A woman's hormones are like the coil-springs of a mattress - they go up and down depending on where the pressure is coming from. While guys only have to deal with testosterone; you have to balance at least 8 different hormones 24/7 and these adjust your fertility and influence your moods - especially during your period. Pretty intense, right? Right!
HERE’S WHY:
Periods are triggered when your hormones are depleted - zero, zilch, niks! This means that just before a period, your hormone levels are at their lowest and this can affect your mood drastically.
The buzz of activity that happened just two weeks ago (at ovulation when your mood was tops) is over and there is no progesterone being produced. In other words, your baby-making organs can be compared to an abandoned playground.
These hormone lows can trigger PMS (pre-menstrual stress) with symptoms like:
- Feeling bloated
- Headaches
- Runny-tummy
- Painful breasts
- Depression
WHAT TO DO ABOUT MOOD SWINGS
We all know mood swings are tough to deal with, but here are a few things you can do to make them more manageable:
- Understand that moodiness and periods often go hand-in-hand. It happens! Keep a record of your cycles, so that you know when to expect your next period.
- Exercise every day for at least 30 minutes. This improves blood circulation and gets your endorphins pumping.
- List everything you eat for a few days to try improve your diet.
- Understand your body and do what's good for it.
- Reduce your stress levels with music, reading and exercise, like yoga, walking or swimming.
- Share your feelings with your girlfriends - strength and confidence comes in numbers.
