Hormone imbalance could be the cause of feeling low or irritable. Learn how to naturally manage your hormonal mood swings with these top tips…
Your day is going well, until suddenly you find yourself sad, angry or weepy for no good reason. It’s as if your emotions are controlling you. So, what on earth is going on? If this sounds familiar, you might be surprised to discover your hormones are responsible. During perimenopause, mood swings or feeling grumpy all the time can be a sign of hormonal imbalance, according to cosmetic doctor and hormone expert, Dr Martin Kinsella,(bioidhealth.com).
‘Mood swings can occur when serotonin levels change rapidly, either rising or falling,’ says Dr Kinsella. ‘Oestrogen and progesterone control the levels of serotonin production. High levels of oestrogen can impact your mood. This can result in what is known as the rollercoaster of emotions that women can experience during both their menstruation cycle and when they reach menopause.’
This happens because as you enter perimenopause, which is a natural part of ageing, the balance of your body’s sex hormones shifts. ‘When your ovaries stop producing as much oestrogen and stop releasing an egg each month, then the menopause occurs. Although everyone is different, it usually occurs in the late 40s to 50s, however premature or early menopause can occur at any age,’ explains Dr Kinsella.
Can the changing seasons also affect mood swings?
But it’s not just menopause that can affect how you feel. Interestingly, even the change of season can disrupt the balance of hormones in your body, causing you to feel lack lustre.‘Hormone levels can change seasonally, plus studies suggest thyroid function changes with the seasons, too,’ says Dr Kinsella.
‘It could be the body’s way of trying to compensate for the cold by increasing hormone levels to generate more heat. In autumn I see a surge of people who have a hormone imbalance, however lately more patients are reporting mood slumps throughout the year. ‘Spring tends to be a time of year when people’s moods start to lift as the days get longer and the warmth of summer closer. Also, the fact that people usually have more access to sunlight means that the skin can make more Vitamin D, which is essential for hormone balancing.
‘I’d advise those with low mood to get hormone levels tested to rule out an imbalance as this can have a huge impact on mood swings. If you have an imbalance, there are treatments to rebalance hormones and improve mood and energy levels as a result,’ he says. ‘Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and bioidentical hormone replacement therapy are both effective ways to rebalance hormones and improve mood,’ says Dr Kinsella. ‘Consult your GP for blood tests to establish if a hormone imbalance is to blame. Then they can prescribe a suitable treatment.’
6 ways to manage hormonal mood swings naturally
Dr Kinsella offers these lifestyle tips to manage hormonal mood swings naturally…
1. Eat a healthy balanced diet
Consuming lots of processed and sugary foods can affect your hormones, resulting in mood dips. Eating a healthy balanced diet is key to maintaining hormone balance and can help to prevent you from feeling lacklustre.
- Aiming to eat at least five fruit and veg a day can help this, as can cutting out, or at least reducing, processed foods and sugar.
- Batch-cooking healthy meals can be a good way of reducing the likelihood of turning to junk food when you’re pushed for time and hungry.
- It’s also advisable to reduce or cut out yeast, because this plays havoc with hormones.
2. Get more sleep to manage hormonal mood swings
Sleep affects the levels of several hormones, including leptin and ghrelin, which control hunger pangs and fullness. Leptin gives your brain the message that you’ve eaten enough, but without enough sleep, your brain produces ghrelin, which stimulates appetite. A lack of sleep has also been linked to the hormones that affect your stress levels, your mood can take a tumble, and you can feel more stressed if you’re not getting enough deep sleep and waking up feeling rested.
- Avoiding screen time during the hour before you go to bed can help you sleep better. This is because screens that emit blue light delay the release of melatonin.
- Making sure the room is very dark can aid a good sleep, as darkness prompts the pineal gland to start producing melatonin, while light causes that production to stop. Melatonin helps to regulate the circadian rhythm and can aid better sleep cycles.
- It’s also a good idea to avoid sugar and caffeine in the evening as these can negatively impact sleep
3. Don’t overdo the exercise
It goes without saying exercise keeps you healthy. However, if you exercise too much it can affect your hormones, causing low progesterone (the hormone that calms and soothes you and makes you feel close to others). Each time you push your body to the limit, your heart rate increases and triggers a stress response. If you’re healthy, this can be a positive thing but when exercise becomes excessive, your body loses the ability to recover and produce enough energy, and hormone imbalances can result. Short bursts of exercise are good but long, endurance exercising can be bad for hormones as it puts your body under chronic stress.
- The best type of exercise for maintaining healthy hormone levels is HIIT and resistance training.
- How much exercise is too much varies hugely from one person to the next, but signs that you’re exercising too much can include: feeling overly tired, being unable to perform at the same level as before, feeling depressed, having trouble sleeping, and getting injuries. As with most things in life, exercise is about moderation.
4. Reduce your stress levels
Stress causes the body to release the hormone cortisol, which is produced by the adrenal glands and adrenaline. Too much stress causes the body to produce an excess of cortisol. This can result in a hormone imbalance.
- Taking up hobbies such as yoga, meditation, walking, or even painting or other artistic pastimes, can help to reduce stress and can therefore aid hormone balancing.
5. Cut back on alcohol to manage hormonal mood swings
Alcohol interferes with your natural hormone balance by affecting blood sugar levels. This negatively impacts mood. Many people experience a mood dip the day after having too much alcohol to drink. Moderate your alcohol consumption to dodge hormonal low mood.
- It’s recommended adults drink no more than 14 units of alcohol a week, spread across three days or more. That’s approximately six medium glasses of wine or six pints of beer.
- Swap your usual alcohol for one of the many alcohol-free beers, wines and spirits, or alternating them during a night out. This can help reduce your alcohol intake.
6. Make sure you’re eating enough
If you’re not eating enough nourishing food, the concentrations of thyroid and sex hormones in your body will fall. This can result in not only a hormone imbalance but, over a prolonged period of time, osteoporosis.
- An ideal daily calorie intake varies hugely depending on your age, activity levels and gender. However, it’s recommended a typical daily calorie intake is 2,000 calories a day for women and 2,500 for men.
Dr Martin Kinsella is a bioidentical hormone specialist offering bespoke treatments. Visit bioidhealth.com.
