Karva Chauth 2022: What Are The Benefits Of Fasting For Mental Health?

Hindu women in Northern India celebrate the Karva Chauth festival. Women who are married fast from sunrise until the sighting of the moon to protect and prolong their husband's life. This festival is observed on the fourth day following the full moon in the Hindu lunisolar calendar month of Kartik. Karva Chauth will be observed on the 13th and 14th of October 2022.

It is typical for women to begin fasting at dawn, to not eat during the day, and to look through a sieve at their husbands and the moon after completing the fast.

Healthy and nutritious foods are essential to replace lost energy during the fast. Eating healthy foods is essential to maintaining strength and energy after a long Karva Chauth fast. To remain healthy during this Karva Chauth festival, you should consume healthy and nutritious food after breaking your fast.

While there are religious connotations to the Karva chauth fast, it still has several health benefits for both physical and mental health. First, look at how the Karva Chauth fast can benefit your mental health.

What Are The Benefits Of Fasting For Mental Health?

1. Enhances memory

It has been shown that restricting your eating time significantly enhances your memory. It has also been found that intermittent fasting improves learning and memory in animals, but this is for fasting for longer intervals [1].

2. Enhances mood

Studies have reported that fasting improves moods and reduces tension, anger, and confusion [2]. In addition, the findings of another study indicated that intermittent fasting was associated with significant improvements in emotional well-being and depression [3].

3. Reduces inflammation

Many brain disorders, including depression, bipolar disorder, OCD, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease etc., have been linked to chronic inflammation. Studies suggest fasting can reduce inflammation, significantly benefiting your mental health and brain [4].

4. Fights high blood sugar

Fasting (intermittently) significantly improves insulin sensitivity, which can prevent high blood sugar levels and type 2 diabetes. High blood sugar is associated with a smaller hippocampus, which is responsible for mood, learning, and memory in the temporal lobes. The prevalence of anxiety and depression in patients with type 2 diabetes is 2-3 times higher than in the general population [5][6].

5. Burns excess fat

Fasting helps you burn more fat, which benefits your brain health. However, studies have pointed out that obesity adversely affects brain health and is associated with depression, bipolar disorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia, and addictions [7][8].

On A Final Note...

There is evidence that fasting interventions effectively reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. Even though the benefits of fasting discussed here are attributed to intermittent or other longer approaches to fasting, the day-long fasting practised during Karva Chauth, although not as intensive, may still have some positive psychological effects.