Tag Archives: anxiety arthritis

Arthritis Anxiety Stress

Stress, Anxiety and Arthritis

The pressure of coping with arthritis can really ratchet up your stress and anxiety – a condition that affects as many as 1 in 3 people with arthritis. And that, in turn, can worsen the symptoms of chronic diseases and contribute to a host of other problems.

“When we are stressed or perceive a threat, our body responds with physiologic responses that prepare us to fight or escape the enemy,” says Rudy Nydegger, PhD, a clinical psychologist and professor emeritus at Union Graduate College in Schenectady, N.Y. “Our heart rate and breathing speed up, our muscles tense and blood flow to the brain increases, putting us in a state of high awareness.”
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Mood Affects Bone Loss

How Your Mood Can Affect Bone Health

If you are among the nearly one-third of people with arthritis who live with anxiety and depression, you know that your emotional well-being can have a profound impact on your physical health. When you are depressed you may not eat healthfully, exercise or take your medication regularly. New research shows that being sad for a prolonged period of time can also have a negative effect on bone health in both men and women.

Happy Life Leads to Healthy Bones in Women

A 2014 study published in Psychosomatic Medicine found that bone density was 52% higher in postmenopausal women who reported feeling satisfied with their lives when compared with those who said they were unsatisfied. Participants were asked to measure their overall well-being in four areas: interest in life, happiness in life, ease of living and feelings of loneliness.
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