When it comes to irritability and mood swings, most of us have had some experience with both. We’d all like to keep these episodes to a minimum, but the stressors of modern life combined with hormonal imbalances can sometimes make “keeping your cool” feel like an impossible challenge.
This comment from one of our readers perfectly captures the way that mood swings and irritability can negatively shape your life experience, and impact the people around you:
“I thought, when did my loving partner of 25 years become so difficult and hard on me? Then I realized — it was me. Yikes. Time for a change!”
Irritability and mood swings are two of the most frequent complaints we hear from women. While irritability and mood swings are closely related, there are some differences.
We use the term “mood swing” to describe a sudden or dramatic change in emotional state, or a reaction that isn’t appropriate to the triggering event. “Irritable” describes a state of being in which the person is angry, impatient, or chronically frustrated.
Unfortunately, both mood swings and irritability often go hand in hand during times of hormonal imbalance, including PMS, perimenopause, and menopause. But if you are living in a state of chronic hormonal imbalance, regardless of menopause, mood swings and irritability may become the norm. Stress, thyroid function, and blood sugar imbalance can also exacerbate symptoms of “moodiness”. Fortunately, there’s a lot you can do to help regulate your neurochemicals naturally — so you can get back to feeling the way you want to feel.
Let’s start by identifying the potential causes of mood swings and irritability. These can include…
Fatigue and inadequate sleep, which is especially common during perimenopause and menopause thanks to hot flashes, night sweats, and insomnia.
Low thyroid function, which can present as depressive mood, low energy, ADHD and irritability.
Menopause, when you may begin to experience hot flashes, brain fog, irritability, weight gain, low energy, and wild mood swings due to declining levels of estrogen and progesterone.
Blood sugar imbalance, which can look like fatigue, weakness, irritability, or “moodiness” — especially between meals.
Vitamin deficiencies — especially B1, B12, D3, and Folate — are crucial to maintaining proper cognitive function and adequate red blood cells. Folate and Vitamin B12 play a particularly important role in the production of serotonin and dopamine, the neurochemicals responsible for cognitive energy, motivation, and happiness.
How to Improve Mood Swings Naturally
Wild mood swings and increased irritability are tightly linked to the hormonal shifts that are characteristic of perimenopause, menopause, and PMS. These hormonal fluctuations estrogen, testosterone and progesterone can create symptoms like mood swings and irritability when your body doesn’t get the right kind of bioavailable hormonal support to maintain it’s natural hormone balance. Herbal Equilibrium was designed by doctors to address the most severe symptoms of hormonal imbalance, especially mood swings and irritability, using the highest-quality herbs and phytonutrients available.
“I was a real bear, ready to bite anyone’s head off. I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t happy. I was moody and snapping all the time. Now I can honestly say that I wake up in the morning and I am happy. My patience has returned and my husband has noticed a big change.”
Irene, Trust Pilot-verified customer
★★★★★
While supplements can be a transformative source of support for women dealing with mood swings and irritability, many women benefit from taking a holistic approach to their lifestyle changes. These can include:
- Manage mealtime. Eating optimal nutrients from whole-foods sources, with adequate amounts of protein, fresh vegetables, leafy greens, and plenty of filtered water.
- Balance blood sugar. If blood sugar imbalance is contributing to your mood swings and irritability, consider eating smaller, healthy meals at more frequent intervals to avoid dips in blood sugar throughout the day. Just be sure to reduce or eliminate sources of sugar on your plate and in your daily diet. The sugar roller coaster will only make mental and emotional imbalances worse.
- Prioritize your mental health. Easier said than done, we know! But it’s important to identify the sources of stress in your life, and understand the ways that chronically elevated cortisol — the stress hormone — can wreak havoc on your mind, mood and emotional state. Reach out to a loved one or friend to help you determine the best way to reduce or eliminate some of the sources of daily stress in your life. You’d be surprised how much asking for help, even if it’s just offloading carpool duty one day per week, will unburden your mind and help you prioritize your mental health.
- Consider counseling. A professional therapist or counselor can also help you navigate the stressors you can’t avoid, and develop coping mechanisms to help you maintain healthy boundaries and a stable emotional state. Counseling can help you develop necessary skills to work through fear, depression, anxiety, irritability and anger.
- Vitamins. Certain mood-related symptoms can be linked to vitamin and nutrient deficiencies, especially B vitamins, vitamin D3, folate, and even Iron. Consider adding a high-quality multivitamin to make sure you’re getting an adequate supply of the necessary vitamins your body needs to make neurochemicals to support mood and overall well being.
Women often come to us saying, “I thought I was losing my mind” because they’re shocked by the fierceness of their irritability and the sharpness of their mood swings. It’s a relief to know that their moods have a physical basis and can be relieved. Even severe irritability can be alleviated by providing your body with the support it needs to achieve hormonal balance.
We’ve been able to help thousands of women find relief from their irritability and mood swings so they feel better, and more like themselves. Learn more about natural ways you can support your hormones and overall health.
