Mood swings during fasting ... their causes and treatments

Arab weather - People have become associating hunger and feelings of anger in a stereotypical way, and with the advent of the blessed month of Ramadan , some suffer from the inability to control their emotions during the day in Ramadan, which leads them to act more emotionally and anger than they are in normal days.

This occurs mainly as a result of the change in the pattern of the diet in Ramadan, and the change in sleeping hours, and not because of fasting per se. Fasting has many benefits, and the scholar Ibn Al-Qayyim, may God have mercy on him, says: Fasting has a wonderful effect in preserving the external limbs of the human being, and preserving his inner strength, as it preserves the heart. And all the prey, and returns them as the day they were born.

Statistics have shown an increase in the rate of traffic accidents just before breakfast due to agitation while driving. Doctors and nutritionists say that what a fasting person consumes at breakfast and Suhoor plays an important role in a person’s mood swings , and in order to reduce these mood swings and nervousness, it is necessary to know their causes and ways to reduce them. its severity.

Causes of mood swings during fasting

The biggest challenge in Ramadan for some is their ability to self-control and maintain their calm and composure throughout the fasting period, more than their ability to abstain from food and drink, especially in the early days of Ramadan when the body is not accustomed to changing dietary patterns.

The human body converts the food eaten into amino acids, fats and simple sugars, and when these aids run out, the body begins to issue alerts, which leads to a physiological reaction of the body to what happens inside it when it needs food.

After several hours of fasting, the body releases a number of chemicals to protect itself from the negative effects associated with abstaining from eating for a period of time. These chemicals cause feelings of hunger and anger associated with delaying meals. During fasting, the body goes through a number of physiological changes that cause mood swings, The reasons for these mood swings are as follows:

1. Addiction to caffeinated drinks such as: tea, coffee and soft drinks, which makes the fasting person feel restless, low productive energy and anger due to the low level of caffeine in his body.
2. Not getting enough sleep, staying up for long hours and compensating for sleep during daylight hours, which causes an imbalance in the body's biological clock.
3. Feeling some physical symptoms that may increase with fasting, such as: stomach acidity, indigestion and its disorders, headache, laziness and low energy.
4. The diet has drastically changed, causing mood disturbances as well as mental health disorders.
5. Increased ketones, as this chemical is used to protect the brain from the lack of glucose caused by fasting, which causes an increase in the secretion of ketones, and this causes some mood changes, especially at the beginning of fasting days.
6. Autophagy, a beneficial process that occurs during fasting, as fasting helps rid the body of waste and damaged cells, which enhances the secretion of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that increases during fasting, and this protein interacts with many neurons in parts of the The brain that is linked to memory, learning and cognition.

The positive side, which has been proven by studies and experiences, is that negative psychological effects appear in the first days of fasting, then the body soon gets used to this pattern of eating, and things start to improve, and five psychological improvements occur, namely:

1. Protection from neurodegenerative disorders: Research has found that increased ketones protects against neurodegenerative disorders.
2. Increased memory, cognition and learning: Because an increase in BDNF prevents memory loss, neuronal death, and cognitive impairment.
3. Improved sleep: Research has found that fasting after eight days significantly improves participants' sleep compared to their sleep before fasting.
4. Getting rid of depression and anxiety: It was found that when the body gets used to fasting, symptoms of anxiety decrease, especially that fasting raises the percentage of BDNF, and low levels of BDNF are associated with higher symptoms of depression, higher levels of BDNF are associated with fewer symptoms of depression.
5. After a period of fasting, an increase in BDNF leads to a decrease in inflammatory cytokines and an increase in proteins that protect against neuroprotective effects.

Health tips to help avoid irritability and mood swings during fasting

We must first realize the great reward with which the fasting person is rewarded, and it is an act of worship that refines the soul and morals, so the Muslim is keen to complete his fast as God Almighty pleases, and the following are some health tips to help the fasting person avoid mood swings in the river of Ramadan:

1. Organizing sleep hours to ensure that you get enough rest during the night, and not sleep for long periods of time during the day, especially in the afternoon.
2. Eat a healthy Suhoor meal and add some foods that give a sense of calm, such as: strawberries and dark chocolate, and some drinks such as: chamomile and anise drenched.
3. Eat foods that contain complex carbohydrates and whole grains, such as: oats and brown rice, and foods that are high in fiber, such as fruits and green leafy vegetables. These foods contribute to the body's supply of sugars slowly, which keeps the hormones in the blood stable.
4. Minimize as much as possible foods that contain refined sugars, such as: sugary drinks, white bread, pizza and cake.
5. Drink enough water between Suhoor and Iftar, because dehydration causes mood swings and feelings of frustration and causes headaches, which affects the mood negatively.
6. Avoid foods that cause stomach acidity, such as: fried and spicy foods, etc., because stomach acidity also causes mood swings.
7. Doing some exercises that rid the body of negative energy and increase its activity and secrete hormones that improve mood.
8. Eat foods rich in vitamin B for its ability to maintain the integrity of the nervous system and prevent stress, such as: dates and sweet potatoes.
9. Eat potassium-rich foods for their ability to reduce stress and tension, such as: bananas, yogurt, and red beans.
10. Eat foods rich in folic acid, such as: spinach and strawberries, for the ability of folic acid to promote a feeling of happiness.
11. Eat foods rich in magnesium and uridine, such as beetroot and dark chocolate, for their ability to fight depression.