While the symptoms vary from person to person, the physical symptoms of depression may include any combination of the following:
Sluggish Movement: Body movements may be slower and more strained than they used to be. Limbs may feel heavy, and movement may feel like an exertion.
Slow Speech: Speech may be slow or sluggish.
Appetite Changes: Typically, patients with depression will eat less and lose weight. However, in some cases, depression triggers an increased appetite and marked weight gain.
Fatigue: People with depression typically feel tired and describe a lack of energy that can be pervasive, where even small chores seem like monumental tasks.
Restlessness: Patients with depression may find themselves feeling restless, have difficulty sitting still or develop tics like wringing his or her hands.
Changes in Menstrual Cycle: Hormonal changes as part of a woman’s menstrual cycle may contribute to other depression symptoms, or depression may cause irregular menstrual cycles.
Unexplained Aches and Pains: Depression sufferers may get regular headaches, develop backaches or general body aches, or may have digestive problems and upset stomach.
Sleep Disturbances: Depression patients may have difficulty falling asleep or suffer periods where they repeatedly awaken throughout the night and have difficulty falling back asleep. Studies have shown that more than 80 percent of depression sufferers face some form of insomnia. Other patients suffer from hypersomnia, or oversleeping.