The Best Supplements to Use for Mood Swings

Moods swings are not a disease or condition in and of themselves.  They are actually a symptom of a condition.  Unless the condition was caused by an underlying disease, mood swings can often be attributed to a vitamin and mineral deficiency.  To correct this, supplements are often required, on top of a prescribed diet.  Probably the best supplements to use for mood swings are multivitamins, particularly those that contains the following:

Vitamin B complex
Most people lack sufficient B vitamins in their diets.  These are important for the metabolism of carbohydrates and the regulation of the adrenal glands.  They are also very essential nutrients that help relieve symptoms associated with mood swings, specifically those caused by withdrawal from caffeine and sugar.  Furthermore, the B-complex family is excellent for helping stressed-out nerves, something that many people with mood swings suffer from.

Vitamin C
Vitamin C is an antioxidant that strengthens the immune system.  It's a very useful supplement and is best for people who suffer from mood swings.  It enhances the adrenal functions and stimulates the metabolism of the liver.

Vitamins A and E
These two vitamins are fat-soluble, which means they will be stored in the body, particularly the liver.  They are both antioxidants, capable of enhancing the body's ability to heal itself.  Both vitamins are important for helping increase the body's immunity against bacterial invasion.

Chromium
Chromium is one of the essential minerals that many people have a deficiency of.  It helps stabilize the levels of sugar in the blood, very useful if someone has mood swings.  The amount usually found in multivitamins is usually enough to correct any deficiencies present.

Fiber
Fiber is a very important component of any diet.  It comes in the form of roughage such as bran and wheat.  It is also found in some fruits and vegetables.  Other than the fact that fiber regulates the bowel movement, it also helps control the rate of sugars that enter the bloodstream.  This helps avoid the danger of hyperglycemia, which is characterized by high levels of sugar in the blood, a condition that often leads to weakness and mood swings.

Fiber also has many advantageous functions in the body, such as:

- preventing reabsorption of cholesterol
- lowering the levels of blood fat
- detoxifying the colon
- preventing the absorption of fungal and bacterial matter into the bloodstream
- preventing the absorption of toxins

Using multivitamins
Other than fiber, a good multivitamin is one of the best supplements for mood swings.  Multivitamins contain a combination of the most important nutrients needed by the human body in the correct dosage.  However, just because the label says 'multivitamins' does not automatically mean it is complete.  Some multivitamins contain only nutrients that are commonly missed, such as the B vitamins, calcium, zinc and magnesium while others may focus more on providing antioxidants such as Vitamins A, C and E.

When taking multivitamins, try to determine your nutritional supplement needs first.  Check your diet to identify which vitamins and minerals you lack.  It would also help if you consider symptoms (mood swings is a sign that you lack certain vitamins) and then determine which nutritional supplements are best for managing it.

Just remember, though, that these are supplements and are meant to correct deficiencies.  Foods are still the best sources of vitamins and minerals.  Many cases of mood swings are caused by deficiencies and can be easily corrected by the proper diet.

Menopausal Mood Swings

Menopause is a significant stage in every woman’s life. For many, it is a stage that’s feared because of the changes accompanying it. As a result, women tend to become more emotional and sensitive during this stage and occasionally, women would also end up experiencing mood swings because of their conflicting feelings about it.

Mood Swings Are To Be Expected
Nobody said menopause is going to be fun or easy. Sure, for those frequently experiencing PMS and those who’d like a surefire way to avoid pregnancy will certainly welcome this particular stage in their lives. But to gain what they want, they’d have to suffer first since menopause is almost always a painful process.

During menopause, you’ll gradually notice how your behavior and actions have changed. You lose your temper more easily and over the smallest things. The cheesiest movies make you cry and the daily frustrations in the workplace that you once had no problems tolerating have now become unbearable. One minute you’re happy, the next moment you’re sad. But don’t worry about this because it’s to be expected: what you’re experiencing is just a typical menopausal mood swing.

You’re Not the Only One Affected by Menopausal Mood Swings
As mentioned earlier on, menopausal mood swings are to be expected and they may even occur daily. Menopause is a trying time for every woman, but what you shouldn’t forget is that other people will be affected by it, too.

Your loved ones, the people living around you, and the people you work with can all be unknowing and innocent victims of your menopausal mood swings. Definitely, your words and actions may be unintentionally harsh, but you can’t be excused at all times. People’s sympathies aren’t endless.

Knowing this, you should now understand that it’s also imperative you do what you can to lessen your menopausal mood swings.

What Causes Menopausal Mood Swings?
To control menopausal mood swings, start by making an effort to understand where it’s coming from. What you and your loved ones should know that it’s not something you caused. Mood swings are a natural result, side effect, or by-product of the menopausal changes in your body.

During menopause, your body gradually slows down and ceases its production of hormones responsible for fertilizing eggs and, of course, menstruation. As this is an entirely new incident, your body reacts adversely to it and your menopausal mood swings are the result.

Other Effects of Menopause
Mood swings are unfortunately not the only symptoms of menopause. There are a lot more and since most of them tend to be aggravating, one symptom can lead to the other and vice versa.

Insomnia
The changes in your body will make you feel strange, uncomfortable, and at times, it can even be painful. All these could make you suffer from insomnia. When you become sleep deprived, your body weakens and your stress levels increase. Mood swings could be a result of it.

Fatigue
Hormonal changes in your body can make you feel exhausted even though you haven’t done anything yet. This could have a serious impact on your lifestyle and again, you could be prone to experience mood swings because of it.

Hot Flashes
They’re called flashes because they only take place in a matter of minutes. But every moment is uncomfortable and again, experiencing it frequently could make you suffer from mood swings.

Can You Get Mood Swings If You Go on a Protein Diet?

Food intake has a very big influence in our emotions.  The idea, smell, feel and taste of food, for example, can often be enough to produce feelings of euphoria, nostalgia, joy and satisfaction.  But what happens when certain foods are eliminated, such as when a person is on a diet?  Will you get mood swings during protein diets and if so, how can this be corrected?

How protein affects your mood
Protein is an important nutrient.  Its sources include meat, fish, chicken, soy and soy products, dairy products and nuts.  When ingested and absorbed into the bloodstream, protein stimulates the body to release two important neurotransmitters: norepinephrine and dopamine.

These neurotransmitters help the body feel more energetic, awake and alert.  This explains why after a good, complete meal, we feel refreshed and active.  The lack of sufficient protein in the diet, on the other hand, produces the feeling of drowsiness.  This can then lead to feelings of tiredness and irritation.

Conversely, too much protein in the diet can also lead to certain side effects.  More protein can encourage the production of hormones that increases the body's ability to stay awake.  People who don't regulate their protein intake could become restless and find it difficult to fall asleep.

The case against protein diets vs. your mood
So can going through a protein diet bring about mood swings?  According to researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the protein diet and other similar diets that reduce the intake of carbohydrates can lead to a bad mood.

Carbohydrates are known to speed up the production of serotonin, another neurotransmitter.  It produces a feeling of relaxation and calm in individuals.  It is also a hormone that is responsible for regulating human emotions and thus, is often prescribed to treat depression and mood swings.  Without sufficient serotonin, a condition that is common among people who go through protein diets over a prolonged period, it would be difficult for the body to regulate disposition.

Serotonin can also affect the way people feel about food.  Once it's functioning in the brain, it makes the stomach feel full while you're eating, allowing you to regulate the amount of food you eat.  Without serotonin, there is a danger that you could overeat.

If you have a problem with mood swings, it could also be because the lack of serotonin in your protein diet failed to regulate your moods.

The problem with protein diets
People who use the protein diet can often severely restrict the amount of carbohydrates in their diet.  If it remains uncorrected for a long time, the body can continue to have a strong appetite for food because the amount of serotonin is not enough to regulate the cravings.  This is why people will still feel hungry even after a good meal.

Without serotonin, the appetite cannot shut off and mood swings become inevitable.  People who use protein diets to lose or regulate their weight can often experience changes in their moods after food has been digested.  This usually occurs late in the afternoon or in the evening, a few hours after dinner.

The mood swing can often be followed by a craving for something starchy or sweet.  However, if protein is still taken instead of carbohydrates, the person will continue to experience mood swings, become irritable, restless, lethargic and bad tempered.

When using protein-based diets, it's important to consider its effects on the body.  If symptoms such as mood swings appear, it might be time to determine whether a few alterations in the diet are required.  Mood swings may not be that troublesome initially but if they last longer and occur frequently, they could affect your life and work.

Causes of Mood Swings

Mood swings, also known as phase mood changes, may have natural or unnatural causes. Receiving good and bad news at the same moment certainly warrants a mood swing. But there are also times when a person experiences mood swings for no apparent reason. When this happens, you might want to consult a physician about it as such mood swings could be a symptom of a more serious problem.

Possible Mood Swing Causes
Before approaching your physician, you can review the possible causes below and see if any of them may have brought about your mood swings.

Menstruation and Menopause
Some women have all the luck. They go through menstruation each month and menopause in the latter stages of their lives without ever suffering pain or discomfort. Others are not as fortunate and these women are the ones prone to suffer from mood swings.

Menstruation and menopause cause hormonal changes in our bodies and these changes could mess up the way we think and feel at the moment. Mood swings could be a result. Certainly, the pain that comes with menstruation and menopause can also cause mood swings. At the early part of the day, you could be extremely happy but once your period comes, your mood could instantly change and you become irritable and overly sensitive.

Mood swings during these stages may frequently occur but even so, they’re entirely natural and as such you shouldn’t be too worried about it. To regulate their frequency, try doing what you can to alleviate the pain caused by other symptoms of menstruation and menopause. Do that and the frequency of your mood swings will consequently go down.

Puberty
Growing up is a painful but necessary change in life. This is especially true as kids hit their teenage years. For women, the changes are more visible: their bodies develop curves that once weren’t there. They also start experiencing menstruation, which is painful in itself. Their voices change and even their skins could change, making them more acne prone among other things. Add all these up and it’s fairly easy to understand why adolescents become prone to mood swings.

Bipolar Depression
In this case, mood swings are merely a symptom of a more prevalent condition. Bipolar depression is vastly underestimated by many. It is a serious condition that when left untreated can lead to graver complications.

The best way to know if one is suffering from bipolar depression is to obtain a professional diagnosis.

ADHD
ADHD or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is certainly not something to scoff at either. True enough, it is not in any way life-threatening but if the affected individual is left to cope with his condition without professional help and support, he will find it extremely difficult to achieve certain things in life – things that may come naturally to other people who aren’t suffering from ADHD.

And because he doesn’t understand the cause of his inadequacies, he could be prone to mood swings. There is no cure for ADHD but there are ways to help affected individuals lead a normal lifestyle.

Stress
Last but not the least, problems in your life can easily lead you to suffer from mood swings. The best way to prevent mood swings in this case is to solve your problems instead of running away from it.

Whatever the cause of your mood swing, you’ll find it easier to prevent them from occurring again if you have the care and support of your loved ones.

Understanding and Managing Mood Swings in People with Alzheimer's

Alzheimer's is a dreaded disease, primarily because it is irreversible and tends to progress gradually.  Although it is more common among people in their senior years, it can also affect people in their 40s and 50s.  There are even some patients who are still in their 30s.  Alzheimer's is a problematic disease because it is characterized by a decline in perception, language skills, memory and physical functions.  It can also lead to mood swings, something that does not only affect the individual himself but also the people around them.

Growing older
Contrary to what some people believe, Alzheimer's Disease is not really the result of aging.  However, people who age are at a higher risk of developing it.  Already, around 10% of the people over 65 living in the U.S. have Alzheimer's and half of those who are 85 years old and older may already have the disease.

Mood swings in Alzheimer's
Patients with Alzheimer's disease experience some very difficult mental, emotional and even physical challenges.  Although gradual, the onset of the disease may appear as memory loss and a decline in certain cognitive abilities.  In its early stages, the symptoms could appear mild.  However, over time the disease progresses and patients may begin suffering more intense and more prolonged bouts in mood swings.

The reason behind this can be attributed to the feelings of frustration and agitation that patients with Alzheimer's experience as a result of the symptoms they begin to suffer from.  For example, a patient trying to remember a simple thing – someone's name, his home address, a task that used to be automatic – can cause him to feel anger and annoyance.

As the disease progresses, so will the incidences and the severity of the symptoms.  The result: mood swings.

Treating mood swings in people with Alzheimer's
If a person suffers from Alzheimer's, mood swings are to be expected.  However, there are ways to help a patient manage these symptoms.  A few steps you can take:

Scheduling
People with Alzheimer's have to struggle constantly with forgetfulness and the strong emotions that come as a result.  Difficult tasks, for example, such as those that involve multiple physical and mental efforts, are frequently the cause of mood swings.  Instead of allowing the patient to suffer from frustration and agitation, it would be helpful to schedule these tasks during the time of day when the person is most calm and in a good mood.

Routine
For people who have Alzheimer's, having established routines can be very helpful.  This will help eliminate confusion and predictability, two factors that often lead to mood swings.  The more familiar the tasks are to the person, the easier they will be to perform.

Flexibility
The most basic functions in a person with Alzheimer's can decline steadily over time.  Abilities can even change on a daily basis.  Caregivers should allow flexibility into the routine and adapt new or other tasks and activities if necessary.

Simplicity
One of the causes of mood swings among those who have Alzheimer's is their struggle with the complexity of tasks or activities.   It would help if tasks are simplified and choices are limited.  Having too many choices can make it difficult for an Alzheimer's sufferer to decide.  By reducing the number of things or actions a person has to choose from or perform, a patient wouldn’t have to think too hard or too long, which helps prevent feelings of agitation.

Dealing with Mood Swings, Hallucinations and Anger in People with ADHD

ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a type of mental illness that is one of the most common childhood conditions that gets diagnosed.  Symptoms are usually apparent by the time a child reaches around 6 years of age.  Once a child has ADHD, it is expected that he or she will continue to experience its symptoms well into adulthood.  By that time, however, they are already well equipped to handle the mood swings, hallucinations and anger associated with the disorder.

What causes ADHD?
The true cause of ADHD is still largely unexplained.  However, some researchers believe that it is due mainly to an imbalance in the chemicals present in the individual's brain.  In some cases, researchers suspect that the condition can be influenced by genetics and the environment.  As for how and why the disorder appears in certain individuals, however, there remains no clear cause.

Since the cause of the disorder remains unknown, doctors merely use medications and therapy to treat its symptoms.  These are designed to provide the patient with the opportunity to regulate his temperament and live as normal a life as possible.

Symptoms of ADHD
ADHD is characterized by the inability of an individual to remain focused on a single activity for a given period of time, something that people without this disorder don’t require a lot of effort to do.  It is also common for ADHD sufferers to experience mood swings – ranging from complete elation, enthusiasm and confidence one moment and shifting to depression, irritability and aggression the next.  In most cases, the particular reason for the specific behaviors is not easily identifiable.

Another common emotion shown by people with ADHD is anger.  They could, for example, become highly temperamental, which can result to outbursts and violent, aggressive behavior.  This becomes problematic when the anger is directed towards another person or an animal.

A person with ADHD may, at any one time, also exhibit certain symptoms, including restlessness, inability to get along with other people, disobedience particularly to a person of authority (parents, teachers or superiors), frustration and impulsiveness.

Dealing with mood swings, hallucinations and anger
Once a person is diagnosed with ADHD, he is prescribed with medications that help calm and keep him focused.  These medications include antidepressants, anti-anxiety and anticonvulsant – dosage and administration of which will depend on the individual's case.  These drugs, along with behavioral therapy, are very effective for helping the ADHD patient manage his symptoms.

There are a few drawbacks regarding these drugs, however.  One common complaint is that some drugs could lead to hallucinations, especially medications used by children.  The advisory committee of the FDA had made recommendations regarding the inclusion of warning labels on ADHD drugs in order to advice users and their parents of possible side effects.

Other than medications, people with ADHD also do well in an environment where their disorder is well understood and accepted.  Support from family and friends is also critical in helping the individual cope with his illness.

Keeping safe with ADHD
As with every type of disorder, it is important that patients and their families understand what exactly it is they can expect from a condition such as ADHD.  It is also critical that they stay up-to-date with any news or information about treatments that may affect their health in order to prevent bouts of mood swings, anger and hallucinations.  ADHD is a treatable disorder and there is no reason why anyone has to suffer unnecessarily from its symptoms.

Symptoms of Mood Swings in Men

Women are not alone in suffering from mood swings. Men, too, can be a victim of them and when they do suffer from them, rest assured that they’ll prove to be crabbier than women with PMS.

Food, Energy, and Mood Swings
Men generally use up more energy than women because they’re more active. Food is something they consume in large quantities because it gives them the energy they need to get through the day. It allows them to play sports, perform house chores, play with the kids, and do their job.

Eating the wrong food, however, wouldn’t be able to give them the energy they need. Rather, they’ll get the opposite: foods high in fats and oils, for instance, will give them a weaker heart. They’re also prone to anxiety and irritability and definitely more liable to suffer from mood swings.

Diagnosing Mood Swings in Men
Although there are more women overall who suffer from mood swings, the pendulum actually swings to the other direction upon reaching middle age. By that time, only 25% of females suffer from mood swings compared to 40% with men. One reason for this, perhaps, is due to the absence of professional diagnosis. Mood swings and consequently depression in men are rarely detected early; statistically speaking, it takes about a decade and 3 health professionals before a proper diagnosis is achieved.

There are three good reasons why mood swings in men aren’t detected early.

Firstly, the symptoms of mood swings and depression in men are quite different from the symptoms suffered by women with the same condition. Secondly, men are less inclined to speak of their condition and their male colleagues are equally unlikely to ask for explanations. Last but not the least, sexual problems may be one of the common reasons for depression and mood swings but men rarely acknowledge its existence, much less admitting it to be a cause of their condition.

Symptoms of Mood Swings in Men
When men suffer from mood swings, they’re likely to display one or more of the symptoms listed below.

Unreasonable Censure
Men could consider their mood swings inexplicable but because of their nature, they will do their best to find a reason for it. Unless they’ve been properly diagnosed, they’re liable to blame others for their mood swings. Now, if there’s absolutely no other person to blame for their condition then men would usually resort to blaming themselves.

Anger and Irritability 
Mood swings also make people more irritable and quicker to anger than usual. Mood swings are exhausting because it requires you to feel more than usual. One moment you’re happy, the next moment you’re down, and feeling like this several times a day certainly won’t make anyone feel good.

Creating and Avoiding Conflict
Mood swings make men feel unbalanced and unable to control their emotions. Because of this, they are more prone to create or avoid conflict, depending on the situation. If they feel they’re unable to cope with a problem then they’re likely to sweep it under the rug rather than face it head on. Then again, they can choose to alleviate their frustrations by creating conflicts instead.

Poor Sleeping Habits
Last but not the least, sleep is also affected by mood swings. Men could seek sleep excessively in order to avoid mood swings. On the other hand, men could also suffer from sleep deprivation because of mood swings.