Weakness during menstruation: where to get energy and how to improve your mood

The woman is mysterious. It is so difficult to unravel that many men spend their entire lives trying to figure it out. It can be changeable in mood and unpredictable in everyday life, but when it comes to hormonal changes in the body, this becomes even more noticeable. Unraveling the woman, scientists connected all this with each other and found that the relationship that exists between the psychological state and PMS is explained in different ways. If irritability during pregnancy is explained by the emotional state of the woman, then the cause in this case may be not only the mental state, but also physiology and even toxic substances accumulated in the body. To find out for sure, a clinical study of the symptoms and causes of such irritability during menstruation will be required.

Main reasons

Experts have long found an explanation for a woman’s depressive state – changes in hormones. Before the onset of menstruation (21–28 days), the amount decreases sharply, and if you take the hormone orally, it still will not help.

Some scientists believe that depression is caused by:

• Emotional disorders.
• Seasonal disorders.
• Experienced stress.

Most often, depression is characteristic of neuropathic, hysterical women with an unstable psyche. Sometimes the cause of depression can be poor nutrition. If you change it, you can get rid of some unpleasant symptoms.

One very good psychotherapist was frustrated with his own behavior. A lady came to him and began to tell him that she was depressed before her period. And he goes ahead and tell the truth straight to the face... That’s what he said, that this is not depression, but natural changes before menstruation, and she just needs to develop the right pattern of behavior on such days. But the truth in this matter is expensive. The woman was offended and left slamming the door. So what? And the old woman gets into trouble. Next time he will be smarter and will not offend patients with such actions. If someone really wants it to be called the word “depression,” then why deny this pleasure?

The truth is that when making a diagnosis in the medical sense, and not in the colloquial sense, premenstrual syndrome is excluded, not included. True, symptoms similar to those that occur with depression are not so common in women. It’s not even clear why and who started trying to link all this to depression.

Depression before menstruation is a fairly common phenomenon among women.

Usually, “depression” during and before menstruation in women looks completely different. This is reminiscent of the definition of love through a steam locomotive.

• Vasya, what is love?
• Well, how can I tell you, Katya... Do you know what a steam locomotive looks like?
• Of course I know…
• So here it is. It doesn't look like love at all.

Before menstruation, women become nervous, sometimes aggressive, prone to sudden emotional swings, tearfulness occurs, but not as much as during depression. According to statistics, at this time, weather dependence increases, and there may be headaches and abdominal pain. Sleep is disturbed, but you never know when it is disturbed. It is also disrupted during toothache. If a woman is prone to alcoholism, she may drink more than usual or smoke more often than usual. The attitude towards food changes. Favorite dishes stop making you happy, and you want something else.

It's no secret that women become more agitated and aggressive before their periods.

During the period from the 21st to the 28th day of the menstrual cycle, the level of estrogen hormones sharply decreases. Attempts to compensate for this by artificially increasing the amount of hormones lead nowhere. Nutritionists even recommend the opposite strategy - you need to eat more foods that prevent their accumulation and activate metabolism. This is a food that is rich in calcium and magnesium. Sometimes vitamins A, E, B6 are prescribed. But they try not to prescribe some drugs specifically from those that are used in terms of psychotherapy until the last minute. It is highly discouraged to self-medicate and take tranquilizers or antidepressants just because you believe that you are depressed during your period. This is anything, but not depression and nothing needs to be treated. Among the criteria for depressive disorder, you may have a couple of similar symptoms. But this doesn't mean anything. People with severe toothache may have even more symptoms of depression. But then dentists will help... But it is useless to fight the natural structure of the female body.

Another thing is psychotherapy, especially in the form of self-help. The arsenal here is quite wide...

In all cases, when it comes to mental disorders, we strongly do not recommend introducing strangers to this. All this can be told to specialists or participants in psychological groups. As a last resort, for those who once suffered something similar. Others simply won't understand. In the case of PMS, depression is not real, so feel free to share your experiences with your friends.

Depression occurs due to abdominal pain, increased fatigue, and constant nervous tension.

Bottom line

There is no need to worry about feeling depressed before your period. PMS in all women is accompanied by various mood disorders. The main thing is this: if the symptoms intensify and prolong, then do not ignore them and engage in treatment and eliminate the condition. The result will definitely be positive.

Before menstruation, the female body is reconstructed at the hormonal level. Naturally, this cannot go away without a change in mood or heightened emotionality. If a close man does not understand your condition, then a friend will be able to support you for this period, acting as a psychologist. This is one of the best solutions to the problem.

How can you help yourself during this difficult period?

So, how to deal with PMS depression, i.e. what is not a mental disorder?

1. Don't keep anything to yourself. If you feel angry, you can beat a pillow, break an unnecessary plate, or go into the forest and scream. Don't take it out on others. Take it out on something that won't offend you.
2. Don't fight the urge to cry or simply complain about life. Just do it completely. If you cry, then do it so that you cry out all the tears, and if you complain about something, then bring it to the point of absurdity until it becomes funny.
3. Physical exercise helps a lot. You don’t need to give them up, but you should reduce the load.
4. Walk more.
5. On such days, many people’s ability to concentrate on something weakens. There is no need to fight this. However, being aware of this feature, try not to drive vehicles or perform any dangerous work.
6. The following advice will not help everyone; some people simply won’t do it. Presented only for those who like the idea. A kind of meditation. You need to relax, sit in any comfortable position and begin to make movements with your hands that your hands “want” to make themselves. To begin with, you can help yourself and push your right hand a little mentally. Then gently release your hands from mind control. Let them move as they please. Movements can be smooth or abrupt. Do not interfere with this process. Approximately 20 minutes of such meditation will allow you to release accumulated emotions.
7. This method helps a lot against grumpiness and a desire for scandals. As soon as you feel that you cannot control yourself, try to retire. Sit or lie on your back and begin to roll your eyes clockwise. Movements should be as complete as possible. Out of habit, you will get tired quite quickly. As soon as signs of fatigue appear, stop, rest and continue practicing the exercise again. It is also useful for vision, but the main task is to create conditions that will allow you to relax your head as much as possible. At the end of the practice, you must be in peace and quiet for at least 10 minutes.

How to boost your mood during PMS

Dr. Steven R. Goldstein recommends that women increase their intake of vitamin B6—not necessarily through supplementation, but by adding more legumes, nuts, whole-grain breads, and grains to their diets.

One of the most effective ways is to reduce your salt intake, says bestselling author of Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom and board-certified OB/GYN Christian Northrop. This will prevent dehydration and relieve both physical and emotional symptoms. Northrop also advocates limiting sugar and limiting caffeine, both of which can worsen PMS symptoms. She also believes it's worth avoiding "diet" sodas and products containing the sweetener additive aspartame and monosodium glutamate. Northrop also recommends increasing your diet's zinc levels through poultry, seafood, and grains, as well as magnesium (from legumes, grains, and vegetables).

Finally, experts advise women to pay close attention to both weight and physical activity, and not to go to extremes. “Maintaining a healthy weight—neither overweight nor underweight—and regular exercise without overexertion can help relieve PMS symptoms,” says Rebecca Amaru, MD, PhD, a fellow at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. Properly selected birth control pills will also help reduce unpleasant symptoms; a gynecologist can help with this.

What would a disorder look like?

And in the end, a little about how to distinguish the usual state before menstruation from an affective type mental disorder. Depression in the medical sense is detected by a number of criteria. One of them is the lack of identity in words and facial expressions. A sick person may be sad and tearful, but his face remains stony, like a mask. He may experience wild and inexplicable anxiety, which he feels as a lump in the area in front of his heart. He thinks negatively and sees no prospects in life. He not only loses the ability to concentrate on something, but falls into the realm of the psychological absence of things.

As if there was a white fog or a wall in the mind. Not only is his sleep disrupted, but the nature of his sleep phases changes. He falls somewhere and doesn't sleep. He cannot rest and this cannot be called being awake. The patient tends to solve all problems in an inappropriate way. In many ways, mental disorder causes dependence on itself in patients themselves.

In principle, during a depressive episode, a person may at some point be happy about something. But then, as if out of obligation, he will again return to his melancholy. Joy causes the manifestation of withdrawal syndrome. How is this possible? And suddenly I’m without melancholy?

Agree, all this is not at all like you. So don't call it depression. It would never occur to anyone to mention schizophrenia before menstruation. Why do you all love this word “depression” so much? There is nothing good about her. So don’t look for it in yourself just because you are a woman, and women experience PMS.

Sometimes you can get rid of depression fairly quickly by trying to ignore the symptoms of the disorder.

Now you understand why the psychotherapist from the beginning of this story began to deny the presence of depression in that lady. She didn’t like this... We hope that you will be more savvy and will not look for signs of a psychic chimera in yourself.

Most women experience depression in the run-up to menstruation.

This is expressed in emotional breakdowns, loss of internal control, unpredictable tantrums for no apparent reason, and increased suspiciousness.

A woman is easily irritated, tears or hysterical laughter are typical these days.

Driving a car can lead to accidents on the roads due to increased excitability and loss of attention.

How to stop negative signs caused by depression before menstruation? Are there effective methods?

Why do we experience mood swings during our periods?

Contrary to stereotypes about “critical days,” the follicular phase of a woman’s cycle (begins on the first day of menstruation and occupies approximately half of the entire cycle) is characterized by a good mood. During this time, you feel more assertive and happy. The reason is hormones, namely increased levels of estradiol.

But during ovulation, which occurs after the follicular phase, we become more emotional, and at the same time, sexual desire increases and the pain threshold decreases. However, when you are overwhelmed with emotions, positive or negative, it is difficult to focus on work or daily responsibilities. Your thoughts may only be focused on the source of the emotion.

Physiology

Depending on what phase the menstrual cycle is in, a woman’s condition, both psychologically and physically, is different.

As a rule, you feel better in the first half of the cycle. Before menstruation, which is from 2 to 14 days, PMS (premenstrual syndrome) occurs and the woman feels unwell.

A number of disorders are observed in the body: vegetative-vascular, endocrine, and mental disorders.

Women with mental health problems are most susceptible to the negative consequences of PMS. When diagnosed with manic-depressive psychosis, 86% of women experience PMS symptoms.

The manifestation of PMS is characterized by the following signs:

Other painful sensations are also observed. Immediately before menstruation, women may experience changes in behavior and mood: unreasonable aggression, increased sensitivity, irritability and malice.

These are signs of so-called dysphoric disorders. Along with this, sleep disturbances occur, appetite becomes sluggish, and sexual activity is impaired.

A state of fear and anxiety may also be present.

Depressive and anxiety states may increase against the background of PMS. During this period, there is an increased risk of suicide.

During PMS, women with mental disorders of an endogenous nature experience an exacerbation of their mental state. Manifestations of the disease can be detected at a young age in teenage girls. This makes it possible to take preventive measures and diagnose depression at an early stage. Menstruation is a kind of indicator for identifying abnormalities in mental health.

During menstruation, the body weakens its ability to resist stress, and the nervous system is vulnerable. Variability in mood clearly increases in the initial and final stages of depression with cyclothymia.

Women usually do not resort to the help of doctors with PMS, but use folk remedies. In the presence of pronounced mental disorders, one cannot do without qualified medical assistance and a course of treatment with psychotropic drugs.

Psychotherapeutic correction is also carried out. Depression before menstruation requires treatment. Even if the patient has recovered from the state of depression, but negative conditions are observed before menstruation, then taking antidepressants should be continued until the symptoms are eliminated and the disease relapses. Antidepressants should have minimal side effects and be easy to tolerate.

Why do I always cry?

Tearfulness before menstruation is likely due to hormonal fluctuations that occur in the second half of the menstrual cycle. Ovulation occurs approximately in the middle of the cycle. During this time, your body releases an egg, causing your estrogen and progesterone levels to drop. Changes in hormone levels affect the amount of serotonin. It is a neurotransmitter that helps regulate mood, sleep cycle and appetite.

Low serotonin levels are associated with feelings of sadness and irritability, in addition to trouble sleeping and unusual food cravings—all common symptoms of PMS.

PMS depression should resolve on its own as estrogen and progesterone levels rise again. This usually happens a few days after your period ends.

Causes

Scientists give this explanation for the state of depression in women - hormonal changes in the body. 21-28 days before the onset of menstruation, the amount of estrogen produced drops sharply. Taking hormones does not give the desired effect. According to some experts, the following factors provoke depression:

• seasonal exacerbations;
• past stressful situations;
• emotional overload;
• disorders of the thyroid gland.

Women with an unstable psyche, prone to hysterics and neuropathy, are susceptible to depression. Weakened, insufficient nutrition can also trigger depression. The transition to a nutritious diet allows you to get rid of unpleasant symptoms, although not completely.

Why is premenstrual depression dangerous?

If a woman’s psyche is exposed to constant stress at work and at home, depression can take on an alarming form and develop into another disease.

Since the period of depression before and during menstruation is a relatively short time, many women prefer not to pay attention to the malaise, considering such a disorder to be a variant of the norm. At the same time, premenstrual depression poses a certain danger to the psyche. First of all, regularly recurring episodes of depressive disorder deplete the nervous system, which can eventually result in the development of a permanent form of depression or another disorder. For example, if a woman’s psyche is exhausted by frequent stress, there is a risk that depression will take on an alarming form and then develop into other types of disorders.

Neurosis can act as a trigger for the development of premenstrual depression. At the same time, self-subsiding depression during menstruation can cause neurosis due to a general negative effect on the nervous system and psyche.

One of the most common consequences of such transient depression is the development of postpartum depressive disorder. This occurs due to the general stress on the psyche and the entire body during childbirth.

There is also a risk of premenstrual depression turning into major depressive disorder due to tragic events or severe emotional shock.

Women during menopause often experience depressive symptoms. In the case of long-term premenstrual depression, there is a risk of developing an atypical form of depressive disorder after the onset of menopause.

Thus, premenstrual depression negatively affects mental health and can become a trigger for the development of other disorders, and therefore requires timely diagnosis and competent treatment.

Symptoms

We list the most characteristic symptoms:

• sudden mood swings;
• increased absent-mindedness and weakness;
• feeling of constant causeless anxiety;
• mild emotional vulnerability, tearfulness;
• causeless aggressiveness and outbursts of anger;
• headache;
• sleep disturbance, insomnia;
• sudden transition to salty or sweet foods.

For a woman, such symptoms may go unnoticed, but for the people around her, no. People notice changes and disturbances, primarily with normal sleep. During the day, women feel overwhelmed, feel lethargic, and lose their appetite. The whole body hurts, the joints are twisted, the state is completely broken. What is the way out of this situation? If you do not seek qualified help in time, then in the most severe cases a woman may commit suicide. Psychotherapeutic correction is extremely necessary.

How to suspect something is wrong

Changes in mood are typical 5-7 days before the onset of menstrual bleeding. Close women feel this before anyone else.

The first manifestations, as a rule, are the appearance of irritability, overly emotional reactions to ordinary events, and frequent conflicts with the woman’s close people. Any events during this period are accompanied by the appearance of tears in the woman. Over time it appears:

• absent-mindedness and forgetfulness;
• increased fatigue;
• the desire to sit or lie in one position with your eyes fixed on one point;
• it becomes more difficult to make decisions;
• loss of appetite;
• sometimes the appetite increases.

Not only the behavior, but also the appearance of the woman changes. A lady with a twist stops taking care of herself. Her posture becomes slouched. Washing your hair becomes an impossible task. It becomes easier for a woman to go out in public with an unkempt head and unkempt appearance than to force herself to get out of bed and take five steps towards the bathroom.

The gait becomes slow, the legs have difficulty lifting off the floor. Any homework is postponed indefinitely. A mountain of unwashed dishes becomes commonplace.

Treatment

The severity of the depressive state is determined by doctors. The course of prescribed treatment depends on this.

To overcome depression, specialists can prescribe the following medications:

• sedatives and antidepressants;
• contraceptive hormonal drugs (allow you to relieve the most unpleasant symptoms);
• drugs to stimulate blood circulation in the brain;
• taking vitamin-mineral complexes (minerals - calcium, zinc, iron, magnesium B6; vitamins - A, B, C).

General therapy

The course of treatment includes the following methods:

• therapeutic;
• physiotherapy;
• massage, both classic and acupressure;
• reflexology;
• acupuncture sessions;

Phytotherapy

To prevent depression, experts recommend taking phytohormones with estrogens. This course will bring the level of hormones in the blood to an optimal state. The following plants are recommended as herbal medicine:

• common wormwood (relieves muscle and vascular spasms);
• black cohosh (cohosh rhizomes);
• bearberry (antiseptic, relieves swelling).

Tea mixtures made from oregano, motherwort, hop cones, lemon balm, peony roots and mint will help relieve increased excitability, normalize sleep, and reduce nervous stress.

Soothing baths

Taking relaxing baths with the addition of various components of natural origin, according to experts, will help reduce the likelihood of depression. Essential oils of lavender and lemon wormwood are used as additives. Foot baths with lemon balm, cucumber, and rose petals are also effective. After the bath, massage your feet using fir oil. To normalize sleep, use pillows with various fillings:

• lavender color;
• currant leaf;
• mint leaves;
• oregano herb.

Can PMS be treated?

Men often joke about PMS in women: “And once a month they are especially angry...”. In fact, the duration of manifestations of the syndrome, depending on the stage of its development, ranges from 2 to 14 days with a normal cycle of 28 days. That is, in severe cases, a woman experiences an extremely painful condition for almost half of her life.

In our country, unfortunately, patients do not go to doctors about PMS, believing that this is one of the features of the “female lot.” However, Nature did not at all set itself the task of making a woman suffer. PMS is not the norm. And everything that is not the norm can and should be corrected as far as possible.

Of course, if you feel slightly unwell and slightly irritable (compensated stage), you can get by with soothing decoctions and an additional portion of sweets.

In cases with subcompensated and decompensated premenstrual syndrome, when symptoms progress from year to year, and the intervals between the beginning and end of PMS are reduced, it is necessary to consult a specialist. Practice shows that the help of a psychotherapist is very effective.

For healthy women who do not suffer from depression, the doctor may prescribe nootropic, sedative or stimulant drugs in small doses to correct the condition. For patients with a history of depressive episodes, treatment is necessary both to relieve PMS symptoms and for prophylactic purposes - to prevent exacerbation of the disease.

The course of therapy is selected strictly individually. Today there are drugs that are well tolerated and act comprehensively, relieving both neuropsychiatric and somatic symptoms of PMS.