Every person in Brookfield WI faces stress at one point in their life. Depression and/or anxiety can result from many of life's daily struggles and can be caused by either negative and positive factors. Dealing with a life-changing event, such as a job loss or promotion, illness in the family, or welcoming a new arrival, can all result in a feeling of being overwhelmed.

Over 40 million adults in the U.S. face some sort of mental health issue each year. While more serve cases are typically readily noticeable, symptoms are unique to each patient and minor cases of anxiety or depression may not be readily apparent. A few of the more common physical symptoms of anxiety and depression may include:

• Fatigue
• Headaches or migraines
• Inability to relax
• Loss of sleep
• Muscle tension, stiffness and aches and pains

While these physical symptoms may be the result of minor psychological issues, these symptoms can also exacerbate the problems themselves, turning seemingly insignificant issues into major challenges.

The American Medical Association stated back in the 60s that if people would just eat right, exercise, and get adequate amounts of sleep, 90 percent of all medical aliments would simply disappear. Armed with that powerful bit of knowledge, here are three things you can do to help you refresh your mindset:

---

Exercise in Brookfield WI

While many people turn to mediation to combat stress, studies have shown that meditation is only effective at reducing stress while it is actively practiced, and the benefits of meditation stop as soon as the meditation session ends. Exercise, on the other hand, burns off stress hormones like cortisol and releases endorphins that continue to improve mood long after the exercise session ends. Weight training, yoga, swimming, riding a bike, or just going for a walk will all do wonders for your mood.

---

Eating Right

Everyone has heard the expression, "You are what you eat." The more medical science learns about the body, the more accurate that saying becomes. Studies have shown that mood is often linked to energy levels. Living a hectic lifestyle, eating on the go, and not making the healthiest dietary choices of food high in simple carbs can result in mood swings. However, eating healthy foods like nutrient-rich fresh fruit and vegetables, complex carbs like those in whole grains and high protein lean meat and fatty fish will all help improve your mood tremendously.

---

Sleep

Numerous studies have shown that just mild sleep deprivation has a tremendous impact on mood. A University of Pennsylvania study found that people who got less than five hours of sleep a night experienced anger and irritability as well as other adverse mood effects. However, when the participants resumed their standard sleep patterns, their moods immediately improved.

While addressing these three fundamental issues will often be enough to help improve mood, there may be other factors at work. You could be experiencing a problem that a chiropractic provider could help with. Stiff or sore muscles or a misaligned joint may be preventing you from getting adequate sleep, or that "minor," but nagging, headache may be the result of a pinched nerve.

Any of these issues can have a drastic effect on your mood and mental health, and the problem may have as simple a solution as visiting your family chiropractor. Call our Brookfield WI, New Berlin WI, or Williams Bay WI chiropractic office today to schedule a consultation. Our trained team will give you a thorough evaluation to determine what we can do to help you to feel better.