Mood Tracking

We all get in a bad mood from time to time.  Often it's because something bad or stressful has happened to us, but most of the time it's related to the things we do to ourselves.  Not getting enough sleep is an obvious example, but there are plenty more factors related to mood that we can control and monitor.

This article will focus on the following mood factors:

• High Sugar and high fat foods.
• Water
• Sleep
• Alcohol
• Caffeine
• Exercise
• Climate

1) Mood vs High sugar and high fat foods

I know from experience that when people are sad, tired or stressed they turn to 'comfort' foods:  Chocolate, ice-cream, donuts, candy, etc.  As it turns out, when you eat foods that are high in carbohydrates like sugar your body increases its production of serotonin, one of the key neurotransmitters in the brain (neurotransmitters are chemicals that are involved in the transmission of signals between nerve cells).  This increase of serotonin has a well documented 'calming' effect which is thought to be beneficial to mood.

Foods that are rich in both protein and carbohydrate (eg: pasta and rice) do not have the same impact because protein is known to inhibit the production of serotonin.   For this reason candy is far more likely  to produce this 'calming' effect than potatoes. 

Unfortunately foods that are high in sugar are often high in fat too.  Fat does not impact the production of Serotonin, and therefore doesn't have this same calming effect.  Moreover, eating too much fat can make you feel tired and sluggish.

It's also worth noting that if you eat too much of either fat or sugar that you might put on weight, which in turn has its own impact on mood and self esteem.   

Recommendation:  Foods that are high in sugar and fat are not particularly good for you.  They might give you a temporary 'high' but they can have long term consequences (eg: heart disease, denture damage).  If you need a sugar fix to put yourself in a better mood, fruits like apples and oranges are high in natural sugar but also contain things that are good for you like vitamins, minerals and fiber. 

2) Mood Vs Water

Water is absolutely fundamental to effective bodily functioning.  Amongst other things it assists in the transport of nutrients, lubrication of joints, waste removal, body temperature maintenance and digestion.  It should not be surprising then that a low water intake will result in bad health and bad mood.  Indeed, dehydration is commonly associated with fatigue and tiredness, and a whole host of other problems. 

Recommendation:  Try to drink between 6 and 8 glasses of water each day.  This will make sure that your body is getting all the water it needs to function correctly and will give you the best chance of being in the best mood.

3) Mood Vs Sleep

Just like water, sleep is essential.  Whilst its inner workings are still somewhat of a mystery to scientists, we do know that if you don't get enough sleep it will impact your alertness, ability to consolidate new memories and recall older memories,  your reaction time and your emotional stability.    In addition to getting enough sleep, establishing a regular sleeping routine is just as important.  Studies on bi-polar disorder have shown that disruptions to sleeping routine can have a dramatic effect on mood, and my feeling is that a steady routine is just as important for the every day person.

Recommendation:  Establish a regular sleeping routine where you go to bed and get up and roughly the same time every day.  You should try to get at least 7 hours and no more than 9 hours each night.

4) Mood Vs Alcohol

Alcohol is a mind altering drug, there is no doubt about it.  It affects everyone differently and depending on how much of it you have its impact will vary.  It can make people happy, angry, relaxed, stressed and depressed. 

Studies have shown that a little alcohol (eg:  a glass of wine a night) can be beneficial to health and  mood, something that the French have known for quite some time.  In contrast, too much alcohol can lead to very serious physiological problems such as brain damage and liver cancer.  It can also have a dramatic impact on your friends and family so be careful. 

Recommendation:  You really need to weigh up how alcohol affects you personally and decide whether or not having it is a good thing.  Moderation in any case is essential, and try not to have more than two or three drinks on any occasion.

5) Mood Vs Caffeine

Caffeine would have to be one of the most ingested drugs of all time.   Between espresso machines, instant coffee and caffeinated beverages, there wouldn't be too many people that don't have caffeine in one form or another most days of the week.  According to the International Coffee Organization, countries from around the world exported some 6.6 million kilograms of coffee beans in year 2000.  This figure is probably significantly bigger now.

Caffeine impacts mood, no doubt about it. In small doses it can provide a kick start and this probably why most people take it (especially first thing in the morning).  The bad news, is that caffeine increases stress levels and heart rate, prevents water absorption into the body and also prevents calcium uptake into the bones and teeth. 

Recommendation:  The best solution is to have NO caffeine, but this isn't realistic for most people.  Try to keep your intake to just one drink a day, probably first thing in the morning when your mood most needs it.  If you can go without it, so much the better.

6) Mood Vs Exercise

There's a secret that people who exercise regularly know and it's not that jogging is really boring; exercise is one of the easiest and most effective ways to improve your mood!   There's been days when I just haven't woken up or I've been in a bad mood, and then I've gone for a hit of squash and suddenly the world seems like a better place!  Why is this so?  Exercise  increases blood flow, overall fitness and the production of (yup, you guessed it), serotonin.   This assertion isn't unproven either.  Recent Finish studies have shown that people who are overweight and who exercise at least two times a week are less stressed, angry and depressed than those who don't exercise at all.

Recommendation:  Build regular exercise into your weekly routine.  Walk to work or go for a walk at lunch time, join a club and play team sports, take the stairs instead of the elevator.  In short, be as active as possible.

7) Mood Vs Climate

People have known for some time that there is a link between weather and mood.  A series of cold rainy days can make us feel depressed and if it gets too hot we can feel tired and cranky.  Conversely, a nice sunny warm day can make us feel good for no apparent reason. 

There is an official disorder known as 'SAD' (seasonal affective disorder) in which suffers get depressed during the winter.  Researchers believe that a lack of day light causes one's  'body clock' to get out of sync, which plays havoc with hormone generation.  The change in hormone generation may be responsible for the problem.  This can be treated by using UV light therapy.

Recommendation:  Move to somewhere warm :-)

If you're interested in tracking your mood using your PDA try Mood Tracker for Palm OS.  This program allows you to measure all of the factors mentioned in this article and more.

References:
http://www.itnutrition.com/food_and_mood.html
http://www.sleepfoundation.org/nsaw/pk_background.cfm
http://panicdisorder.about.com/cs/shfitness/a/exercise.htm
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/d/dehydration/symptoms.htm
http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/