During the transition to menopause, levels of your hormone estrogen drop, causing wide-ranging changes throughout your body. Many of these changes have direct connections to menopausal mood swings.
For example, the drop in estrogen is thought to affect the way the body manages serotonin and norepinephrine, two substances that have been linked to depression. Lower levels of estrogen have been linked to
- Irritability
- Iatigue
- Stress
- Forgetfulness
- Anxiety
- Difficulty Concentrating.
The impact of these changing hormone levels may not be limited to a direct cause-and-effect relationship with depression, anger, and anxiety. Hormone shifts may also intensify these feelings.
Also, researchers have found higher levels of a brain protein known as monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A), which is linked to depression, in women entering perimenopause.
Sometimes, reactions build on each other, such as with night sweats.
These are hot flashes that take place when someone is asleep.
Night sweats can be so intense that a woman is woken and sleep is disrupted. Several nights of disrupted sleep can result in foggy thinking, irritability, and other characteristics associated with menopausal mood swings.
Risk factors that Increase the Likelihood of Mood Swings
Two of the most important risk factors for difficult menopausal mood swings are a history of severe premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and prior episodes of depression or other significant mental health problems.
Women may also have a greater risk of emotional problems during menopause if they have any of the following situations:
- unsatisfactory relationships with loved ones
- a great deal of stress in their lives
- a difficult living situation
Some of the more widespread aspects of menopause mood swings include:
- Irritability: Up to 70 percent of women describe irritability as their main emotional problem during the early stages of the menopausal transition. They find themselves less tolerant and more easily annoyed at things that did not bother them before.
- Depression: Depression is a more common and serious emotional side effect of menopause. It affects up to 3 out of every 5 women as they progress through menopause.
- Anxiety: Many women experience tension, nervousness, worry, and panic attacks during menopause. Some may find their anxiety getting worse while others may develop it for the first time.
- Crying episodes and feeling weepy: This tendency can become more pronounced in menopausal women, as they find themselves weeping over incidents that might not have mattered much before. However, tears can reduce stress as they allow people to release pent-up feelings.
- Insomnia: Insomnia can contribute to mood swings, as it interferes with day-to-day functioning. It is common during menopause, affecting 40- 50 percent of women.
The transition into menopause may be a turbulent time for some women. Rapid changes in hormone levels may influence neurotransmitters in the brain. The drop in estrogen levels during perimenopause and menopause can lead to hot flashes that disturb sleep. This can lead to anxiety, fears and mood swings. Depression during perimenopause and menopause is treated in much the same way as depression that strikes at any other time.
Declining estrogen levels associated with menopause can cause more than those pesky hot flashes.
They can also make a woman feel like she is in a constant state of premenstrual syndrome and even more complex emotional swings. Unfortunately, these emotional changes are a normal part of menopause.
Some of the emotional changes experienced by women undergoing perimenopause or menopause can include:
- Irritability
- Feelings of sadness
- Lack of motivation
- Anxiety
- Aggressiveness
- Difficulty concentrating
- Fatigue
- Mood changes
- Tension
- Sadness
- Depression
There is now real help for you if you are suffering from menopausal mood swings. Herbalists and homeopaths have combined their menopause treatments and have developed a treatment that gives many women quick and long-lasting relief. Read more here…
