Is There A Link Between Menopause And Depression
Menopause and depression have been linked to one another as it is known when estrogen levels drop symptoms such as irritability, insomnia, stress, memory loss, anxiety and depression can arise. When your hormones are changing, it throws your body off creating confusion and amplifies the feelings that you are experiencing. When you experience symptoms such as having an irritable mood, this can create a negative impact on your brain creating things such as depression, anxiety, and menopausal mood swings.
Dealing with menopause and the symptoms that come along is not an easy process, but it is possible to find healthy ways to handle these emotional changes. There are many natural remedies for menopause mood swings that we will suggest later in this article. Depression is one of the more common side effects of menopause that has been known to affect 1 out of every 5 women who are going through menopause. When these changes begin to occur, symptoms like hot flashes will take place and begin to disrupt your sleep leading to anxiety, depression and hormonal mood swings. Depending on your experience with PMS in your younger years, you may or may not suffer from any emotional changes. If you were one who had severe PMS then you may experience menopausal mood swings.
Does Anxiety Go Away After Menopause
During menopause, many women start to feel that they cannot cope with the same things that they once did. Once menopause ends, your hormones begin to align and start to become balanced. There are specific hormones causing anxiety during perimenopause and menopause that your body does not react well with, but once you enter postmenopause you may realize your anxiety will begin to decrease.
Learning how to handle and manage the symptoms that comes along with anxiety will help create a more peaceful life. Once your hormones start to balance out, you will notice these feelings starting to subside. Although anxiety isnt something that just goes away, you can learn to control this over time. Dealing with menopause and anxiety is not an easy thing, but the sooner you recognize these symptoms, you can manage it.
So if youre wondering, does anxiety go away after menopause, the answer is not as simple as yes and no. A lot of times it will subside, but without taking the proper steps such as specific supplements and lifestyle habits, it can last longer than expected. Part of the many personality changes during menopause comes anxiety. Here are a few ways that you can cope with this.
What Are The Natural Remedies For Mood Swings
In addition to remedies that your doctor can recommend, there are other easy steps that you can take every day to help balance your mood:
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How To Deal With Menopause And Depression
So if youre wondering, can menopause cause depression, the answer is yes. If you are one who is suffering from depression during these times, there are steps that you can take to help ease these symptoms and battle this.
- Find hobbies that you are interested in. Taking some time to yourself to do something that interests you will help take your mind off the things that are causing you emotional distress.
- Take off any big load that you may have on your plate, if you have a large task, break it into something smaller to take the load off.
- Try exercising more often, you can give something like yoga, pilates or cycling a try. Working out has been proven to decrease emotional stress.
Are There Herbal Remedies To Help Me
Herbal remedies can be an effective solution if you suffer mood swings without being as intrusive as some conventional medicines such as HRT.If your periods have more or less stopped, use a supplement containing soya isoflavones â plant substances known as phytoestrogens because they mimic the oestrogenic hormones in your body.
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Your Brain Produces Serotonin Dopamine Endorphins And Gaba These Are Brain Chemicals That Also Act As Happy Hormones They Help You Cope With Stress Calm Your Mood And Relax Your Body
When your sex hormones are out of balance during menopause, it impacts your happy hormones in a negative way. To be specific, low sex hormones slow down your brain from producing your happy hormones. This may lead to mood swings, anxiety and depression.
Low estrogen and progesterone also affect our adrenal glands. This gland is in charge of your stress hormones such as cortisol, adrenaline and norepinephrine. Stress hormones suppress the production of your happy hormones, which worsens your mood swings.
Low estrogen and progesterone, in combination with high stress hormones, is a recipe for health disaster. They suppress melatonin production, which causes sleep problems. They also slow down your thyroid glands and gut which may lead to fatigue and sluggish digestion.
One of my favorite holistic doctors, Dr. Eric Berg, has some great explanations about estrogen, mood and menopause in this video :
It Will Come To An End
Your hormone ups and down will eventually finish and you will return to a more even keel.
Menopause marks the end of one stage of life but the beginning of another that can be just as full and positive with a deeper understanding and intuition of human relationships.
Know when to seek help.
It is important not to let feelings of anxiety and depression or sad moods take hold and overwhelm you. Fear, frustration, and anger are all easily dealt with naturally following the tips in this post but if you find your emotions getting out of your control it is important to seek help from a healthcare professional. Your doctor will be able to point you in the right direction for the help you need.
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If Your Menopause Depression Is Severe Consult Your Doctor
If you suffer from severe perimenopause anger issues and menopause depression, consult your doctor and discuss all the symptoms and how they are affecting your life. Mention all key personal information. Your doctor can advise or provide the right treatment therapy. Make sure to discuss the medications offered by your doctor, their benefits and side effects before taking the final call.
Transitioning into middle age often brings increased fear, tension, and anxiety. This is often attributed to hormonal changes, such as alleviating levels of estrogen and progesterone. Disturbed sleep, irritability, hot flashes, fatigue sweating, and other menopausal symptoms may cause disruptions. For some women, menopause may prove to be a time of frustration and isolation. People around may fail to understand what psychological and physical changes what youre going through. Women who are unable to cope up with such a situation end up developing anxiety or depression.
The good news is that depression during perimenopause and menopause is a treatable condition. It is important to remember that there are multiple treatment options available that may help to relieve symptoms and provide strategies for coping with changes. Consult your doctor to discuss what treatment options may be the most effective.
Other Mental Symptoms Of Menopause
Forgetfulness and difficulty concentrating are problems reported by some menopausal women. One study found a measurable decline in cognitive ability of others. However, these problems usually reverse when women are post-menopausal.
Emotional problems may not be as easy to see as a broken leg, or as directly diagnosed as heart disease, but they are no less painful, limiting, and potentially devastating.
Fortunately, help is available through counseling, medication, or a combination of treatments.
If menopause mood swings or emotional upheavals are interfering with a persons enjoyment of life, they should see a mental health counselor, or seek a referral from a general practitioner.
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Estrogens Effect On Serotonin
Low estrogen levels can trigger serotonin depletion. This neurotransmitter is responsible for balancing/boosting moods, managing anxiety, and stabilizing our emotions.
A healthy serotonin level keeps your moods in balance which makes it an important factor in emotional health. When you start to experience serotonin depletion the result of this is feeling irritable, depressed, or anxious.
Lower serotonin levels can also contribute to sleep disruption which can start a chain reaction of imbalanced hormones.
How To Keep Menopause Mood Swings From Ruining Your Relationships
MenoLabs News | Thu, Feb 13, 2020
Personal relationships can be profoundly affected by perimenopause and menopause. It can be problematic for friends, family, and romantic partners to speak about it, especially when they have little to no understanding of what happens during menopause. For many women, the source of their greatest frustrations when interacting with the important people in their lives centers around mood swings. Mood swings are sudden, frustrating, and can often be drastic for many women experiencing menopause.
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Best Supplements For Menopausal Mood Swings
Some women are able to take in stride the many changesthat come with menopause. After all, its a natural part of aging. Menopause happensaround age 50, when women stop menstruating, but the effects of the declining hormonelevels, particularly estrogen, that accompanies this change can cause symptomsfor yearsboth before and after the actual loss of the monthly period. Alltheir lives, women are warned about menopause, and while some arepsychologically and physically prepared for the changes, many women strugglewith the symptoms that come along with reduced estrogen production.
Bothersome physical symptoms that can accompany menopause include :
- Dry skin
Calcium: Preventing Bone Loss
Bone loss can become a serious problem once hormone levels drop after menopause. It’s crucial to get enough calcium. Women under 51 need 1,000 milligrams of calcium a day. Women 51 and older need 1,200 milligrams a day.
Tip: It’s best to get your calcium from food. If you need supplements to fill the gap, take smaller doses with food during the day . You’ll absorb it better.
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What Causes Mood Swings During Menopause
The causes of mood changes associated with menopause are not well understood and there are a few different theories.
Some health professionals argue that the mood changes occur as a result of the hormonal changes of menopause. This theory is plausible because oestrogen plays a role in many brain functions that affect mood and memory.
Other health professionals argue that mood changes associated with menopause are due to sleeplessness resulting from hot flushes and other life changes that occur at this time of life.
Women experience many stresses at the same time as menopause, and it is also possible that these stresses could be responsible for the mood changes that commonly occur in the menopausal period. Stressors which occur at the same time as menopause may be external or internal . Problems with current relationships or a lack of social support may worsen mood symptoms during menopause.
Other symptoms of menopause, including hot flushes and sexual dysfunction, can also have an effect on mood and relationships. Changes to the body and associated issues with body image, as well as attitudes towards ageing, can all affect a womans mood as she transitions to menopause.
Coping With Mood Swings During Menopause
The good news is certain lifestyle changes can help manage menopausal mood swings:
- Consuming a healthy, balanced diet
- Regularly exercising
- Learning how to manage stress in a healthy way
- Getting creative
- Getting involved in the community
- Maintaining positive relationships with friends and family
- Avoiding alcohol, caffeine and spicy foods
- Getting an adequate amount of quality sleep
- Keeping the bedroom dark and cool to encourage optimal sleep
In cases where lifestyle changes do not effectively manage symptoms, women may be prescribed various medications.
Hormone Replacement Therapy
While hormone replacement therapy is often recommended for women going through menopause, it does have health risks and is prescribed cautiously by healthcare practitioners.
Bioidentical Hormone Treatment
Bioidentical hormones are also sometimes used for women going through menopause to help manage menopausal symptoms, including mood swings. However, similar to HRT, there are risks to this type of medication.
Antidepressants
For some women, antidepressants, particularly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors , may help to control menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes and sleep issues.
In addition to lifestyle changes and medication, some women may benefit from counseling to help manage the changes that accompany menopause.
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Your Emotional Symptoms In Menopause
Im not sure if you remember but I certainly do. Going through my teenage years was one hell of a ride. My emotions were all over the place. I had absolutely no idea what was happening but saw all my friends going through something similar and just assumed it was a part of growing up.
In menopause, it felt like I connected with my teenage self again and rode those same rollercoasters of hormonal fuelled dips and turns.
Though unlike the teenage you, in menopause you understand your moods more and have an idea of whats going on. However, you dont have that same luxury of being able to throw yourself on your bed, after slamming the door, in total absorption of scrolling tick-tock while you get a hold of your emotions.
For many menopausal and post menopausal women, this is a difficult time because the volatile emotions highlight an invisible line into the later part of their life.
Hot Flashes Night Sweats And Sleep Interruption
Night sweats and hot flashes are a one-two punch derailing restorative sleep. While loss of estrogen is one culprit, other key factors that mess with our ZZZs are stress hormone imbalance and diet choices.
Caffeine is not your friend if you are having any type of a sleep disruption, anxiety, or mood instability, explains Sadaty. Alcohol is another thing that will trigger hot flashesespecially wine.
Subtracting wine and coffee may not be fun, but the promise of a blissful eight hours of sleep makes it easier to consider corking that merlot. Taking control of your bedtime is another straightforward fix.
The most restorative sleep happens between 10pm and 2am, says Sadaty. That’s when your adrenal heals, that’s when your brain heals, that’s when you get the best quality sleep. And people are rarely going to bed at 10 o’clock.
Sleep is critical for keeping our adrenal glands, which produce stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, in tiptop shape. Sleep deficits are probably the number one cause of adrenal hormone disruption, she explains.
And when your stress hormones are out of whack, managing the chronic stressors of modern life is exponentially trickier. When you have an adrenaline rush, as opposed to a cortisol lift, its anxiety producing, it’s anger producing, it’s hot flash producing, it’s night-sweat producing, adds Sadaty.
Other sleep tips: Minimize pre-bed screen time, use blue light glasses to block sleep-disrupting light, and sleep in cool temps .
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What Are The Best Herbs For Menopause Mood Swings
If you would prefer to avoid prescription medications and hormone replacement therapy options, there are some herbal remedies that you could take in order to bring your emotions under control again.
Below are a few of the recommended herbal remedies for menopause mood swings. Consider giving these a try, but speak with your doctor first to be certain that they are safe to take, especially if you have a medical condition or you are taking prescriptions.
- Johns Wort: This is an herb that may help reduce depression and anxiety, as well as help you achieve a better nights sleep. If you are hoping to stabilize your mood naturally during menopause, consult your doctor about taking this herb on a regular basis.
- Black Cohosh: It is believed that this herb may behave in a similar way to serotonin in your brain, so it might help reduce depression. It is also an option for women who experience hot flashes.
- Maca Root: This is an adaptogen that could be used to help your body cope with the effects of stress. It may help to decrease the level of cortisol, and it might even relieve fatigue and feelings of restlessness while also boosting your energy.
- Ginseng: This herb could be used to ease menopausal symptoms like anxiety. It may also assist you in dealing with stress, and it could be used to give you some extra energy
Why Does The Menopause Affect Mood
The causes of mood swings in menopausal women are complex although research has linked low mood to fluctuating hormones. Oestrogen has a role in many brain functions so falling levels during the perimenopause may affect psychological wellbeing in some women. Some studies have shown that having a history of severe premenstrual syndrome or postnatal depression may make some women more prone to menopausal mood swings.
Other symptoms associated with the menopause, such as sleepless nights, hot flushes, low libido and vaginal dryness, can also contribute to feelings of sadness or low self-esteem. Many women at this stage of life experience other stresses, such as children leaving home or caring for an elderly relative, which can increase anxiety and depression.
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