How Your Cycle Can Affect Mood, Energy, Food, & Sleep
The menstrual cycle can affect how you think, feel, sleep, and eat. Sometimes we might get down on ourselves for not feeling our best or thinking that it isn’t normal. Understanding what effects the cycle can have is the first step in normalizing all the different emotions and feelings menstruating individuals can have at different parts of the month. Everyone is different and everyone has different sensitivities to different hormones but when clients can recognize a symptom as cycle related, they can problem-solve through it.
Here is a general guide to help you navigate each week of your cycle:
Week One: Follicular Phase, Menstrual Phase
Mood: As estrogen rises, it improves mood, optimism, self-confidence, motivation, and resilience. This is a phase that many can look forward to!
Energy: Iron levels are low due to menstruation, which can keep energy low, but as estrogen rises so will your energy! By the end of the week, you will have more fuel in your tank.
Food: In the first half of this week, rising estrogen has a slight appetite suppressing effect. Comfort foods may be your thing when dealing with cycle related pain.
Sleep: Sleep is at its lousiest in the beginning of this week, but as estrogen rises so does sleep regulating serotonin. By the end of the week, you may be falling asleep faster and staying asleep longer.
Week Two, Follicular Phase
Mood: This is the super fun phase of your cycle! Optimism, extroversion, self-confidence, and enthusiasm are at its peak. You are likely to experience fewer down moments.
Energy: Energy from estrogen is helping you have a boost all day long!
Food: Estrogen will help you stick to your nutrition goals this week!
Sleep: Sleep is deeper, and you will feel more rested this week. It may take you longer to wind down but once you do, you should get deep sleep.
Week Three: Luteal Phase
Mood: You are now entering a mellower phase in your cycle. Be prepared that your mood will ramp down. You are being nudged toward the other end of your emotional spectrum where you are more realistic, cautious, practical, and quiet.
Energy: Your mental and physical energy could drop this week due to plunging estrogen and rising progesterone.
Food: Your appetite could increase this week. You can thank rising progesterone for that. Be ready to experience cravings for sweet and salty. This week you are also more likely to use food to deal with your feelings. You may crave more carbs this week to account for the drop in serotonin. Carbs can help replenish this mood regulating brain chemical.
Sleep: Due to plunging estrogen, you may not fall asleep as quickly as you would like. Tossing and turning may occur this week. Estrogen is dropping and so is sleep regulating serotonin. Sleep will likely be shorter this week.
Week Four: Luteal Phase, Premenstrual Phase
Mood: Estrogen is plunging again which can drag down your mood. You may have a short fuse and be critical of others. You also may be more emotionally sensitive. As estrogen drops, so does mood bolstering chemicals like serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins.
Energy: Although estrogen is decreasing, your energy level will depend on your sensitivity to estrogen.
Food: Carb cravings spike. You're getting a biological push to eat more carbs because they help to re-balance your brain of mood-regulating serotonin.
Sleep: Because estrogen is falling and therefore serotonin too, good sleep may be hard to come by.
The coaches at Black Iron are here to help you navigate your cycle and answer any questions you might have. You and your coach can track patterns about how your period affects you and make a plan that serves you best through all these various phases!
Written By: Jess Saxon, Black Iron Nutrition Coach
Resources: 28 Days- What Your Cycle Reveals About Your Moods, Health, and Potential by Gabrielle Lichterman, Period Repair Manual by Lara Briden, Hormone Repair Manual by Lara Briden, In the Flo by Alisa Vitti