Mood Swings Weight Gain

mood swings weight Mood swings and weight gain are two of the most difficult symptoms of menopause to deal with. This is because not only is there physical discomfort, that characterizes the majority of other menopause symptoms, but because there is a psychological dimension that can take its toll on birth the sufferer and her family. For this reason, and to prevent feelings of “helplessness” by the significant other it is hugely important to understand the factors that cause mood swings and weight gain during menopause. The following article hopes to empower women with this knowledge.

What is menopause?

Before detailing the symptoms of mood swings and weight gain it is important to understand the root cause of the problem to begin with. Menopause, to define it as simply as possible, is the time in a woman´s life when her ovaries stop producing certain hormones that are found naturally in the body. This process usually starts in women at any age from 48-55 years old. Menopause takes several months to complete and is considered officially over when she has not had her menstrual cycle for one whole year.

Menopause can cause women to experience all kinds of side effects and in addition to mood swings and weight gain can include; hot flashes, night sweats, anxiety attacks, headaches, nausea, and aching joints.

How does menopause affect weight gain?

The body´s hormones affect appetite, metabolism and fat storage. For this reason when the hormones are fluctuating wildly, it is difficult to keep control over your weight. During menopause, estrogen levels decline to the point where the body stops ovulating completely. In order to compensate for the loss of estrogen, the body starts to create it in other ways, by converting fat cells into estrogen. To do this the body works harder to convert calories into fat, which don´t burn calories like muscles, causing the extra weight gain during menopause. During menopause the body also produces less progesterone. Less progesterone causes higher water retention rates, which in turns produces a bloated feeling and look. Thankfully, in the case of progesterone, water retention and bloating tend to disappear after a few months.

How do you define mood swings?

Mood swings defined as rapid changes in emotions that occur for no apparent reason. Whilst many women can feel their moods fluctuating rapidly during menopause; often they may not even realize that a mood change is taking place. This can make life difficult for her significant other or family and place even the most stable of relationships on a bit of an “emotional roller coaster”.

mood swings lack Mood swings are linked to the hormone fluctuations that occur during menopause. Levels of the hormone estrogen, which normally acts as a mood regulator, significantly decrease during this time. There are also other factors and symptoms of menopause that exacerbate mood swings. For example, hot flashes and night sweats may be disturbing sleep patterns and therefore causing everyone to be that more irritable during the day. Similarly weight gain may put some women in a slightly more depressed mood than they would normally be.

What is the best way to handle mood swings and weight gain?

The greater insight you have on what particular situations exacerbate your mood swings, the more the more effectively you will be able control to control them. Furthermore, a healthy body often means a healthy mind and therefore a stable diet and exercise regime is recommended for stable moods. Alternative medicines have also been shown to successfully control instances of mood swings and rapid fluctuating rapid weight gain. This is because natural/herbal medicines will often target the issue of chemical imbalance and restore hormone levels to normal.

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