Will depression make you sick?

Prolonged periods of severe depression can have multiple negative impacts on your physical health.  Keep in mind that prolonged periods are usually several months to multiple years.  Having one or two days of feeling depressed, even a few weeks of depressive periods, will have limited negative consequences.  Here are some of the common physical issues you may encounter from prolonged depression:

1. Impaired sleep: A common sign of depression is trouble falling or staying asleep; if you cannot get the necessary sleep, you are likely to experience problems with your ability to concentrate and think clearly.  Prolonged periods of reduced sleep have been shown to decrease your general life expectancy.
2. Stomach problems: The common phrase “feeling sick to my stomach” is often associated with depression.  This is because the stress typically associated with depression can secrete acid chemicals in our stomach, causing us to feel nauseous, giving us diarrhea, and leading to ulcers.  Unfortunately, when we have these experiences with our stomach, it can decrease appetite, which will only exacerbate the symptoms.  It is best to try and stay away from acidic foods or items high in caffeine during these times.  
3. Muscle tension: Our muscles tend to become tense during periods of prolonged depression; again, this is usually associated with some psychosocial factor that may trigger the depressive symptoms.  The increased muscle tension can cause headaches and other muscle soreness.  These frequent headaches can make it feel impossible to function.

Sometimes it can be hard to recognize that the depressive symptoms are causing the listed above illnesses.  This means you may continue to expose yourself to a situation that could be making your depressive symptoms worse and thus making your physical health issues worse as well.  It is important to try and be as mindfully connected to your body as possible, even when you are not feeling well.  Through the process of being mindfully aware, you can try to catch the illnesses before they become worse.  If the illness you are experiencing becomes severe for longer periods of time, it is recommended to seek medical consultation.