• Question: Does physical health affect mental health?

    Asked by anon-216549 to Robert, Olly, Nicola, Jasmin, Dennis, Caroline on 15 Jun 2019.
    • Photo: Robert Dempsey

      Robert Dempsey answered on 15 Jun 2019:

      Yes, definitely. For example, having poor sleep can effect our moods, energy levels and is a common symptom of depression and other mental health conditions. I don’t think you can completely separate physical from mental health – better to look at our overall health/wellbeing.

    • Photo: Caroline Brett

      Caroline Brett answered on 15 Jun 2019:

      Absolutely – and vice versa.
      I’m sure we’ve all experienced being less able to deal with difficulties or challenges when we’re feeing tired or run down or otherwise lacking in energy. If we don’t look after our bodies by eating well, getting enough sleep, and getting enough exercise, our mood suffers.
      Similarly, stress can have a significant impact on our physical health – when we’re feeling stressed we might find it difficult to sleep, and we might be more likely to eat food that makes us feel better but isn’t good for us (chocolate springs to mind!), and we’re more likely to veg in front of the TV rather than go out for a walk.
      It’s impossible to separate physical and mental health and we should always consider both

    • Photo: Dennis Relojo-Howell

      Dennis Relojo-Howell answered on 15 Jun 2019:

      Yes, they are linked with each other. If you’re ill, it could affect your mental health. For example, if you’re hungry it could make you feel stressed, and stress could affect your body. So the takeaway message is: Look after your physical and mental health. 🙂

    • Photo: Nicola Johnstone

      Nicola Johnstone answered on 16 Jun 2019:

      Yes. There’s some really cool ideas linking biological evidence of stress in the body to mental health and is part of some studies that I’m working on just now.

    • Photo: Jasmin Moon

      Jasmin Moon answered on 17 Jun 2019:

      Yes definitely, our brain and therefore our mind is part of our physical body and it all links together. Think about the last time you felt poorly, perhaps you had a cold or a sickness bug… now think about how you felt at that time, my guess is it probably wasn’t very happy! You might have felt a bit down in the dumps, not wanting to meet up with friends and perhaps a bit worried about when you were going to feel better? This is an example of our physical health affecting our mental health, but it also works the other way around too. People with low mood and depression often lack the motivation to look after their bodies and stop exercising and eat food that is quick and easy (not usually very healthy!) and this impacts their physical health.

    • Photo: Oliver Clabburn

      Oliver Clabburn answered on 17 Jun 2019:

      Completely! Not only is there a lot of research which backs this up, but heaps of anecdotal evidence too. I certainly know that my mental health is negatively affected when I am going through a ‘lazy phase’… especially during the winter when it’s wet, cold and dark outside!

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