What is Masked Depression?

What’s your first thought when you hear the word “depression”? Most people think of sadness, avoidance, and low motivation. Yes, those are typical symptoms of depression. However, there are people who have no obvious mental symptoms like that who carry physical symptoms like headaches, burnout, and shoulder pain. These are signs of masked depression.

Masked depression is where all the symptoms manifest physical rather than mental. The headache, fatigue, or shoulder pain suddenly shows up one day and starts to affect the everyday. Usually, doctor examinations won’t show any apparent results or causes, but the physical symptoms will sometimes worsen to a point where it’s difficult to continue a healthy life.

In other words, masked depression tends to be “masked” with physical symptoms, that it’s hard to even recognize the possibility of “depression.”

Who Is Prone to Masked Depression?

Typical signs of masked depression:

• Headache
• Burnout
• Shoulder pain
• Constant fatigue
• Stomachache and loss of appetite
• Nausea
• Fever

These are just a few examples of the physical symptoms depression can cause. This leads to some doctors diagnosing masked depression as a sign of onset early depression.

The problem with masked depression is that most people don’t feel any kind of mental symptoms while the physical symptoms start to appear. People usually think that they’re ‘just tired’ or ‘have a cold’ at the moment and leave it at that. When depression is left undiagnosed, the symptoms tend to drag on.

People who are always busy or have high standards will continue to push while they ignore their physical signs thinking, “this is not a good enough excuse to rest or go seek help.” This can lead to risks of more serious symptoms if they are in fact going through masked depression.

Prevent Masked Depression Through Stress Recognition

Masked depression, similarly to other types of depression, is primarily caused by stress. Therefore, the preventative measures for it are consistent with the other types of depression.

To prevent masked depression, it’s important that we don’t hold onto stress. Healthy wake-sleep cycles and adequate rest will allow a person to stay aware of the slightest changes in their stress levels. Make sure that you don’t miss the signs of stress.

When we are aware of our own stress levels, we have a better ability to suspect the physical symptoms as possible early-onset depression.

It’s a good idea to find ways that allow you to relieve stress daily.

Can an AI app provide support for stress management? Try the SELF MIND app for a FREE trial.

How To Become Self-Aware of Your Stress

Keep A Diary
Diary keeping is a basic method known to help depression in cognitive behavior therapy. You can understand what kind of stress you’re exposed to, by looking back and reflecting upon your day. Additionally, verbalizing and writing out your thoughts and feelings is an activity that helps reduce stress.

Intervention Bracelet
This is a method that allows you to recognize and bring awareness to your daily stressors. You wear a ring or a bracelet on one side and move it to the other side every time you feel stress. Researchers at the University of Texas revealed that this method helps with stress reduction and improves self-esteem. Check out the post below for more details on this.

Don’t Self-Diagnose Your Symptoms

When our bodies feel sluggish or there’s shoulder pain, most of us associate it with a mild cold, tiredness, or aging. However, our beliefs and experiences aren’t always right. You should never leave physical symptoms unattended. We recommend that you rethink and suspect the possibilities of masked depression if you’re under a lot of stress.

There is no way to recognize the possibilities of masked depression if you’re not aware that you’re feeling stressed. The best preventative measure is to build self-awareness towards the stress that you’re exposed to every day.

Think You Might Have Masked Depression?

Masked depression is a subtype of depression that sometimes can’t be fixed by just obtaining healthy lifestyle choices. Some cases require medication and therapy. If you feel that there is a possibility of masked depression, try to seek professional help.

Reference:

Hasegawa, K., & Watanabe, N. (1989). Depression and Psychosomatic medicine. The Japanese Society of Psychosomatic Medicine, 29(5), 427–435. https://doi.org/10.15064/jjpm.29.5_427

The post What is “Masked Depression”? Look Out for These Signs appeared first on SELF MIND.

In order to break this cycle, it is necessary to prepare for sleep instead of just facing restless nights and hoping for the best. Preparing for bed means getting your body and mind into the right state for sleeping. The most important thing to do is to relax your body and mind. Otherwise, you may risk falling into one of the many types of insomnia.

For more information on insomnia, check out the article below.

Relaxation is Essential for a Sleepless Night

Many people probably recognize that relaxation is important in achieving good quality sleep. However, no matter how much you tell yourself to relax, it’s a lot easier said than done, especially on those pesky sleepless nights. In order to promote a state of relaxation, you need to work on your body and mind in an appropriate way that suits you personally. Here, we’ll introduce some of the most common relaxation methods.

Listen to Music on a Sleepless Night

Many experts believe that music is influential on the human mind. Studies show that listening to music can reduce heart rate and blood pressure. Recently, “music therapy” has become a form of treatment in medical fields. To promote a state of relaxation, choose a song with a slow tempo that calms you down. By focusing on listening to the music, negative thoughts can be suppressed and a relaxing effect can be achieved.

Pleasant Scents for a Sleepless Night

Like music, the scent also has an effect on the human body and mind. Filling your bedroom with relaxing scents can help you calm down and get a good night’s sleep. For example, using essential oil diffusers, or scented candles. You could also try achieving relaxation effects through aromatherapy baths. Add aromatic essential oils to the water during bathing, or use aromatic oils for massages and skincare. Lavender, bergamot, and sweet orange scents are said to be effective for restful sleep and relieving negative moods.

Belly Breathing for a Sleepless Night

Belly breathing is a breathing technique in which you consciously try to depress and expand your lower abdomen. When you exhale, you exhale long and slow so that your lower abdomen dips, and when you inhale, you inhale so that you deliberately expand your lower abdomen. Repeating this exercise is called belly breathing. People tend to breathe shallow and fast when they are nervous or stressed. On the contrary, breathing deeply and slowly can lead the body and mind into a relaxed state. If you imagine that you are breathing out the tension in your body with each breath, it will increase the effect of relaxation.

Activities that Might Trigger a Sleepless Night

By creating a state of relaxation at bedtime through the above actions, you can lead your body and mind into a state suitable for sleep. On the other hand, there are some activities you should ideally avoid before bedtime, as they may exacerbate every sleepless night.

・Vigorous exercise
・Consumption of caffeine or nicotine
・Use of computer, smartphone, or television

These activities excite and awaken the brain, making it harder to fall asleep. Ideally, you should abstain from these activities before bedtime if you frequently find yourself in a sleepless night.

What is “Progressive Muscle Relaxation”?

One method of relaxing the body and mind is “progressive muscle relaxation (PMR)”, invented by an American neurophysiologist in the 1930s. It is a method of relaxing the body and mind by consciously relaxing the muscles throughout the body. The method can be practiced by oneself and does not require any special tools or environment. As such, specialists use the method in cancer treatment, amongst other medical therapy, as an easy relaxation method.

The muscles of the human body are closely related to the cerebrum and nervous system. Therefore, relaxation of the muscles can suppress the excitement of the cerebrum. By relaxing the muscles through PMR, the excitation of the cerebrum is suppressed, and the autonomic nervous system becomes parasympathetic. This leads to a state of relaxation in both body and mind.

PMR Technique for a Sleepless Night

In the PMR technique, you tense the muscles in each part of the body for 10 seconds, then relax them for 15 to 20 seconds, repeating these basic movements. When applying tension to a muscle, focus on the muscle in that area. In turn, when relaxing, be conscious of the force that is being released. Below is a step by step guide of the PMR technique in practice.

Extend both arms out in front of you, then close your fists around your thumbs and squeeze tightly. After 10 seconds, slowly extend your hands and relax them on your knees for 15 to 20 seconds.
(*The below body parts follow the same basic steps: tense your muscles for 10 seconds, before relaxing them for 15 to 20 seconds.)

Make sure you try this in a relaxing environment, sitting in a chair with your back straight.

Steps in the PMR Technique

1. Both hands
   Extend both arms out in front of you, then close your fists around your thumbs and squeeze tightly. After 10 seconds, slowly extend your hands and relax them on your knees for 15 to 20 seconds.
   (*The below body parts follow the same basic steps: tense your muscles for 10 seconds, before relaxing them for 15 to 20 seconds.)
2. Upper arm
   Bring your clenched fist close to your shoulder and apply force to the entire bent upper arm, then relax and unclench.
3. Back
   In the same vein as #2, extend your upper arms outward and pull your shoulder blades to the center of your back.
4. Shoulders
   Raise both shoulders as if you were squeezing your neck, and put strength into your shoulders.
5. Neck
   Twist your head to the right side with all your strength. Repeat the same for the left side.
6. Face
   Squeeze the mouth and apply force as if to scrunch up all your facial parts in the center. When releasing the tension, open your mouth as if to relax your lower jaw.
7. Abdomen
   Put your hand on your abdomen and apply pressure as if to push back against your hand.
8. Legs and feet
   Extend your legs all the way by pointing your toes, and tense the muscles on the underside of the legs. Next, extend the foot and bend the toes upwards, tensing the muscles on the upper side of the legs.
9. Full body
   Tense all the body parts and muscles mentioned from #1 through #8 above, and hold for 10 seconds. Then slowly release the tension, and relax your whole body over 15 to 20 seconds.

Take it Slow and Aviod a Sleepless Night

Complete the above progressive muscle relaxation exercises over the course of 10 to 15 minutes. The goal is to learn how to tense up your muscles to the maximum, then relax them all at once. Be careful of over-exerting yourself, however, as this can lead to leg cramps and unexpected muscle injuries. Keep in mind that you should put 60-70% of your energy into each muscle. Once you get used to it, you will find it an easy way to relax at any time and place, especially on a sleepless night, but even outside of bedtime.

Sleepless Night? Do What Works for You!

There are many more common relaxation methods to try on a sleepless night than the ones mentioned so far. The important thing is to practice relaxation in a way that suits you. If you don’t know what method is right for you, you should start with something that is easy to do, and try out various methods.

Sleep is a healthy behavior that is essential for humans to sustain life. It also occupies so much time in our lives that most people spend one-third of their lives sleeping. Having a good sleep habit will help you maintain good physical and mental health throughout your life, and contribute to your ability to reach your full potential and achieve further growth. It may not be easy to change the lifestyle habits that are already ingrained in your body and develop better sleeping habits. But if you think that it will make your life healthier and more fulfilling, it will be well worth the effort.

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If you’re looking for more tips on how to care for your mental health, check out some of our past blog posts!

Image: Unsplash
References:
Japan Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. (2009). Coping with Stress. Retrieved from: https://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/shotou/clarinet/002/003/010/004.htm#top

Kawazoe, I., Norikane, K., & Kitajima, Y. (2016). Effects of Relaxation Method by Breathing and Progressive Muscle Relaxation on Nursing Students. Journal of Health Sciences Research 6, 29-39.

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