--- title: Can wearable devices track mood changes in PMDD before they happen? description: This is a review of existing research, not a new experiment. It suggests that wearable trackers measuring heart rate variability, sleep, and physical activity url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/the-behavioral-and-physiological-correlates-of-affective-mood-switching-in-2024/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Can wearable devices track mood changes in PMDD before they happen? Review, 2024 # Can wearable devices track mood changes in PMDD before they happen? This is a review of existing research, not a new experiment. It suggests that wearable trackers measuring heart rate variability, sleep, and physical activity show promise for spotting mood changes in PMDD, but this has not yet been tested or used in real clinical care. Early or limited evidence Not a patient study; a narrative review of existing research literature on PMDD, heart rate, sleep, and activity. ## What they did The authors reviewed published studies on body signals, heart rate variability, sleep, and physical activity that relate to PMDD mood symptoms, looking at what could realistically be tracked remotely using wearable technology. ## What they found Heart rate variability, sleep, and physical activity can be reliably measured with existing wearable devices and are linked to PMDD symptoms. The review states that switching into depressive mood states carries an increased suicide risk, so monitoring these switches could help catch risk early. No clinical monitoring system for this currently exists in practice. ## What it means for you The idea is that one day a wearable could alert someone or their doctor when their PMDD mood is about to shift, similar to how diabetes or heart disease is sometimes monitored remotely. This is still an early-stage, idea-building review, not a study of a working tool, and it does not test this in real patients. ## About the study Original title The behavioral and physiological correlates of affective mood switching in premenstrual dysphoric disorder Authors Brown RD, Bondy E, Prim J et al. Journal Frontiers in psychiatry Year 2024 Study design Review What was tested Reviews using wearables (heart rate, sleep, activity tracking) to monitor mood switching in PMDD; no intervention tested. Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1448914](https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1448914) Original abstract Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), a more severe manifestation of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), is characterized by emotional, behavioral, and physical symptoms that begin in the mid-to-late luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, when estradiol and progesterone levels precipitously decline, and remit after the onset of menses. Remotely monitoring physiologic variables associated with PMDD depression symptoms, such as heart rate variability (HRV), sleep, and physical activity, holds promise for developing an affective state prediction model. Switching into and out of depressive states is associated with an increased risk of suicide, and therefore, monitoring periods of affective switching may help mitigate risk. Management of other chronic health conditions, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes, has benefited from remote digital monitoring paradigms that enable patients and physicians to monitor symptoms in real-time and make behavioral and medication adjustments. PMDD is a chronic condition that may benefit from real-time, remote monitoring. However, clinical practice has not advanced to monitoring affective states in real-time. Identifying remote monitoring paradigms that can detect within-person affective state change may help facilitate later research on timely and efficacious interventions for individuals with PMDD. This narrative review synthesizes the current literature on behavioral and physiological correlates of PMDD suitable for remote monitoring during the menstrual cycle. The reliable measurement of heart rate variability (HRV), sleep, and physical activity, with existing wearable technology, suggests the potential of a remote monitoring paradigm in PMDD and other depressive disorders. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Sleep and insomnia](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-sleep/)[Exercise and yoga](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-exercise/)[Apps and digital interventions](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-digital-health/)[Major depressive disorder](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-major-depression/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Cohort study, 2022 What are PMS and PMDD and how should they be diagnosed and treated? Study, 2010 Are women with PMDD more sensitive to how light affects sleep hormones? Randomised trial, 2001 Do changing reproductive hormones disrupt the body's internal clock and cause mood disorders? Cohort study, 2026 What genetic factors are linked to premenstrual symptoms? Review, 2024 What do brain wave patterns show about PMS and PMDD? Randomised trial, 2000 Does sertraline improve how women with PMDD feel and function? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗