Emotions That Makes Your Heart Aged

Even if you try to keep your emotions hidden, they often show somewhere. In one study, people who had the symptoms of mild to moderate depression -- specifically physical symptoms, such as loss of sleep and lack of appetite -- showed more signs of artery thickening than their sunnier peers. And that drives up heart attack and stroke risk (as if you weren’t depressed already). But there are a number of ways to deal with your mood and peak your health.

Depression can be easy to overlook, because symptoms can be conflicting -- you can be sad or anxious, have trouble sleeping or sleep too much. One way to think about depression is by imagining it as a circle: If perfect neural functioning is at the twelve o’clock position, then mild, introspective depression (associated with sadness and slowness) would be at about eight and agitation would be at four, with both extreme forms at six o’clock. The way antidepressant medications work (more than 11 million people take them) is by getting your mind closer to those milder levels and toward that twelve o’clock spot.

Of course, meds aren’t the only route. If your depression is mild, an increase in physical activity helps, as do other healthy habits, including getting enough sleep, eating right, and avoiding alcohol. But if you're feeling down or agitated for 2 weeks or longer, call a pro -- your primary healthcare practitioner or a clinical psychologist, psychotherapist, or psychiatrist -- who can help you get your health back. And help your friends, because most people with depression are too depressed to get help.