One minute you’re up, the next minute you’re down. You’re happy, then so sad that you feel like crying. You can’t figure out what on earth is going on with you because it seems to come out of nowhere.

Some people notice that they feel grouchy while others report just not feeling like themselves. If you’re experiencing mood swings that are severe, especially if they’re all over the place, the cause behind these swings could be a fluctuation in your hormones.

Your hormones are the key to having good health. They’re what work to help control things like your temperature, stress, emotions and your reproductive system. These hormones guide your body from day to day.

They can signal sleep, wake, fight or flight, happiness, sadness, anger or even hunger.

When your hormones are out of balance, you’ll feel it physically and most people notice physical changes long before they become aware of a difference in their normal mood behavior.

That’s because people are aware that when they feel bad physically, something’s wrong. But what many people don’t realize is that when your mood swings are severe, just like a physical sign alerts your body, this is an emotional warning that something isn’t right with your hormones.

You might even notice some of the physical symptoms long before you connect the dots and realize that a hormonal imbalance is also behind your moods. Check to see that your levels are where they should be if you’re experiencing signs such sudden skin problems like acne or you’ve noticed that your nails don’t look as healthy as they once did.

If you suddenly gain weight or lose it and you’re not eating any more or less, that can be a sign that your mood swings are being triggered by a hormone imbalance. Some people notice signs that they don’t recognize as being connected to their mood swings.

They might begin to have thinning hair or start to grow hair where they didn’t before.

Hormonal imbalances that are associated with severe mood swings can cause physical symptoms such as headaches, PMS, or extreme tiredness.

Women who are experiencing mood swings will sometimes notice that they feel anxious and can’t really put their finger on why. Or they might feel stressed out when everything in their life is seemingly going well.

You might be having problems staying focused. Some people feel depressed and some have anxiety or panic attacks. Many women who experience severe mood swings right before their menstrual cycle chalk it up to PMS. However, PMS is caused by a hormonal imbalance. When you have severe mood swings, it can be because your progesterone is too low.