It is really common to feel an impact on your mental health during your menstrual cycle. Throughout our cycles, our hormones will naturally fluctuate. Hormones have a really powerful effect on our mental health and our mood. In this blog, our resident period coach Katherine Glyde explains how your hormones can impact your mental health.
Reproductive hormones
You aren’t alone if you notice changes to your mental health and wellbeing during your cycle. 80% of us experience varying forms of PMS symptoms.
As we experience drops in estrogen and progesterone we can feel anxious and irritable. If your hormones are out of balance (for example due to stress), these feelings can be heightened.
For some, these regular fluctuations can cause really extreme changes and interfere with daily life. This is known as PMDD.
Sex hormones
It isn’t just our reproductive hormones that have an impact on our mental wellbeing. Stress hormones can also have an impact. When we experience stress, our cortisol levels are raised which can, in turn, lower our serotonin levels (this provides that feel-good feeling). If this isn’t managed it can cause a number of psychological issues.
Symptoms to consider include; depressed mood, sleep disturbances, anxiety, memory loss, confusion, brain fog, difficulty concentrating, and so on.
So, what can we do to help ourselves?
There are lots of things you can do to help support yourself here! As always, your first port of call should be your healthcare practitioner who can provide personalized care to support your needs.
I always recommend keeping a symptom diary to understand if there are any particular days of your cycle or triggers that you experience.
Things such as fresh air, gentle movement, staying hydrated, good quality sleep, and so on can all benefit your hormonal and mental health.
Thanks so much to Katherine for this informative blog. Remember you aren’t alone! Please do get support if you are in any way concerned.
