Mental Health Exercising is not only beneficial for getting toned abs or strong legs, but it's also excellent for building a strong mind. It's sometimes neglected in mental health care, but it can reduce the likelihood of anxiety and depression. Exercise can also lead to better sleep at night, a clearer memory, and an overall feeling of having more energy. The best part about exercise is that you don't have to be a fitness guru to reap its benefits for your mental health.

[00:05:05] Even small amounts of activity can make a difference. When it comes to treating symptoms of depression, Harvard-backed research shows that a 15-minute run or an hour-long walk daily can reduce the risk of major depression by 26%. This is because exercise increases blood circulation to your brain, directly impacting the biological reaction to stress. Plus, it releases endorphins, the hormones that make us happy.

[00:05:32] Exercise is also effective when it comes to anti-anxiety treatments, highlighting another undeniable mind-body connection. It's a grounding experience and can be a great way of practicing mindfulness. For instance, focusing on your next breath and step can interrupt your negative and anxious thoughts. If you're suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and trauma, you can benefit from exercise too. When we experience a traumatic event, our nervous system shuts down as it becomes immobilized by stress and fear.

[00:06:02] Exercise can help to jumpstart our system out of this mode, which reduces symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Movements that engage your arms and legs like walking, yoga, and dancing are recommended for this purpose. If you struggle to get into a routine, focus on movement that brings you joy, like dancing or hiking. Having fun while exercising will make it easier to create a regular schedule. 4. Depression and Heart Health

[00:06:29] Depression can be heartbreaking for more than one reason. Although symptoms may differ depending on the type of depression, this well-known mental health condition tends to manifest in feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and decreased energy. But it also impacts your physical health and can increase your risk of heart disease by 64%. Similarly, those with heart disease are at risk of suffering from depression. Depression can cause reduced blood flow to the heart, resulting in increased cortisol production,

[00:06:59] which may lead to heart disease over time. If you're depressed, you're less likely to make healthy lifestyle choices for your heart. Depression may lead to feelings of struggle to get out of bed and be active, let alone cook healthy meals. Not getting enough exercise and weight gain are risk factors for hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol. Furthermore, you may not seek help for symptoms of heart disease if you're depressed. Making a doctor's appointment may feel overwhelming, and just the idea of going for tests or follow-ups

[00:07:28] is a daunting prospect, draining your energy. 5. Mental Health and Sleep Has your lousy mood ever been blamed as the result of waking up on the wrong side of the bed? That's because there's an apparent link between sleep and mental health. Sleep is integral to your physical health as it re-energizes your body, but the different stages of sleep are also vital to your brain health as they can help with learning, memory, and processing emotional information.

[00:07:56] The link between your mental health and sleep is so strong that sleep deprivation can mean you struggle to have positive emotions, increasing your risk of depression. Around three-quarters of those in the U.S. who suffer from depression, struggle with insomnia, daytime sleepiness, and hypersomnia. However, it's unclear whether a lack of sleep causes depression or whether depression causes a lack of sleep. This incongruity has led to the relationship between sleep and mental health being described as bi-directional.

[00:08:26] Other mental health conditions with a bilateral relationship with sleep include bipolar, anxiety, autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, ADHD, and seasonal affective disorder. Sleep deprivation has also been observed to affect chronic physical conditions like kidney disease, obesity, heart disease, and high blood pressure. Not getting enough sleep can also result in a higher likelihood of injury in the workplace, behind the wheel, or even in the home environment.

[00:08:55] Taking care of the mind-body connection. Nothing happens in a vacuum. This is especially true for the processes in our minds and bodies. The saying is true, a healthy body does lead to a healthy mind. Understanding the link between mental and physical health can help us prevent and cope with various illnesses, from heart disease to cancer. This isn't just wishful thinking. As you can see, there's science to back it up too. The fact of the matter is,

[00:09:23] if you adopt a holistic approach to your well-being, your body and mind will benefit. You just listened to the post titled, The Mind-Body Connection, How Mental and Physical Health Are Interconnected, by Sydney Evans, with elliemcginnis.com. And I'll be right back with my commentary. Now, it's just me and a small team behind this show. So I get how much the right hire matters. When you need the right person,

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[00:11:49] Now available in Canada and the UK too. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E dot com slash OHD. Dr. Neal Malik here for my commentary. A colleague of mine once asked me, if you had to pick one health behavior to recommend to everyone, which one would it be? Would you pick better sleep, eating a healthy diet, exercise, stress management? Without pausing, I said exercise. Why? Well think about today's article

[00:12:19] for example. How often did exercise come up as a possible solution to common health problems? A lot. Exercise helps us sleep better and makes us better at managing our stress. When we exercise, we actually burn off cortisol. It may also help prevent depression or improve the symptoms of depression. It helps ease anxiety. It helps with irritable bowel syndrome. Studies have also found that if we exercise regularly, we tend to be more mindful about how we fuel our bodies too.

[00:12:49] Meaning, we tend to eat more nutritious foods when we're regularly exercising. So, if we want to start improving our mind-body connection, I would say a good first step is to get moving. Alright, that'll do it for today. I hope you have a great Saturday if you're listening in real time. And I'll see you back here tomorrow for the Sunday show and where your optimal life awaits. Let's take care of your thoughts. It's really important. Thank you.