Depression is not easy to identify. Oftentimes it can be disguised as sadness or simply “not trying hard enough.” Although it strips our minds of joy and motivation, depression hurts. Its physical tolls are just as devastating.

 

We all feel down sometimes. There are some days we would rather just stay in bed, curled up under a blanket and ignore all our responsibilities. Taking a lazy day like that is important especially, after a long and exhausting week. But what if you feel like staying in bed and not doing anything day after day?

 

For whatever reason, you might feel existentially drained and lack any motivation to pull yourself back up and get back to your daily life. In that small bubble, it often feels like nothing else matters even if the world outside is moving at its own pace with no regard for you or your melancholy.

 

You could be depressed.

 

This state of mind and thinking reflects on the physical body. You might want to consider the following six physical symptoms to understand your depression—

 

• Fatigue

We all experience low energy and feel sluggish every now and then. There are mornings when we want to stay in bed and watch television instead of going to work. However, this fatigue can be a common symptom of depression.

 

While we often consider exhaustion to stem from stress or overworking, depression can also be the cause of fatigue or contribute to it. However, unlike everyday fatigue which can be cured with proper rest and some self-care, depression-related fatigue can cause concentration problems, feelings of irritability, and apathy.

 

A way to identify your fatigue is to look out for other symptoms. While daily fatigue is a sign of this mental illness, if other symptoms like sadness, pessimism, feeling hopeless, and anhedonia (lack of pleasure in day-to-day activities) accompany your fatigue then what you are feeling might have to do with depression.

 

• Sleeping irregularities

We all enjoy a sound sleep. However, depression can either cause you to sleep less or sleep too much. Both of the scenarios cause decreased cognitive performance and being unable to fulfil responsibilities and daily chores respectively.

 

A lack of sleep negatively impacts one’s mood and their cognitive performance. Oftentimes, insomnia is closely associated with depression, and it can either come as a side-effect or a precursor to the condition.

 

On the contrary, if you end up sleeping so much that you miss appointments, classes and work, it does not negate your chances of depression. Some people experience hypersomnia, excessive amounts of time sleeping as well as daytime sleepiness. Believe it or not, hypersomnia can co-exist with insomnia.

 

• Eating habits

Just as depression causes two extremes in one’s sleeping habits, the same can happen to one’s eating. You can either experience a loss of appetite and be ignorant of your meals or eat too much.

 

Some exhibit behaviours like eating at a rapid pace, overeating, eating too much when not hungry, and eating alone. They will also tend to perceive and judge themselves quite harshly and negatively about their eating habits. This can lead to developing eating disorders.

 

While Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is a separate condition on its own, depression and BED can also coexist and contribute to one another. In fact, conditions like depression and anxiety are highly influential in whether a person binge eats or not.

 

On the other hand, some also experience a loss of appetite as one of the side effects of their depression. They may forget to eat, not finish their meals, push back their eating times, or skip it entirely. In some cases, they might even lie about having already eaten when asked. This can result in unplanned weight loss and malnutrition and developing an unhealthy relationship with food and one’s body.

 

• Decreased pain tolerance

Have you ever felt like your insides were burning and you were feeling an intense pain but you could not find any physical reason for it? This pain can feel like a persistently uncomfortable pricking sensation or even feel like you are being stabbed.

As it would seem, depression and pain can also often co-exist.

 

A 2015 study expressed the correlation between depressed individuals and decreased pain tolerance in them. Another study in 2010 showed that pain has a greater impact on people who are depressed.

 

• Muscle aches

Muscle aches and back pain can be caused for numerous reasons. It can be because of bad posture, sitting at a desk too long, sleeping positions, previous injury etc. It could also be stress or depression as backaches can be a symptom of psychological distress.

 

A 2017 research study consisting of 1,013 Canadian university students found a direct association between depression and backaches. Psychologists and psychiatrists have long held a strong belief that emotional issues can be the cause of chronic aches and pains. The specifics of this argument are still being researched like the connection between depression and the body’s inflammatory response.

 

• Stomach pain

That uncomfortable sinking feeling in your stomach which makes you feel like you are running out of breath, can get overwhelmed really fast. This feeling is one of the most recognizable signs of depression. But keep in mind that your abdomen starts to cramp, it can easily be written off as gas or menstrual pain.

 

Harvard Medical School researchers suggest that stomach discomfort like cramps, bloating, and nausea could be possible signs of poor mental health. Increasing and worsening pain particularly when you are stressed out or overworking is more likely to be a sign of depression.

 

Depression is more complex than just feeling an extreme amount of sadness and despair. Sometimes we might try to put up a front and smile through the day but at the end of the day, we come back home feeling a sense of hopelessness and despondency. Even then, the physical symptoms of depression are difficult to ignore. These symptoms impact your lifestyle and intervene with your studies, work, social life, and personal relationships and can impair your professional and social progress. This in turn feeds into our depression and demotivates us further. Although the symptoms transcend psychological influences and take shape in your biology, the issues and feelings need to be addressed before society leaves us behind. Taking such physical symptoms seriously and taking steps to heal whatever ails us is an extensive step in healing and eventually progress.