For many people, perimenopause can come with mood swings and emotional symptoms. How and why does perimenopause impact emotional well-being? Read on to find out.
Going through perimenopause can come with a ton of different symptoms . Beyond just your physical health, these symptoms can impact your mental health, too.
What are the emotional symptoms of perimenopause, and how can perimenopause mood swings impact you? In this article, we’ll cover how and why perimenopause affects your mood and emotions, plus how to manage perimenopause mood swings.
What are perimenopause mood swings?
Perimenopause is the transition into menopause and the end of your reproductive years. Perimenopause may be more well-known for physical symptoms like hot flashes and irregular periods, but this transitional time in your life can also impact emotional well-being.
As many as 7 out of 10 perimenopausal women experience changes in mood and mental health, including symptoms like perimenopause mood swings.
Perimenopause and emotions can be difficult. Mood swings caused by perimenopause are sudden and abrupt changes in how you’re feeling emotionally. You may go from feeling calm and relaxed one moment, to uncontrollably angry the next, to tearful and numb after that. Mood swings can be disruptive and distressing, and can sometimes lead to strain or conflict in your personal and work life.
Perimenopause mood swings may feel similar to mood changes related to PMS (premenstrual syndrome). However, there’s a key difference between the two: timing.
PMS mood swings only happen right before and/or during your period. Perimenopause mood swings, on the other hand, are linked to the perimenopausal transition rather than to your period, meaning these emotional symptoms can occur at any moment in your menstrual cycle.
What are symptoms of perimenopause mood swings?
Each person experiences perimenopause differently, and the same goes for emotional symptoms. Some people may have just a few mood symptoms from time to time, other people might experience a major shift in their mental state, and others still fall somewhere in between.
For people who experience perimenopause mood swings, it can feel like an unpredictable and totally overwhelming rollercoaster of emotions. Often, there isn’t any clear trigger.
With perimenopause mood swings, it’s common to cycle through symptoms like:
Anger and rage Irritability : You may feel on edge and frustrated. You might notice that you now have very little patience, low tolerance for small annoyances, and a short fuse.Sadness and tearfulness : The need to cry may come on out of nowhere, and you may have a hard time shaking feelings of sadness.Increased stress and tension : You may feel sudden waves of stress, leading to frayed nerves and frequent worry. Anxiety and depressive symptoms : Perimenopause increases the risk of experiencing more and worse depressive symptoms. You may have feelings like anxiousness, hopelessness, and worthlessness, and lose interest in activities you used to love. Some people even develop depression for the first time.Mental fuzziness : Perimenopause mood swings can also impact your cognition. This is known as perimenopause brain fog. Cognitive symptoms include forgetfulness, concentration problems, and difficulty communicating.Fatigue : Cycling through different emotional states with no rhyme or reason can leave you exhausted. You may feel low energy and tired during the day, yet still struggle to sleep at night (sleep disturbances are another common perimenopause symptom).Keep in mind that perimenopause mood swings don’t always trigger rapid changes. Yes, emotions can cycle quickly from one moment to the next. But mood swings can also happen more slowly, with your emotional state changing day to day.
What causes perimenopause mood swings?
Perimenopause mood swings can feel overwhelming, destabilizing, frustrating, distressing, you name it!
But it’s important to remember that what you’re experiencing is completely normal and common, and you’re definitely not imagining it. In fact, there’s a scientific explanation behind perimenopause mood swings.
Like so many perimenopause symptoms, mood swings and mental health-related issues are linked to your changing hormones.
Estrogen may be especially responsible for mood swings. Levels of this hormone fluctuate and decrease during perimenopause, which can cause imbalances in the various brain chemicals that support emotional functioning.
When these chemicals are thrown off, they can’t properly regulate mood and emotions. And when your brain can’t regulate emotions, your mood can change unpredictably. In other words: you can experience perimenopause mood swings.
In addition to brain chemical changes, other perimenopause symptoms can also impact emotional state, including factors like hot flashes, joint pain, headaches, and vaginal discomfort. Plus, the major life and physical changes that accompany perimenopause can make it hard to feel emotionally stable.
Given everything that’s happening at once, it’s only normal for your emotional well-being to feel the effects during perimenopause!
How to manage perimenopause mood swings
Perimenopause mood swings may feel like a never-ending rollercoaster, but there are ways to help slow the ride and ease emotional symptoms.
Here are some tips for managing perimenopause mood swings:
Therapy
Therapy can be a great resource for understanding and working through your emotions, building coping strategies, and finding productive outlets for your feelings, all while processing and learning to embrace the life changes that perimenopause brings. Cognitive behavioral therapy may be particularly helpful for perimenopause mood swings.
Diet
Diet plays an important role in mood. Eating a healthful, nutritious, and balanced diet like the Mediterranean diet may help you feel your best both mentally and physically. Try to eat lots of fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes (lentils, beans, chickpeas), whole grains, and fish.
Consider drinking less alcohol and quitting smoking.
Regular exercise
Moving your body regularly and getting outdoors releases endorphins (feel-good brain chemicals) and helps lower stress. Plus, regular exercise can keep your muscles and bones strong after menopause.
Try incorporating moderate exercise sessions three times a week: walking, cycling, swimming, jogging, yoga, Pilates – whatever type of movement feels best to you!
Stress management
Lowering stress can ease feelings of tension and anxiety, while boosting balance and calm. Stress management is often easier said than done, of course, but practices like journaling, yoga, meditation, and spending time outdoors can help.
Self-care
Practicing self-care can help you feel grounded and build emotional resilience. Try making time for yourself each day, continuing to do activities and hobbies that you enjoy, and spending time with friends and loved ones.
Medication as needed
Sometimes, perimenopause mood swings call for medication.
If you feel like you need extra support, talk to your doctor about your options. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is one common route to help stabilize mood and ease hormone-related mood swings. Antidepressants are commonly prescribed, too.
The emotional symptoms of perimenopause: The bottom line
Many people experience perimenopause mood swings during the transition to menopause.
Driven by hormone changes and other perimenopause symptoms, mood swings can impact your emotional well-being and mental health. You may find yourself cycling through symptoms like anger, tearfulness, and brain fog.
Seeking therapy, exercising regularly, lowering stress, and taking medication as needed can help you manage perimenopause mood swings. With support, you can move towards greater balance and symptom relief as you transition through perimenopause.
