What is irritability?
Irritability is defined as an emotional state characterized by feeling easily annoyed, impatient, and touchy. Some key things to know about irritability:
- It's a common symptom of several health conditions like depression, anxiety disorders, sleep deprivation, stress, hormonal changes, etc.
- Everyone feels irritable occasionally. But if it persists daily over weeks/months, it may indicate an underlying condition.
- Both biological and environmental factors contribute to irritability. Biological causes include chemical imbalances in the brain, genetics, hormones, etc. Environmental triggers include stress, poor sleep, drug/alcohol withdrawal, etc.
Causes:
Some common causes of increased irritability include:
- Mental health issues - Depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD
- Hormonal changes - Menstruation, perimenopause, postpartum periods
- Medications - Steroids, blood pressure medications, pain medications
- Drug/alcohol withdrawal
- Sleep deprivation
- Chronic stress
- Chronic pain
- Low blood sugar
If irritability persists, checking in with your doctor can help identify potential causes. At Vitality Renewal Clinic, our experts specialize in hormonal causes of irritability. We provide personalized care plans to help patients feel balanced again.
Managing irritability:
Here are some self-care tips:
- Get 7-9 hours of sleep
- Exercise - even light walking helps
- Build relaxing activities into your routine
- Try stress management techniques like yoga, meditation, deep breathing
- Avoid alcohol and recreational drugs
- Talk to a mental health professional
Summary:
Irritability involves feeling easily frustrated, annoyed, impatient or angry. It can arise from multiple medical, hormonal and environmental factors. While occasional irritability is normal, ongoing irritability can impact day-to-day life. Seeing your healthcare provider for an evaluation can help determine if any underlying conditions need treatment. Lifestyle changes and stress management techniques also help counter irritability.