You Have A Thyroid Problem
At the opposite end of the spectrum, notably light periods or short cycles can be an indicator of trouble with your thyroid – a gland which helps your body use energy and controls other factors like metabolism.
Of course, factors like lifestyle or taking the pill can make your flow lighter, so it’s not the cause for every woman, but your thyroid is in charge of your hormones, so it can have an impact on your menstrual cycle. If you have other symptoms of hyperthyroidism, including mood swings, hyperactivity, fatigue, or sudden weight loss, see your GP.
Darkened Areolas Of Nipples
Changes around your breasts are some of the first and very early signs of pregnancy. Other than the nipples swelling, you might observe a change in the color of your areola . You may notice the following.
- Darkening of the areolas.
- The bumps around nipples may become more prominent due to dilation.
- The change in color is likely to be caused by the increased progesterone hormone.
According to Dr. Jill Hichtman, the color change and the prominent bumps are nothing to be concerned about. They are caused by the swelling of oil glands called the glands of Montgomery. These glands secrete an oil that lubricates and protects the skin around the areolas.
Practice Good Sleep Hygiene
Sleep hygiene is a set of daily behaviors you can do to help you fall asleep easier and quicker, keeping sleep debt low in a time when itâs so easy to lose out on sleep. Hereâs what you can do:
- Get natural light first thing: This triggers cortisol production, making you feel awake, and it resets your circadian rhythm for the day.
- Avoid light in the evenings: It needs to be dim for melatonin to be produced, so turn down the lights and put on blue light blocking glasses about 90 minutes before bed.
- Keep your bedroom dark, quiet, and cool: Use blackout curtains, an eye mask, and earplugs to avoid light and noise disrupting sleep. Aim to keep your bedroom at 65 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit â this is important all month long but especially around your period when your body temperature is elevated.
- Avoid caffeine, alcohol, physical activity, and meals too close to bedtime: All four can disrupt sleep, which is not something you want when sleep may already be disrupted by your period. RISE can tell you the right time to stop these things each day based on your circadian rhythm.
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What Causes Brain Fog
Poor sleep before the period starts. One symptom of PMS is insomnia and poor sleep quality. Although experts can’t agree on the reason people struggle with insomnia before menstruation, during the luteal stage of the menstrual cycle, hormonal fluctuations have been shown to disrupt sleep patterns and cause fragmented sleep.
So, if you sleep poorly during the night, it’s likely that your brain won’t be as sharp during the day.
Insufficient diet. The brain consumes a lot of energy, which it derives from macronutrients, micronutrients, vitamins, and minerals. If your body is also preparing for menstruation, which takes a lot of energy, and if you aren’t eating enough nutrient-rich foods, you might lack the energy for healthy brain function.
People with food sensitivities also tend to feel sluggish after eating trigger foods such as peanuts, dairy, or gluten. If you have a slow metabolism, brain fog is also a common symptom after eating, but if this is the case, your experience of brain fog and fatigue should be consistent throughout the month.
Medication. A number of drugs cause tiredness and brain fog. Antidepressants, antihistamines, and some cancer treatment medicines can cause poor concentration and mental numbness. While your condition might worsen before your period, it shouldn’t fluctuate too much if your brain fog is due to medication.
Youre Experiencing Early Signs Of Menopause
When a patient mentions a diminishing return on her tampon investment, the first thing Dr. Choi looks at is age. Menopause might be around the corner, but not always. Sometimes with aging the cycles change, she says, noting that its not necessarily a sign of infertility. Someone who needed to use a super pad in their 20s and early 30s may find they need less protection in their later 30s.
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Why Do We Feel So Tired Just Before Our Period
I like to think of pre-menstrual tiredness and fatigue as natures way of helping you to rest and take care of yourself. Its triggered by the normal decline of certain sex hormones at this point in your cycle.
Let me explain some more about how your hormones fluctuate over the course of your cycle so you can a better idea of what I mean.
As you might know, throughout the month, levels of those main sex hormones: oestrogen, progesterone, and testosterone naturally adjust and flow, depending on where you are in your cycle.
At the start of your cycle , your sex hormones oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone are all at relatively low levels.
Then for approximately the next two weeks as you move towards ovulation , your oestrogen levels will rise. Oestrogen helps prepare your body for a possible pregnancy and also has some lovely side effects such as making you feel more outgoing, chattier, more energetic and motivated to tackle any task with ease.
As you might notice from looking at the graph, your testosterone levels will peak around the time of ovulation too testosterone naturally boosts your sex drive to encourage pregnancy to happen.
If you dont get pregnant at this time, your hormone levels will crash, increase again slightly , and then crash again as your period approaches.
This crash is what triggers that awful tiredness, as well as those other symptoms of PMT such as weepiness, bloating, irritability, low mood, and acne.
Fatigue Before And During Period: What Causes It
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Hormones
The roller coaster ride that is our hormones are one of the main culprits to causing the fatigue before and during our period, but other elements come into play too.
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Cravings
Craving the carbs or treats topped with refined sugars can be oh so tempting, and caving in does mean youll feel that rush of energy. But itll be swiftly followed by a sugar crash and youll want to go grab those biscuits all over again its a vicious cycle.
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Iron deficiency
low iron levels can leave us a little worse for wear at this time. Whether its down to your period, stress or not being able to get a good sleep, its good to keep an eye on your iron intake.
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What Are Common Symptoms Of Pregnancy
Everyone experiences different symptoms of pregnancy and at different times. Its important not to compare your pregnancy to someone elses because pregnancy symptoms can vary so dramatically.
There are several signs of early pregnancy that you may or may not have. The most common symptoms include:
Remember, the only way to know for sure that youre pregnant is to take a pregnancy test or have your healthcare provider perform an ultrasound.
You Have Cervical Polyps
Cervical polyps small benign tumours which grow on your cervix – can give you abnormally heavy periods, spotting, bleeding after sex and more. Whilst doctors aren’t 100% sure why they form, likely causes are thought to be an increase in oestrogen, infection, or blocked blood vessels in the canal.
Around 4% of women will experience a polyp at some point during their reproductive lives, but whilst the symptoms are very similar to those of cervical cancer. Don’t freak out the likelihood that this is the case for you is minimal, but you should still consult a medical professional for reassurance.
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Try To Fix Your Sleep Cycle
Fatigue during your period may actually not be about blood cells it might be related to sleep disturbance due to menstrual needs. Professor of obstetrics and gynecology Lauren Streicher explained to YouBeauty that disturbed sleep may be the culprit in many cases of period-related exhaustion. If you’re waking up to take pain-managing medication, change your menstrual protection, or just waking up because you’re in such agony that you can’t stay asleep, it’s a recipe for more tiredness the next day . If that sounds like you, try to minimize the amount of times you get up in the night, by regulating your pain medication to let you sleep through, or getting thicker night-time pads. This may not be possible, of course but if it is, it may help.
Why Do I Get So Fatigued During My Period
Lets be realperiods can be hard to manage at times. The cramps, inconvenience, cravings, and hormonal changes may be overwhelming. When you add fatigue into the mix, the negative effects of every other symptom becomes intensified. But why do you get so fatigued during your period?
Fatiguefeeling overtired or having abnormally low energycan interrupt your work, personal life, relationships, and well being.
In the field of functional medicine, we know that taking the time to understand the underlying source of the problem is the first step towards feeling better. Here are some of the causes of menstrual fatigue and how you can start feeling more like yourself during your period.
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It Could Be A Sign Of Pregnancy
While one of the clear signs of pregnancy is missing your period, it turns out that some women continue to experience bleeding or a light version of their period when theyre pregnant, says fertility expert Janet Choi, M.D., medical director at CCRM in New York. In fact, shes had patients whove been struggling to get pregnant go out drinking after a light version of their period shows uponly to later learn that they really are pregnant.
Unusually light periods or spotting could also indicate an ectopic pregnancy , which can be very dangerous. When in doubt, take a pregnancy test.
Pms Fatigue Solutions That Are Natural Remedies
Here are some examples:
A natural remedy for fatigue is vitamin B5, or pantothenic acid. What this vitamin does is it gives your body what it needs to deal with stress. Your period may be accompanied by a lot of stress but vitamin B5 cuts through all the stress and leaves you calm as a pussycat. A good dosage to take is 500 mg daily. This amount may be increased up to 2000 mg daily and all youll get is more relaxation and stress-free feelings. Youll be humming about life before you know it.
A cup of ginseng tea could also be the stress-buster you need that helps your body restore the energy levels youre looking for. One cup of tea is equal to only a teaspoon of the herb, or equivalent to 2 capsules taken once a day. Ginseng acts as an adaptogen, helping restore energy levels and bringing the body back to normalcy in blood pressure, heart rate and nervous system functioning.
A period vitamin can also be one of the solutions you use simultaneously to beat your fatigue after your period. This is a combination of vitamins and minerals needed to support your body throughout your period. You have higher needs for certain vitamins and minerals during the time of your life when you are menstruating. A period vitamin also contains a selection of herbs that are specific for the needs of many menstruating women. Its only taken once a day.
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What If The Lightheadedness Is Happening Before Or After A Period
Before your period. Lightheadedness is actually pretty common, and its usually caused by the hormonal changes leading up to your period. It could also be caused by anemia, low blood pressure, PMDD, or pregnancy.
After your period. Lightheadedness could still be caused by anemia because your body hasnt had a chance to make more red blood cells after a heavy flow. Your body could also just be exhausted from what it just went through.
Why Does It Get Worse As We Get Older
When we are younger, we tend not to notice the hormonal transitions happening over the course of the month.
But once our bodies start producing less of hormones like oestrogen and progesterone as we approach the peri-menopause and menopause, our pre-menstrual symptoms are likely to increase, especially those symptoms of fatigue and extreme tiredness.
Interestingly, our PMT symptoms at this stage of life also give us a clue as to what our experience of the menopause might be like.
So its time to take care of ourselves and our hormones now so we can experience a healthier, happier, calmer menopause.
Find out how we can do this by reading my tips below.
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Metallic Taste In Mouth
Early in the first 3 weeks, you may experience a metallic taste in your mouth. The change in your taste to a metallic feeling is also called dysgeusia. That strange metallic taste can make you feel like you are chewing aluminum or a coin.
A bad taste in your mouth is part of the major changes on your senses of smell and taste. You can remedy it by chewing on acidic fruits such as oranges, sipping lemon juice etc.
You can also rinse your mouth with a mild saline solution to get rid of this weird symptom during early pregnancy.
Fatigue After Your Period Ends
Postmenstrual syndrome can be just as challenging as premenstrual syndrome. This type of PMS is rarer, however. More than 75% of women report experiencing premenstrual syndrome, but some data suggests that postmenstrual syndrome has a prevalence of just 10%.
If fatigue after your period ends is a common occurrence, there are two chief suspects:
Low iron Iron deficiency strikes again! If you havent replenished your iron stores, you may still feel extra fatigue after your period ends. Even a small decrease can produces aches, pains, and general tiredness. Top off with iron-rich foods or a supplement with added iron. Take note that many daily multi-vitamins dont include enough iron to offset menstrual losses. Some daily multivitamins dont include iron at all.
Period fatigue Periods can be tough enough already. There are more than 100 period-related symptoms, any number of which can cause you to lose sleep, fall behind, or just feel off your game. On your period, everything has to do with everything. Addressing your symptoms can make your entire body perform better. Thats why we carefully designed research-backed solutions like Cramp Aid and Steady Mood. We believe that you deserve to be empowered with the information and tools necessary to feel happy and healthy throughout your menstrual cycle.
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How To Feel Less Tired While On Your Period
Theres not much you can do about your bodys natural cycle, but the good news is that your energy levels tend to peak during ovulation, which is generally about two weeks after the start of your period.
There are natural ways of helping your body out when its feeling tired though drinking water, getting at least eight hours sleep and exercising is all useful, general advice. But according to Nicole Telfer, Science Content Producer at period tracking app Clue, there are different ways to overcome your tiredness depending on what’s causing it.
“People who experience premenstrual and menstrual symptoms may report disrupted sleep,” Nicole tells Cosmopolitan. “This can be from pain or from increased fatigue or insomnia. Using pain alleviating medications may help restore sleep quality by relieving pain.”
If you have a premenstrual mood disorder, the expert suggests you’re “more likely to experience sleep disturbances like insomnia, hypersomnia, fatigue, and even disturbing dreams during the luteal phase which could be due to disruption in circadian rhythms.” In order to overcome this, Nicole explains that some researchers suggest using light therapy may help people with severe cases, but more research in the area is needed.
People with PCOS are more likely have sleep disordered breathing like sleep apnea or snoring if they are obese, which in turn impacts sleep quality. “These people would benefit from seeing a healthcare provider specialising in sleep,” advises the expert.
Your Plan For Relieving Pms Fatigue
In summary, your plan for relieving PMS fatigue and other symptoms should include stress reduction, dietary changes, and a simple supplement protocol:
- A high-quality herbal formula to help balance hormones
- A multi-vitamin formula that contains B vitamins, vitamin D, calcium and magnesium
Anyone struggling with PMS fatigue probably knows it can feel impossible to make changes to daily life when youre exhausted. So, I recommend using the days during your cycle when your energy levels are higher to start implementing your PMS relief plan. For many women, energy levels are highest the week or so after their period ends.
Ideally, youll start to see improvements in your PMS symptoms within the first few menstrual cycles.
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When To Contact A Doctor
Having a light period is not usually a cause for concern. However, if someone has consistently light periods or starts skipping periods altogether, they should talk with a doctor.
A person should also contact a doctor if a light period coincides with other symptoms that are causing concern, such as pelvic pain.
What Causes You To Feel Tired Before A Period
Fatigue before a period is thought to be linked to a lack of serotonin, a brain chemical that can affect your mood. Before your period starts each month, your serotonin levels may fluctuate significantly. This can lead to a major dip in your energy level, which can also affect your mood.
Your fatigue may also be caused by sleep issues linked to your physical premenstrual symptoms. PMS symptoms like bloating, cramping, and headaches can keep you up at night. Also, your body temperature tends increase before your period, which can also make it more difficult to sleep.
If youre dealing with a mild to moderate case of pre-period fatigue, there are ways to tackle it. Here are some tips:
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