Our lives are filled with uncontrollable events that affect us in different ways, making certain moments difficult to assimilate or navigate. Depending on the situation, feeling intense emotions is to be expected. Even mood swings can be normal from time to time, due to circumstances like poor sleep or life changes. Emotional shifts due to life’s ups and downs are usual, but when they are sudden, intense and without apparent reason, pay attention. Taking a moment to reflect on your emotional response and its possible cause is necessary if you suspect them to be unconventional.
To help you identify when your mood shifts are caused by reasons out of the ordinary, South Plains Rural Health provides you all the necessary information. This way, you can get the necessary medical attention to balance your emotions and be in control of your life again.
What Are Mood Swings?
Mood swings are unexpected and intense emotional changes. Causing you to feel irritable, angry, sad or frustrated to then be fine shortly after. Sometimes they are caused by life changes like moving home or changing jobs. Although, habits also play an important role on how you feel emotionally—that’s why factors like getting poor sleep or eating an unbalanced diet, can impact your mood as well. Even not being able to pinpoint exactly the cause of your feelings can be normal every now and then.
Who Can Have Mood Swings?
Everyone can have mood swings, male and female—from childhood to adulthood—can experience them at any given time. There are certain moments in life where they are normal. To name some examples:
- Adolescence.
- Menstrual cycles.
- Pregnancy.
- Menopause.
- Testosterone changes.
Why Do They Occur?
Mood Swings happen when brain chemicals are imbalanced, this in itself can have an array of reasons. Some examples are:
- Habits: not getting enough sleep or getting too much, skipping meals or overeating, eating an unbalanced diet, taking too much caffeine, lack of exercise.
- Hormones: hormonal changes that occur during the menstrual cycle, menopause, puberty, pregnancy or testosterone changes.
- Medicines: taking certain medications that have side effects can influence your mood.
- Substance abuse: resorting to drugs, alcohol or smoking.
- Mental illnesses: depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder or borderline personality disorder, to name some.
When to Look for Medical Attention?
Although mood swings can be normal during certain life stages or caused by factors related to habits and lifestyle, they can also be a sign of underlying issues. Hormonal imbalances and mental health problems can be usual causes for emotional shifts that need medical attention to be solved. There are some signs to look for to know when it’s time to go see a doctor about your fluctuating mood.
- Intense emotional shifts: we all have days that are better than others, but pay close attention when you find yourself having dramatic mood shifts without any apparent reason.
- Long-lasting mood swings: your emotional changes are not the only sign, but also to their length. Especially if they last for several weeks, causing you to feel lack of interest, unmotivated or hopeless or every day.
- Being bothered by ordinary interactions: if every-day situations cause you to snap disproportionately or experience dramatic highs and lows without apparent reason.
- Strange behavior: needing less sleep than usual, using alcohol or drugs, taking risks or any other behaviour out of the ordinary.
When your emotional fluctuations affect your relations, work or other parts of your life, looking for help is more than necessary. Whether it’s a mental health problem or a hormonal imbalance, doctors like behavioral health specialists, primary care, endocrinologist and gynecologist are there to help you.
Seek Medical Help for Your Mood Swings With Us
At South Plains Rural health we provide you all the medical attention that you need to recover your life’s control. Contact us to schedule a consultation and keep your mood swings in check.