Cycles and Hormones

I don’t have a lot of energy today. As a matter of fact, I’ve been low energy all week. This is almost entirely due to hormones. My period is due to start any second. For anyone reading who is unaware, one’s hormones drop to their lowest concentration just before menstruation. A lack of energy is normal during this phase even if you’re doing everything perfectly. (And it takes a while to figure out what that means for every individual.)

Accidentally took a nap that lasted for over an hour. Photo by Dean.

Often people accuse women of being ‘overly emotional’ or ‘bitchy’ before their period. I’d like to discuss. Yes, some people experience worse premenstrual symptoms than others. And some months are worse than others. Lack of sunlight (vitamin D) is a contributor, which is why mine are usually a little more difficult in the winter. I’ve also discovered that if I avoid caffeine and alcohol in the days leading up to my period, a lot of the physical symptoms (cramps, low back pain, breast tenderness) are greatly reduced, if not entirely eliminated. Large amounts of veggies are also key during the entire process. But even when I’m on top of it, eating right, drinking decaf, etc, I still feel fatigue. There’s nothing you can do about the cyclical nature of hormones, and they’re going to drop right before this time. What does that mean about mood?

It means you have less energy to filter yourself.

I had an ex who was incredibly manipulative. I actually don’t even think he did it on purpose, I think it was like breathing to him. He didn’t know any other way to be. Every now and again I would get fed up with the issues that were always present in our relationship but only one of us wanted to solve (me). And yes, often this would happen monthly at around the same time. He would point out where I was on my cycle and say that I was being overly emotional and that I needed to calm down. Wow, just typing that made me mad in the present day.

The thing is, my cycle was not to blame. Those issues were always there, I just didn’t have the energy to pretend that I was okay with them when they came up. I wish I had listened to my hormones. Perhaps I could have extricated myself from that relationship sooner.

This information is becoming more widely circulated now, although I still encounter women who aren’t aware of it. I wish I had known more about my cycle when I was younger.

A lot of people dread this time of month, and granted, I can’t wait to have normal energy levels and some caffeine, but this time of month is great for clearing things out. Wanna clean out a closet? Do it when you’re “PMSing” and you’ll get rid of much more junk. Need to clean your desk? Perfect time. Is something frustrating you? What and why? Actually take stock because it’s likely that this issue was already there, you just put it through a filter normally. This is a good time for journaling. And don’t be too scared if your feelings get overwhelming during this time. Serotonin drops too. There were a couple of cycles where I remember feeling acutely depressed for no outside reason. “The sun is shining, I’m out running over a beautiful bridge, I have a job that I love, a husband that I love, why do I feel like this?” A few days later, it was gone.

There are supposed to be great times to do everything in your cycle. When estrogen is high, tackle difficult things, do HIIT workouts, etc. However, even knowing this (I even have an app to keep track of this) really the only one that I actively work to manage and take advantage of is the cycle leading up to menstruation. Why, when I’ve seen how it can work to my advantage to be conscious of my hormones during this cycle, have I not applied it as actively to the other? I have a few theories.

Our society was not set up with women at the forefront. As a matter of fact, people knew so little about women’s bodies for so long that even my mother and my aunt remember when it was taboo for women to run. This is why the invention of the sports bra is still in it’s early 40s. It hasn’t been too long since women were told that their uteri would fall out if they ran more than two miles. The uterus was often to blame for everything. If you ride a bumpy train, your uterus could fly up into your brain and cause hysterics. (And yes, we all know that this is largely about men controlling women, but the fact that it was so recent, and ridiculous, is still very shocking.) So we weren’t set up with schedules that flow by the month. They flow by the week. Otherwise we’d have an entire five to seven days off in the middle somewhere.

Another reason is that when you’re feeling good, you don’t worry as much about how you got there. When your hormones are high and you’re getting things done, you’re less likely to stop and think “now, how could I change this for the better with my diet and sleep patterns?” No, you’re more likely to ride the wave.

The final, and I think most compelling reason, is that avoidance of pain and distress is a great motivator. I know what’s coming and I know what I can do to make it more comfortable. Even if things are going incredibly well, I’ve been getting plenty of sleep, outdoor exercise, time with friends, time to myself, as soon as I feel that first hint of low back pain I check the calendar, see what’s coming, start changing my habits and paying attention.

Honestly, when I’m healthy and everything is ‘in alignment’ I believe that I naturally tend toward cyclical behaviors. I remember when I started learning about all of this, I had just done a full clean out of everything in the bathroom cabinets. Old makeup, shampoos and soaps that I had stored away from hotels, moisturizer samples, etc. I spent a couple of hours chucking and organizing. I started my period the next day. I was so fascinated when I read about all of these ‘cyclic superpowers’ days later to recall that personal illustration.

So what does it all mean, aside from never letting anyone blame your relationship problems on your period?

The past few days, I’ve been very busy, in a good way, but also incredibly hungry and tired. (Your caloric burn goes up a few notches this time of month too, in case you were unaware.) I have taken a nap every day for the last three days. Most of them short, fifteen or twenty minutes, but one was over an hour. And I obviously needed it. Previously, I may have pushed myself through; either not allowed the nap or been angry at myself for falling asleep accidentally. Not anymore.

We don’t get a choice about the body we were gifted with when we were born and we have limited ways of tweaking it (for better or worse). No matter how well it’s taken care of, some of us are going to be dealing with these cyclical hormones every month. And there’s enough out there that’s worth dismantling during this time. No reason to dismantle yourself.