What’s Causing Your Mood Swings?

It seems to be a ‘normal’ part of a woman’s hormonal life that she will experience mood swings, whether from PMS or at menopause, but there can be a number of other reasons you might be experiencing them.

Sleep deprivation

Your brain and body recover from the events of the day while you sleep. If you don’t get enough rest, your sleep won’t fully refresh you.

When you’re short of sleep, you might feel cranky, more likely to make poor choices throughout the day, and you may snap at people more often.

If you skimp on sleep all the time, it may raise your chances of depression.

Stress

Stress occurs all the time, at home, at work or just life situations you may be experiencing.

Whatever hormonal symptoms you are suffering, and mood swings are just one of them, everything will be made worse by increased stress levels.

Chronic stress can lead to a number of health problems, and it may make you feel sad, angry, or bitter. You may lose sleep, which can affect your mood.

If you can find out the cause and distance yourself from what’s behind that stress, you should start to feel more like yourself. Exercise is a good way to ease pressure, and it should also help make you feel better.

Low blood sugar

If you’ve ever gotten “hangry” — hungry and angry at the same time — low blood-sugar may have been to blame. This happens to some of us when we go too long between meals, and I have definitely experienced that!

You may feel angry, upset, lonely, or confused. You may even want to cry or scream so to feel more like yourself, eat something.

If you have diabetes, it’s important to notice sudden mood changes because you could faint if your blood sugar stays too low for too long.

Medication

Some medications can cause mood swings or depression as side effects, so it is important to read the instructions and particularly the side effect information.

If your doctor gives you a new medicine, be aware of how you feel during the first few weeks. Your mood might change because of the new medication, so talk to your doctor about it and they may be able to change it to something else that does not have this effect on you.

Hormone imbalance

When your hormones are not balanced, having too much or too little can affect your mood.

Many women first notice this in their teens or twenties when they experience premenstrual syndrome (PMS) before their periods. PMS can cause cramps, headaches, and mood changes.

During PMS, you may feel sad or moody without a clear reason because hormone levels drop at that time. Once your period starts, hormone levels rise again, often easing your symptoms.

Women also experience mood swings during menopause, which again is caused by falling hormone levels, usually due to an imbalance between oestrogen and progesterone.

Your progesterone levels decline more rapidly as the ovaries cease its monthly production, but your oestrogen levels can still remain high due to the fact the body shifts its production of that hormone into the abdomen, belly and thighs.

This is known as oestrogen dominance and definitely can affect how you feel.

Thyroid issues

An overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) means your body makes too much thyroid hormone, while an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) means it does not make enough.

Both conditions can lead to various health problems, including mood swings. When you receive treatment for thyroid issues, your hormone levels should go back to normal, and progesterone can also help improve mood by supporting thyroid function.

Bioidentical progesterone is known to support thyroid function and can be used alongside thyroid medication.

Pregnancy

When you are pregnant, your body creates more hormones than usual to help grow and take care of the baby. These hormones can change how you feel and your mood can shift quickly from happy to sad and back again.

Some women may feel depressed during pregnancy or after the baby is born, especially when hormone levels drop quickly. The “baby blues” are common and can happen because progesterone levels suddenly plummet after childbirth, so taking progesterone can help.

ADHD

If you have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), you might struggle to control your impulses. This can lead to sudden feelings of anger or frustration, even over small issues like waiting in a queue or being stuck in traffic.

People with ADHD can be more likely to experience depression or other mood-related issues and there are many helpful therapeutic apreaches and lifestyle changes can teach you how to manage your impulses better.

Dietary issues

Your diet has a big impact on your mood. Some foods can make you feel worse, while others help you stay balanced.

Coffee and other caffeinated drinks can lift your mood and give you more energy. Caffeine wakes up your nervous system, making you feel more alert.

But if you consume caffeine too often, your body becomes used to it. When you try to reduce your caffeine intake, you might experience withdrawal symptoms, which can make you feel tired, irritable, nervous, or anxious.

Many studies show that eating a lot of refined sugars, like high fructose corn syrup, can affect how your brain works and impact your mood. This can worsen mood disorders, such as mood swings and depression.

Helpful information

Depression and anxiety can increase your stress levels, which will affect your hormonal symptoms like mood swings because your natural hormone levels drop to cope with the stress.

Make sure you have enough progesterone and oestrogen to support you. If needed, you can increase your use of cream formulas like Serenity or Twenty to One.

However, if you have oestrogen dominance, the combination Twenty to One formula may work better for managing anxiety and depression.

It is important to manage these symptoms. Once you have them under control, you should find a diet that supports your mood and that you can stick to.

There are many diets to choose from, but the Mediterranean Diet is one of the best for helping with anxiety and depression.

Unfortunately, many of us have some “unsuitable” foods in our diets. If you would like help figuring out what to give up, the following article will be helpful.

Foods to Avoid If You Have Anxiety or Depression