Bipolar Mood Monitoring
- Apr 9, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 9
A group discussion about mood monitoring and its potential to help us spot the early warning signs of a bipolar episode.
July Meeting: Mood Monitoring
Last Thursday at our all ages meeting we had a very enjoyable and interactive group discussion about mood monitoring and its potential to help us spot the early warning signs of a bipolar episode. Thank you to everyone for your contributions!
Early Warning Signs (EWS)
We spoke about the importance of monitoring your mood to record and keep track of Early Warning Signs (EWS), which are internal feelings caused by triggers to stressful life events.
Recognising our personal EWS is a helpful practice for managing our mental health, particularly when we're busy or stressed. Having an action plan in place may also help prevent relapse or at least limit the damage we experience after a bipolar episode. You can read more about creating action plans here.
During the meeting we shared examples of our personal EWS, such as changes in energy levels and/or daily activities, increased productivity, irritability, impulsiveness, overspending, unexplained changes in sleep patterns (difficulties sleeping with elevated mood and oversleeping when depressed), and varying sociability (hiding away when depressed and being the life of the party when on the higher end of the mood scale).
Many people could also relate to increased alcohol/stimulant consumption and changes to eating habits as EWS, such as losing your appetite or binge eating when low and not eating much if you’re running around when your mood is elevated.
Additional examples of EWS mentioned were struggling to take medication when mood is low or elevated, talking more than usual, and flare ups of physical health problems (e.g. Psoriasis, Eczema)
People mentioned that close friends and family might also be able to detect early warning signs or when mood starts to become unbalanced, but trusting others to help you with your self management depends greatly on who they are to you and how they may respond.
Common Early Warning Signs
Changes in energy levels
Increased productivity, irritability, and impulsiveness
Overspending
Unexplained changes in sleep patterns
Changes in sociability
Increased alcohol/stimulant consumption
Changes to eating habits
Struggling to take medication
Talking more than usual
Flare ups of physical health problems
For many people, mood monitoring is an important part of self-managing their bipolar, with some finding it as equally important as taking psychiatric medication. Mood scales, mood tracking apps, and mood diaries are all useful tools for recognizing EWS and tracking moods. Below are several options suggested by our group members.
Bipolar Mood Scales
Mood scales are useful tools for mood tracking because they can help us name or communicate what we feel, especially when we're not sure how to.
Bipolar Edinburgh offers free mood scales that are available at our in person monthly meetings, as well as available to order online. Visit our Free Informational Materials page to select your order and we will post them to you free of charge.
Bipolar Mood Tracker Apps
For some people, apps can be a more convenient way to monitor moods, rather than physical charts or diaries. There are many options available that allow you to record your mood, sleep, medication and other factors that may influence your wellbeing. Below is a list of apps recommended during our group discussion.
Bipolar UK Mood Tracker (free) - Track mood & sleep, collect data to share with family, GP, psychiatrist
EMoods - Mood tracker App
Insight Timer - Meditation app that targets sleep, anxiety and stress while promoting total relaxation.
Calm App – Sleep stories, meditation & relaxation.
Headspace - A mental health app for guided meditations, mindfulness exercises, and sleep tools to help users reduce stress, improve sleep, and build resilience.
Daylio - Self-Care Bullet Journal with Goals, Mood Diary & Happiness Tracker
Finch App: Self-care and productivity app that uses a virtual pet bird to encourage users to complete goals and engage in healthy habits, offering rewards and a sense of accomplishment.
Garmin Connect App – A free platform for tracking, analysing, and sharing health and fitness data, including sleep, from your Garmin device, allowing you to review activities, set goals, and connect with friends.
Bipolar UK also offers their own selection of mood tracking tools, including mood diary, mood tracking app, and mood scales, and are available on their website.
Thanks again to everyone who shared their experiences with mood scales and mood tracker apps at the meeting. Hopefully these resources can help you recognize early warning signs, share mood patterns with friends, family and your medical professionals, and help you self-manage to minimise potential crises.
Hope to see you at the next meeting!
