If mood-related symptoms before or during your period are negatively affecting your everyday life, these five strategies can help you cope.
1. Consider Seeing Your Doctor or a Mental Health Professional
Consider reaching out to your doctor or a mental health professional if you’re experiencing any of the following symptoms, says Dr. Kuroski-Mazzei:
- Intense feelings of depression
- Mood swings
- Lethargy
- Anxiety
- Difficulty functioning at work, school, or in personal relationships because of mood changes
- Feeling out of control or experiencing thoughts of aggression
- A noticeable pattern of extreme emotional distress before or around the time of your menstrual cycle
- Self-harm or suicidal thoughts or behaviors (If you experience these symptoms, call 911 for immediate medical help or dial the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 to be connected with a trained crisis counselor who can help.)
If you’re finding that mood changes or PMS symptoms are taking a significant toll on you or disrupting your day to day activities, work, school, or relationships, these could potentially be indicators of PMDD, says Dr. LoPiano. “If this is the case I recommend tracking symptoms on an app or calendar and connect with your doctor for an evaluation,” she says.
2. Track Your Symptoms Throughout Your Menstrual Cycle
Tracking your mood symptoms throughout your cycle is often one of the first steps to managing mood swings caused by PMS or PMDD. While this does not directly help you manage mood swings, it can help you begin to notice patterns for when your mood-related symptoms usually pick up.
If necessary, it can also help you share an accurate picture of your symptoms with a doctor. “This helps your provider assist in evaluating your specific case and come up with a plan for treatment,” says LoPiano.
3. Exercise Regularly
Regular exercise can be particularly effective when combined with other stress management techniques, such as mindfulness, meditation, or yoga, Kuroski-Mazzei says.
4. Get Enough Sleep Each Night
5. Pay Attention to Your Diet
A nutritious, balanced diet is another way to keep PMS symptoms in check.
As mentioned, one of the main causes of mood swings before your period are shifts in hormones like progesterone and estrogen. “There are things that nutrition can do to support these hormones to make [these shifts] less extreme,” says Emily Sucher, RD, a registered dietitian specializing in women’s health and the founder of Live Well Dietitian.
- Eat smaller, more frequent meals to reduce feelings of fullness, bloating, or bowel issues. For example, rather than three large meals, it can help to have three small meals and three snacks and to space them out every two to three hours.
- Cut back on salt and salty foods to prevent fluid retention in your body.
- Eat foods rich in complex carbohydrates (think fruits, veggies, and whole grains). “Carbohydrates are needed to give us energy, and also, they are feel-good foods,” says Sucher. “If we can make sure we’re eating enough carbohydrates, fueling our body adequately, we’re less likely to have premenstrual or on-our-period mood swings.”
- Limit caffeine and alcohol, which can worsen mood swings or anxiety.
- Eat calcium-rich foods, such as dairy products, or consider a calcium supplement if you’re not getting enough calcium from your diet. Research suggests calcium may ease PMS symptoms.
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