Are you irritable?

Are you cranky? Short-tempered? Or simply not in a good mood? You may be suffering from irritability. Yes, it’s quite common, but it can be avoided when you are aware of the causes. Instead of focusing on the symptoms such as crankiness, it’s best to determine the cause and eliminate or rectify it.  If you find yourself in that state now you will be thankful that I will limit the causes to three. Of course there are many, many reasons that may cause the symptom of irritability but today I will simply focus on only three.

1.    Fatigue – Pure and simple fatigue can bring out the ‘bear’ in you. If you are experiencing crankiness, more than likely it is due to lack of sleep. The solution to this cause is simple – get more sleep. It’s not enough to get the amount of hours necessary which in fact is questionable; it is important to get a ‘restful’ sleep. In order to achieve a more ‘restful’ slumber it is important to have the appropriate mattress, pillow and lighting and of course, preparation. Developing a nightly routine will help to prepare your body for the rest it desires and needs. Avoid extra stimulus such as a television or bright lights. Eliminate the fatigue factor and you will be less cranky and irritable.

2.  Hunger – Irritability is inevitable if you are hungry. It’s not enough to eat when you are hungry because then you will more than likely eat anything and everything that is available. The problem with this concept is the foods you will more than likely eat are sugar or salt laden. Many times these types of foods will satisfy your hunger temporarily in other words you will experience the ‘sugar rush’. This sugar rush will disappear as quickly as it arrived and it will then leave you, once again, tired and hungry. The solution to this is to eat small, frequent meals that are high in complex carbs. These complex carbs will provide the fuel necessary to last you the entire day and avoiding the cranky monster.

3.  Stress – One of the most common symptoms of stress is that of irritability. Stressing about your job, the screaming children, the unpaid bills, the lack of motivation to get active or any number of life challenges can certainly lead to irritability. This culprit may be difficult to handle at first but identifying it is the first step. The solution to managing stress can involve many things but one of the most important is to verbalize your worries. Discuss the issues that may be causing this stress then take the necessary proactive steps to eliminate the problem. It’s important to take control of the stressful situations because avoiding them will merely create a larger issue.

Focus on what may be causing the irritability or crankiness and take the proper steps necessary to eliminate them. Remember these are only three of the causes of irritability, but they may, in fact, be the most important ones.

Dr. Daisy Sutherland

Dr. Daisy Sutherland is the Founder/CEO of Dr. Mommy Online. She is a doctor, author, mentor, speaker, wife & mom to 5 children. Dr. Mommy's mission is to Help Busy Women and Men with her 'Get Real' approach to living a happier and healthier lifestyle. She is also the author of Letting Go of Super Mom.

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