As women, many of us will be familiar with the sensation of hormonal mood swings throwing us off our game! But the link between our hormones and our mood goes far beyond PMS. Female hormones have a complex and deeply connected impact on our mental wellbeing.
Our hormones can impact our mood directly through their interaction with neurotransmitters (communication chemicals that affect our mood and emotions). They also affect mood indirectly by regulating sleep, inflammation and other key aspects of overall health.
In this blog post, we explore how hormonal rhythms affect mental wellbeing and practical steps you can take to support more stable mood throughout the month.
The cyclical impact of our hormones
Hormones fluctuate throughout the menstrual cycle, and because they are closely linked with neurotransmitters, mood can shift in response. This experience may be different for those who use hormonal contraception, which suppresses the natural hormonal cycle, so hormonal fluctuations may be reduced or experienced differently compared with natural cycling.
The main hormones (specifically tied to our female biology) that can influence our mood are oestrogen and progesterone.
Oestrogen supports levels of ‘happy hormone’ serotonin which helps us to feel uplifted and energised, whilst progesterone bolsters calming neurotransmitter GABA that helps to reduce stress and anxiety. When in balance they are a fabulous feel-good team.
However, these beautiful mood-regulating effects of our hormones can be a double-edge sword when things start to go awry. Dips in oestrogen may lower mood and energy, while reduced progesterone, often linked to stress, can increase anxiety and decrease stress resilience.
But the good news is that whilst it may be an ‘accepted’ societal norm to experience PMS and cyclical mood changes, many of these symptoms are transient and lift once we start to understand our cyclical rhythms and make changes to better support our hormonal health. Cultivating an awareness around our monthly hormonal rhythms is a powerful place to start, and can help us better adapt to our body’s needs at different phases.
Let’s explore what our hormones get up to at each cycle phase, and how this can affect our mental wellbeing. Then we’ll dive into simple changes we can make to help lift the hormonal blues.
Hormonal Rhythms
The easiest and one of the most insightful ways to tune into your hormonal rhythms is to start tracking your cycle. You can do this simply by using an app, which allows you to track symptoms throughout the month with just a couple of taps on your phone screen. Of course you can also track your cycle with a good ol’ fashioned pen and paper, and there are lots of printable trackers available to download too!
Start by tracking the first day of your bleed as day 1, the start of your Winter season (menstrual phase). The day after your last day of bleeding will be the start of your Spring season (follicular phase), after 6-7 days you will enter your Summer (ovulatory phase), followed by 11-12 days in your Autumn season (luteal phase).
Spring
Follicular Phase
During our Spring phase, oestrogen is rising, supporting serotonin, so we often notice our mood and energy rising, and we tend to feel more social as we approach Summer.
Summer
Ovulation
Then during Summer (our cycle midpoint when we release an egg), oestrogen peaks, and we will tend to feel at our happiest and most social. In the few days after we ovulate, oestrogen can dip significantly, which can lead to a temporary low mood (and other symptoms like headaches) for some of us.
Autumn
Luteal Phase
Next is our Autumn phase, when oestrogen declines, and progesterone rises. Whilst oestrogen dips (which can lead to decreased happy hormone serotonin), progesterone increases, which can help us to feel calm and support a good nights’ sleep.
For some women, this phase is the time when hormonal shifts create the greatest vulnerability to lower mood, reduced motivation or increased irritability, thanks to a potential decrease in serotonin. But these shifts in mood, energy and motivation should only be mild.
More noticeable mood changes could be due to Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) or Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), which may indicate hormone imbalances or other underlying causes. If symptoms are having a significant impact on your everyday life, it’s important to seek professional support from your Doctor, and for a natural root cause approach a Functional Nutritionist. The good news is that with the right exploration and support, imbalances and symptoms associated with PMS and PMDD can be quick to lift and even resolve entirely.
Winter
Menstrual Phase
Our Autumn phase ends when our period begins, marking the start of our Winter. Oestrogen begins to rise again, and we often start to notice a positive effect on our mood.
How can we support hormonal balance for mental wellbeing?
Though our natural hormonal rhythms and fluctuations can affect our mood and energy throughout our cycle, there is A LOT we can do to support ourselves and our hormones and, in turn, our mental wellbeing.
It’s also wise to save your first caffeinated beverage until after you’ve eaten a protein-rich meal, otherwise you’ll risk disrupted blood sugar levels and afternoon energy crashes (in fact, research has found caffeine before breakfast can increase blood sugar response to breakfast by up to 50%). So overall keeping your caffeine consumption between breakfast and lunch – we all know an afternoon coffee is the enemy of a good night’s sleep – is your best bet for feeling energised.
Here are 5 of my favourite ways to support hormones and mood:
Support Blood Sugar Balance
This is a foundational piece and often an immediate game changer for a lot of the women I work with. Keeping our blood sugar levels balanced will help to support more stable mood and energy, whilst supporting our hormone health, too. Blood sugar imbalances can affect our hormones day-to-day, and may exacerbate imbalances over time through the effect on stress hormone cortisol, insulin and inflammation levels.
We can support blood sugar balance by including a mix of protein, fats, fibre and complex carbs (wholefoods) in our meals and snacks. For example, if you are eating chocolate, pairing it with a small handful of nuts provides protein, fibre and healthy fats that help keep blood sugar steadier.
Support Progesterone via Stress Management, Social Connection and Closeness
Supporting healthy progesterone levels is key to feeling calm and balanced during the Autumn phase. In fact, anxiety before our period is a common sign of too little progesterone.
Stress has been shown to lower progesterone, whilst social connection and closeness has been shown in studies to bolster progesterone levels significantly. Though scientific studies haven’t got the bottom of exactly why this is, it’s likely because our connection hormones like oxytocin help to protect us from the effects of stress. So while we might naturally feel a little more withdrawn during our Autumn, planning in social activities can be really beneficial.
Prioritising self-care during our Autumn phase is also helpful to boost stress-resilience (our ability to bounce back from stress and reduce its negative effects). Do whatever works for you- this could be journaling, a hot bath, breathwork or yoga. It could also be craft activities, cuddling your pet or cooking your favourite meal for your friends- whatever helps you feel good! Planning activities in advance can be a great way to keep self-care at the top of your priority list.
Supporting ovulation is also key to making sure we have enough progesterone. The best way to do this is to help our body to feel safe and nourished- eat a nutrient-dense diet rich in wholefoods, and avoid over-exercising or under-eating (which can cause our body to skip ovulation to conserve its precious resources!).
Buffer Oestrogen Fluctuation with Phytoestrogens
Phytoestrogens are substances found in foods like soy (tempeh, tofu, edamame), quinoa, flax seeds and sesame seeds. They have an oestrogen balancing effect, so can help to buffer drops in oestrogen, helping to minimise its impact on happy hormone serotonin. This is thanks to phytoestrogens’ mild oestrogenic effect.
They bind to our oestrogen receptors, increasing oestrogenic activity when oestrogen levels are low, but as the effect is mild, they can also take the place of oestrogen when levels are high, balancing out high oestrogen levels, too! Because of this, including phytoestrogen-rich foods daily, especially through our luteal phase, is a great way to support our hormone health and wellbeing.
Support Oestrogen Clearance with Fibre, Sulphur-rich and Cruciferous Veggies
It is possible to have too much of a good thing! With oestrogen, we want to use it, then lose it. Thanks to the way oestrogen is processed by our body, it can start to wreak havoc if we are not detoxifying it properly. Luckily, it’s easy to support proper oestrogen detoxification by making sure we’re getting enough fibre, and by including certain veggies in our diet.
Firstly, we want to make sure we’re having daily bowel movements, so that oestrogen isn’t reabsorbed in our gut. Including a mix of fibre-rich foods like nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables can help us to get the recommended 30 grams of fibre per day.
We can also support our body’s biochemical oestrogen detoxification processes by including certain foods to give our body the building blocks that allow the oestrogen clearance process to happen. Glucosinalates found in cruciferous veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts, watercress and rocket are great to include. Other sulphur-rich veggies like leeks, onion and garlic (and dietary sources of sulphur like eggs, meat and seafood) are also great. So focus on going big with these veggies during your Summer and throughout your Autumn phase.
Include Anti-Inflammatory Foods
Inflammation has been shown to affect our mood directly and can also contribute to hormonal imbalances that may exacerbate mood changes as we move through the different seasons of our cycle. So adding anti-inflammatory foods to your diet can be supportive for both our mental wellbeing and hormone health.
Colourful fruits and veggies, omega-3 rich oily fish and walnuts, herbs and spices like turmeric and ginger are all great additions. Generally, a diet that has plenty of whole foods (nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables, lean meat, fish) will be anti-inflammatory.
If you take one thing from this blog post
Our hormones can have a significant impact on our mental wellbeing, but there’s lots we can do to manage and even change this.
Cultivating awareness of cyclical changes and responding to your body’s needs at each phase is an empowering first step toward more balanced mood and greater day-to-day resilience.
