You’ve probably heard from all the gym junkies and fitness enthusiasts just how important your posture is for your health. You most likely know the vital role it plays is for your physical health. However, spine issues do more than just affect your agility; they can impact every aspect of your life. To avoid this, you must first understand why looking after your spine is essential in improving your mental health. Read on to find out more.
Chronic back pain can impact your mental health
Chronic back pain increases the likelihood of the individual suffering from depression as the ongoing pain makes it very difficult for someone to take their mind off of the issue. The mental health implications of chronic back pain also affect the length of recovery. Recovery becomes more challenging once the individual’s mental health deteriorates. This is because a negative frame of mind struggles to boost productivity and motivation; instead, this state can result in a sedentary lifestyle, which prolongs the spine problems.
A sedentary lifestyle increases depression and anxiety
A sedentary lifestyle is also likely to increase depression and anxiety. If your spine makes it difficult for you to move around comfortably, you most likely will end up doing nothing but trying to reduce the pain by engaging in as little movement as possible. Unfortunately, lack of activity is likely to lead to over-thinking, and sitting with your thoughts will only encourage negative thoughts. Thus your confidence, self-esteem, and emotional well-being will be at risk. Studies show that exercise boosts your energy levels and improves your overall well-being; hence, looking into physiotherapy or other means of training that will enhance your posture will help your mental health tremendously.
One of the most common ways to improve the quality of life of those suffering from spine problems is inversion therapy, an effective solution to back pain for those who can’t engage in strenuous activities. It involves hanging upside down so that your head is facing the floor. This takes the gravitational pressure off nerve roots and discs, allowing for more space between your vertebrae. You can purchase an inversion table to engage in this type of therapy in the comfort of your own home. However, the various brands of tables have different uses. If you look at this Teeter FitSpine review, you can gauge how useful these tables will be for your condition. It’s essential to weigh the pros and cons to ensure you find a table that provides an optimal solution for your needs.
Poor posture causes physical and emotional consequences
Poor posture can also have adverse effects as it causes back pain and hinders your ability to remain agile. The physical and emotional ramifications take a lot longer to heal than the time it takes to correct your alignment. By improving your posture, you are immediately taking preventative measures that reduce the risk of harming your physical and mental health.
As a matter of fact, good posture has numerous benefits. It decreases strain on the neck and shoulders. Moreover, the joints and ligaments will quite literally have the weight lifted off them as they will no longer be stressed from overuse for compensating for the spine’s poor alignment.
Back pain causes sleep disturbances
Anyone with back pain will tell you how difficult sleep becomes. In fact, spine problems are among the most common reasons for lack of sleep. With the pain constantly and continuously affecting your ability to sleep, the consequences are many. It’s no secret that sleep is to your health and that the lack of it affects daily activities, from concentration to productivity, and overall cognitive performance. The longer you ignore your spine problems, the more the pain will persist, resulting in ongoing sleep disturbances that could be detrimental to your health.
Spine problems induce stress
It should come as no surprise that with the lack of sleep, a short attention span, lack of movement, and anxiety, stress will shortly follow the list of problems. Back pain triggers many unfortunate side-effects; however, the stress it induces is bound to give you a short-temper, which makes tasks more challenging to do. This added mental stress could further increase your anxiety and depression. Pain is a harsh stress-inducer, which is why you ought to do everything you can to prevent its severity.
As you can see, there is a clear link between our spine health and mental health. By prioritizing your spine and doing your best to prevent back pain, you are ultimately improving your overall health and well-being. Now that you understand how impactful back pain is to mental health don’t allow it to hinder your quality of life. Try to actively work on improving your spine posture through natural exercises or professional therapy.
Tommy Williamson did his degree in psychology at the University of Edinburgh. He has an ongoing interest in mental health and well-being.
