Menopause and Mood Swings: What’s Going On?
A completely normal part of life, menopause has likely not only affected you physically but mentally, too. Due to the fluctuation of your hormone levels, you might be having a hard time understanding these moods – and how they might seem to come on so easily.
Below, we’re sharing some tips and tricks to help you embrace this new phase of your life to help make menopause more manageable.
Why Does Menopause Cause Mood Swings?
During menopause, your hormonal equilibrium may seem out of whack, with estrogen being the most affected. As your estrogen levels drop, you’ll experience a range of physical, mental, and emotional changes.
Some of these include:- Anxiety
- Depression
- Stress
- Irritability
- Trouble finding words and remembering, often called brain fog
Sleep problems
Estrogen is closely linked to emotional well-being with studies showing that when estrogen levels are high it creates an increase in serotonin levels (the hormone responsible for reward, learning, and happiness).
This decrease in serotonin levels when your estrogen levels are low makes way for depression and anxiety to enter the field. For those moments when you’re feeling down, remember that changes in mood - which can sometimes feel like PMS - is not your fault and that you’re going through a time of intense change.
Common Symptoms
Let’s break down why some of the common mental symptoms of menopausal change during this time. Although you’re aware of the hormonal change there might be some aspects that surprise you.
Depression
While you may think that a history of depression is needed for a flare up during menopause, this is not true. A study by The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism showed that 16% of women without a pre-existing depressive history will exhibit depression during menopause.
The study also showed that during menopause not only are hormones affected but your GABA (gamma amino butyric acid) levels are too. This neurotransmitter plays a major role in helping your mind and body feel calm while also controlling your brain’s ability to manage anxiety and fear.
Anxiety
That intense worry or fear that never seems to go away - anxiety, can be a crippling emotional and mental experience especially when you feel like you can’t seem to manage it.If you’ve experienced any of these symptoms during menopause you’ve likely experienced anxiety.
- Fast heartbeat
- Shaking or tremors
- Fast breathing
- Sweating
- Having trouble sleeping
- Heart palpitations
- Chest pain
- Headaches
- Racing thoughts
Just like with depression, your falling estrogen levels play a role in your increasing anxiety, but it likely isn’t the only culprit. Life events and lifestyle may also play a role in your anxiety as well as your cortisol levels.
Acting as your stress hormone, cortisol levels are linked to your estrogen levels. Additionally, it’s been shown that decreased estrogen levels contribute to increased cortisol and higher stress levels.
Low Mood
Have you been feeling “meh” lately? Like you just can’t derive joy from the same things you used to or feeling consistently sad. A low mood can affect your self-esteem, self-confidence, and your ability to enjoy life.This serious impact on your quality-of-life stems from your falling estrogen levels, which impacts your serotonin levels.
Irritability
Have you noticed yourself snapping at your loved ones or colleagues lately, being quick to anger, and generally feeling annoyed more often? Irritability is another unfortunate side effect of your hormonal changes during menopause.
This is one can be responsible for arguments with your loved ones and as you experience multiple symptoms, your frustrations with these changes may also add to your irritability.
Coping with Mood Swings During Menopause
While it might not seem like it, your struggle with menopausal mood swings won’t continue forever. While these changes may be challenging, your body will adjust to its new hormonal state. With the help of these lifestyle interventions and medication, you’ll find peace and a balance in your mood.
Diet and Nutrition
Your diet and nutrition play a huge role in your overall well-being. Eating a balanced diet full of fruits, veggies, and healthy grains has been shown to contribute to a healthy lifestyle as well as helping to manage the weight gain that’s common during menopause.
Called the “Depression Diet”, it shows that your brain favors vitamins like C, D, and B as well as minerals such as magnesium, selenium, and zinc for optimal functioning.
Eating a diet rich in foods like the ones below has been shown to actively contribute to maintaining a healthy brain, leading to better mental health.
- Leafy greens and citrus fruits
- Fish
- Complex carbohydrates
- Nuts and seeds
Additionally, you may want to think about adding dairy and animal proteins to your diet as they have been shown to improve bone density – which is also affected by changing hormones.
Daily Exercise
A 2024 study showed that getting daily movement contributes to a happier mental environment. Looking at over two thousand postmenopausal women, the study showed that regular exercise contributes to an improvement in depressive and anxious symptoms.
Incorporating regular strength workouts can also help improve your bone density and strength. Doing this alongside a healthy diet will help manage your mood, hot flashes, improve sleep, and manage weight gain.
Stress Reduction
Stress has been shown to have a psychosomatic effect on your health as it can aggravate preexisting health conditions. Because the bond between the mind and body is so strong, managing your stress is key to having emotional stability and easing physical symptoms you’ll experience during menopause
To manage your menopause-related stress, incorporate some of the self-care methods below to bring a sense of peace into your life:
1) Talk it out.Whether it’s with a loved one or a qualified therapist, talking to a trusted person about your emotional struggles can help you gain perspective while setting your mind at ease about any fears you may be experiencing.
Speaking to a psychologist will also be helpful if you feel that you’re experiencing serious depression or anxiety that you might require medication for.
2) Journaling.Just like with talking to someone about it, journaling about your stressful thoughts and feelings can help you gain perspective while helping to identify potential triggers for anxiety, stress, and frustration that you can work at managing.
3) Try meditation.While there are various kinds of meditations, mindfulness meditation is greatly effective if you’re dealing with stress and anxiety, by bringing a sense of calm and stress relief through attuning to the present moment in a grounded way.
This helps to identify where the stress or anxiety manifests in your body and focuses on creating an acceptance of those feelings. Practicing this form of meditation regularly will help you better regulate your emotions and bring calm to the emotional centers of your brain.
4) Breathwork.Great for anxiety and stress relief, deep breathing also known as belly breathing or diaphragmatic breathing helps you alleviate stress by bringing you into the present moment using your breath. Because anxiety usually stems from fearful thoughts about the future or past, using breathwork will help stem those thoughts and hopefully leave you feeling stress-free.
Pro tip: When practicing for the first time, make sure to take it slow and stop if you experience any light-headedness or difficulty breathing.
Products to Help You on Your New Phase of Life.
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Alternative Therapies
If you prefer to take an inclusive approach combining traditional medical treatment with alternative treatments like herbal remedies and your lifestyle interventions then you might want to consider adding herbs like black cohosh, maca, and dong quai into your routine.
While many of the studies proved that these herbs have benefits, test samples were small and, in most cases, more tests were needed to nail down the efficacy of these herbs for improving menopausal symptoms.
The study also indicated that using phytoestrogens, derived from plant compounds like soy and red clover, were shown to have beneficial effects on menopausal women with many of the test subjects reporting improvements in their hot flashes. However, like with the previous herbs, more studies are needed to create conclusive evidence that these phytoestrogens work.
Please consult with a doctor before undergoing any form of alternative treatment.
Make your Menopause Journey a Stress-Free One
Although it can be challenging, this time of your life doesn’t have to be emotionally painful. By using our methods combined with medical advice from your doctor you can live a happy, fulfilling life.
Gain more insights and guidance for navigating this transformative journey with confidence and clarity from Poise®.
“This content should not substitute medical advice from your personal healthcare provider. Please consult your healthcare provider for diagnosis or treatment.”
