Do you notice when you are in pain you don’t think very well? Are your thoughts jumbled? Are you incapable of making decisions? Are you more agitated than normal?
You most likely said yes to one or more of these “other symptoms” of chronic pain. Chronic pain like that from arthritis, low back pain, neck pain, IBS/IBD and fibromyalgia can have a significant impact on your lifestyle. Chronic pain can limit your opportunities to do the things you enjoy, see those you love, and be active, all of which are important to your emotional wellbeing. When we are not able to have the lifestyle we enjoy we can fall into depression causing some or all of the above symptoms.
Studies are now showing chronic pain also affects how the brain processes GABA and glutamate. Both are neurotransmitters which affect our central nervous system (GABA) which can hinder a calm state of mind and our memory and cognition(glutamate).
