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Getting up on the wrong side of the bed: idiom or hormones? by Michelle Howe
Everyone has heard them and repeated them. Sometimes they’re merely weak attempts at the poignant. Sometimes they are humorous observances concerning the quirky things people do, think, believe and react to. But women, in particular, seem to relish reiterating these expressions for special emphasis or for getting in the final word.
A slim offering of encouragement spoken after a parenting pep talk might be, “Keep your chin up.” An admonition uttered immediately after a rousing, competitive board game where only one person can win and knows it is, “Don't get a chip on your shoulder.” Take those moments when one child attempts to project blame onto his sibling by offering a purposefully confusing account of the discipline-worthy act. “Cut to the chase, please,” you say. Depending upon their moment-by-moment behavior, kids are either considered “the apple of your eye” or they're designated “the bane of your existence.”
As amusing as these sayings are, the real truth is that there often is “a grain of truth” in every one. Take the idiom “getting up on the wrong side of the bed.” It's code for “Don't get up grumpy and unsocial.” While this phrase is commonly spoken in jest, there are actual physiological reasons for women to wake up "wrong-sided," and not one is a laughing matter.
According to Dr. Alex Strande, M.S., Ph.D., Director of Simply Healing Clinic in Irving, California, women's moods are exacerbated by ever-changing hormones, which are themselves exacerbated by both lifestyle and environmental stress. Women’s moods are also altered by irregular eating habits, junk food, some pharmaceutical drugs, too much caffeine, too little exercise and inefficient sleep. Strande believes American women are generally estrogen dominant, leaving healthy progesterone levels following a very distant second.
Dr. Strande also discusses the need for achieving this delicate hormone balance, citing that when either hormone level is "off," health problems occur in increasing regularity. Some of the more recognizable health concerns that women face when hormones are not in balance include depression, mood swings, anxiety, night sweats, irritability, insomnia, fatigue, mental fogginess and weight gain. Strande tells women to take an overall view of their lives and not to simply go looking for a pill to make all of these issues go away. Such medication often only masks the core problems. Women must recognize that it is their responsibility to be proactive in all phases of their treatment plan. This responsibility includes an intelligent exchange of information with their health care providers, doing necessary homework and then adopting the steps which will achieve an overall higher quality of life.
One final idiomatic word of advice to spouses, children and others foolhardy enough to comment on a sleep-deprived woman's early morning attitude, actions or attire: “Don't try to teach your grandma to suck eggs.” In other words, don’t try to teach anyone, including wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, sister, cousin and any other person with that additional X-chromosome, who knows a lot more than you do. Do what your mother always taught you, and give the women in your life “the benefit of the doubt.” It might have been a rough “and sleepless” night indeed.
About the author:
Michele Howe and her family live near the shores of Lake Erie. She is an author, book reviewer and manuscript critique editor, and she has also been featured on numerous radio shows. Please write to Michele C/O Syndicated Writers of America at P.O. Box 3429, Suwanee, Georgia 30024, or via email at Michele. howe@buystory.com.
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