Although mood swings may not be as annoying as hot flashes for many women going through menopause, they can certainly put a damper on your day. There are, though, several things that you can do to relieve menopause mood swings. Most of them are pretty simple, too. Eating a balanced diet full of plant-produced phytoestrogens, taking a St. John's Wort herbal supplement, and exercising on a regular basis can all help improve your mood during menopause.
Of these three things, exercise may be one of the most advantageous and effective. Plus, exercise has a ton of other benefits, too, including helping you maintain a healthy weight during menopause, which is a time when many women experience weight gain. Besides this, exercise can boost your energy levels and help you combat the fatigue that often comes with menopause. You may, though, be wondering why exercise helps and what types of exercise can help you regulate your moods.
Exercise and Endorphins Affect on Menopausal Mood Swings
Endorphins are brain chemicals - neurotransmitters - that are related in some ways to morphine. They actually are the body's natural chemical response to pain, and they can help ease both physical and mental pain. Your body naturally produces some endorphins when you're in pain, but you probably don't notice them then because all they're doing is taking the edge off. Exercise, though, can make your body produce endorphins - for reasons that aren't yet clear - even when you aren't in any significant amount of pain.
Because there isn't any actual pain to fight, the endorphins that can flood your body during exercise can boost your mood, sometimes for several hours after a workout session. The most endorphin-producing exercise sessions are pretty intense and last for twenty to thirty minutes, but moderate exercise can also produce mood-enhancing benefits during menopause.
Moderate Exercise and Stress Relief to Improve Mood
One of the main benefits of moderate exercise for menopausal women is stress and anxiety relief. Although a twenty minute walk won't flood your blood stream with endorphins to give you the so-called runner's high, a simple walk can do wonders for your general stress levels and feelings of well-being. In one study published by the Journal of Nursing, menopausal woman who participated in a light exercise program for a year experienced a significant decrease in severe menopause symptoms. These women were less anxious and depressed, and they had boosts in self-confidence, as well.
Incorporating Exercise into Your Life for to Balance Mood
Many of the studies on exercise and mood have focused on cardiovascular exercise. There's a reason that an endorphin flood is known as a runner's high; to get this type of serious mood boost, you do have to work out at about 75% of your actual capacity for at least ten or fifteen minutes. However, exercises like yoga and qigong have been shown to reduce overall anxiety and depression levels, as well. As an added bonus, yoga has been shown to reduce the intensity and number of hot flashes during menopause for many women.
So when you go to start an exercise program on your own, you can choose cardiovascular exercises like walking, swimming, and biking, or you can focus on mind-body exercises like yoga and qigong. Here are a few tips on incorporating mood-boosting exercise into your life.
*Start slow. If you have been sedentary for a long time, it's important that you don't start by exercising for an hour every day. If you are getting so sore that you can't move in the morning, that's a signal that you need to slow down. Too much exercise will actually have the reverse effect on your moods, and may cause you to backtrack into some of your menopause symptoms.
*Get some variety. Many women tend to focus on only one type of exercise, but if you combine different types you'll not only have more fun, but you'll also get more physical benefits. Combine cardiovascular, mind-body, and muscle building exercises for the best overall experience.
*Exercise at least twice a week. One study showed that women who exercised two or three times a week got the most mood-balancing benefits. If you want, you can work up to light exercise five days a week, but be sure that you do have a few days where your body gets a break.
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