More than just a couple of times have researchers been working on the connection between our lifestyle and our mental health because most certainly the connection is there with multiple factors involved. Questions do come to mind when we emphasize the need to maintain a healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet and optimal amount of exercise, whether it’s obesity that leads to depression in individuals suffering from it or does it go the other way around? What needs to be understood is that both have a bidirectional relationship: hence, it goes both ways.
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Does depression cause obesity?
Most certainly, you are at a higher risk of becoming obese if you are clinically depressed. That is because under the state of constant stress, the cortisol levels in your body tend to disrupt causing a change in your appetite: in short, it increases those episodes of unexpected hunger making you munch on little things every now and then, most of which are complete junk and add to your body fat. No wonder why it’s so commonly heard how depressing days are associated with you binging on a tub of ice cream in bed. The hormones are to be blamed!
Does obesity cause depression?
What do you think? It’s pretty much obvious how that’s a yes. Most of the times, individuals who are overweight find themselves under too much pressure of chasing a slimmer body, and let’s admit it; the journey is never too easy to begin with. Those who aren’t able to come up to the society’s expectation of a ‘nice body’ often feel like the odd ones out and feel rejection. Research has also deduced that those who are overweight are 25% more at risk of developing a depressive disorder as compared to those who aren’t.
Obesity leading to other diseases
Many times what really consumes a great fraction of our minds is the fact that with obesity may come a handful of other diseases such as diabetes and it might as well put you at risk for a cardiac arrest. This makes the entire event even more painful to deal with. Many times, those who are battling weight problems might also suffer from eating disorders such as bulimia nervosa whereby an individual would eat more than a normal person would usually consume and then they would engage in self-regulatory behaviors such as self-induced vomiting to not gain weight. This is more of a psychological condition which needs to be treated by psychotherapy.
Preventing it all
Following a healthy lifestyle and keeping a clear check and balance on how much you are consuming, what the nutritional value of your diet is, how much exercise you need to make a part of your routine, everything adds up to keeping you fit at body and at mind as well. Even if you understand that you’ve been following a sedentary lifestyle and are facing some dire consequences, never is it too late to fix it. Visit our website and write to us. We are always here to bring you back to a healthy life and help you start fresh.
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