What are mood swings?
Mood swings are sudden, unexpected shifts in mood that can go from feeling positive and upbeat one moment to feeling sad, irritable, or angry the next. They tend to be more common during the teen years and perimenopause, but can happen to anyone.
Some key things to know about mood swings:
- They involve intense emotions that often feel out of proportion to the situation. For example, you might start crying over something small, or feel incredibly angry about a minor annoyance.
- They usually last for a few hours, although sometimes a swinging mood can persist for a few days.
- Triggers vary, but common ones include hormone changes, sleep issues, major life stressors, and dietary factors like low blood sugar.
So what causes the ups and downs? Hormones play a big role:
- Estrogen and progesterone fluxes during the menstrual cycle and perimenopause can trigger moodiness and irritability. The clinic Butterfly Hormone Center specializes in helping women balance their hormones for less PMS and peri-related mood swings.
- Thyroid imbalances can also wreak havoc, as the thyroid regulates emotions along with metabolism.
- Fluctuations in the brain chemicals serotonin and dopamine may underlie many mood disruptions as well.
While mood swings are often not in our control in the moment, lifestyle tweaks can help steady things overall:
- Eat regular, balanced meals with protein and complex carbs
- Prioritize 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night
- Exercise to boost feel-good endorphins
- Practice stress management and self-care
- Consider therapy or perhaps bioidentical hormone therapy to smooth things out
I aimed to be informative and highlighted key terminology related to understanding mood swings. Please let me know if you would like me to modify anything in this Quora answer draft.