18 Dec Have P.M.S. or is it really S.A.D.?
Feel blue or irritable? Have intense cravings for carbohydrates, such as doughnuts, French fries and potato chips? Find yourself sleeping way more than usual or having trouble sleeping?
While these can often be symptoms that pop up in the second half of your cycle due to progesterone (a hormone that makes you drowsy, prompts food cravings and can cause down moods) and lower levels of estrogen (which can spark irritation, negativity and insomnia), they’re also signs of Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.), which usually occurs when the amount of daylight gets shorter, triggering a sharp decrease in mood-regulating serotonin in the brain.
Read more about this condition at the Mayo Clinic’s website. And if you suspect you’re suffering from S.A.D., talk to your healthcare provider about it since there are treatments—both natural and pharmaceutical—that can help ease it.
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