Mood Swings During Menopause? Here's What You Can Do
Menopause can bring unpleasant symptoms due to hormonal changes. Mood swings can cause you to react differently than you're used to. Why do you experience mood swings during menopause and what can you do about it? Find out in this blog.
What are Mood Swings?
Mood swings are sudden, sometimes extreme, fluctuations in mood caused by a hormonal imbalance. You might feel cheerful one moment and burst into tears a quarter of an hour later, or become irritable. We understand this can be very distressing: you don't feel like yourself and sometimes don't understand where it's coming from. Even a small trigger can be enough to cause a mood swing. You could have had a wonderful day, but upon seeing a full laundry basket at home, you might burst into tears.
Why Do You Get Mood Swings During Menopause?
During menopause, you experience hormonal fluctuations. Oestrogen levels gradually decrease. A lack or reduced activity of oestrogen can lead to mood swings. This is because oestrogen regulates the activity of serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter, but it is better known as the happiness hormone.
What exactly does oestrogen do? Read about female hormones here.
What Types of Mood Swings Are There?
Mood swings can vary for each woman. Consider the following:
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Irritability: you have a short fuse and less patience than usual
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Feelings of melancholy: you feel sad (without cause)
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Lethargy: you lack the desire to do things
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Crying spells: you become emotional quickly
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Anger: you react more intensely than usual or have outbursts of rage
What Can You Do About Mood Swings?
Since mood swings are caused by fluctuating oestrogen levels and consequently varying serotonin activity, it is important to generate enough serotonin in another way. Besides oestrogen, there are more factors that influence serotonin production, such as exercise, gut health, blood sugar levels, and proper nutrition.
1. Get Enough Exercise
Exercising releases chemicals in our brain that contribute to our mood, including serotonin. Regular physical activity increases serotonin levels in the body, which can positively affect mood.
2. Maintain a Stable Blood Sugar Level
Fluctuating blood sugar levels negatively affect serotonin production. Keep your blood sugar levels stable by avoiding fast sugars, opting for complex carbohydrates like vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, and eating balanced meals. By balanced meals, we mean meals that include all macronutrients, such as fats, carbohydrates, and proteins.
Tip: Do you like to eat an apple as a snack? Add some peanut butter. The fats and proteins in peanut butter combined with the carbohydrates in the apple make it a blood sugar-friendly snack. Additionally, a healthy foundation of enough sleep, sufficient exercise, and limiting stress contributes to maintaining stable blood sugar levels.
3. Optimise Your Gut Health
Serotonin is largely, over 90%, produced in the gut. Ensure good gut health to maintain serotonin production. What makes your gut happy? Plenty of fibre, pre- and probiotic foods, hydration, and exercise.
4. Add Foods with Tryptophan to Your Diet
Tryptophan is an amino acid, the building blocks of proteins, necessary for serotonin production. You can find tryptophan in fish, eggs, dairy products, legumes, and tofu.
