Causes of Bipolar Mania Symptoms – An Overview of the Basics

There are different ways in which the symptoms of bipolar disorder can be triggered. These triggers can range from the lack of exercise to getting married or simply getting a poor night’s sleep. It is important to know what these triggers are so that you can manage your bipolar disorder better. With this in mind, here are some of the possible triggers. Keep in mind though that what may trigger one person may not trigger someone else at all.

Lifestyle Causes

Some of the different things in your life that can trigger bipolar disorder include:
Lack of sleep
Drug or alcohol use (For this reason, a bipolar person should never drink alcohol or take any drugs that they haven’t been prescribed.)
Lack of exercising
Eating too much sugar

Major Life Events That Can Trigger Bipolar Disorder

Some of the major life events that can trigger bipolar symptoms include changes in:
Employment: problems, loss or adjusting to a new environment
School (this is the same with employment)
Relationships: divorce, separation, loss of a partner, death, illness
Life: moving somewhere new, getting married, winning the lottery

Basically anything, whether happy or sad, can upset a bipolar person’s equilibrium can make you tail spin into either a depressive or manic state.

Physical Causes

Some of the physical triggers for bipolar disorder include:
Changes in the seasons with winter being the biggest trigger due to the fluctuation in light.
Menstruation is a major hormonal trigger for women.
Thyroid changes. While your thyroid is meant to keep your body stable and help it to function smoothly but they can also cause fatigue and weight gain, which in turn can trigger bipolar.

Tracking Triggers

You may wish to keep a journal of the following things in order to see what your triggers are:
Hormonal cycles
Food you eat
Your sleep patterns
Anything important that is going on in your life
Stress from work
Whether or not you are exercising and if you are what type you did

Simply take a few minutes every hour to write down these things for a month. At the end of the month review the events and symptoms with your doctor or psychologist. This really will help you manage your bipolar better so that you can lead a more “normal” life. It is important to go over this list many times so you can truly understand the symptoms and what you can do about them.