Most of us have experienced some sort of stress in our lives, and the effects are not only mental but also physical. Being stressed can often leave us feeling 'run down' and reduce our immune system, making us easy targets for things like flu and colds and giving us other symptoms such as headaches, upset tummies, and insomnia. Stress can also cause changes to your menstrual cycle and menstrual flow. Menstruation is regulated by hormones, and if this balance is upset by something like stress, it can interfere with your period.
Firstly, let’s debunk one myth: stress is not always a ‘bad’ thing. Without the ability to feel stress, humans wouldn’t have survived or continue to survive. Our cavemen ancestors, for example, used the onset of stress to alert them to a potential danger, such as a tiger!
When we're stressed, our body thinks it is under attack and switches to ‘fight or flight’ mode, releasing a mix of hormones and chemicals such to prepare the body for action. This causes a number of reactions, from blood being diverted to muscles to shutting down bodily functions such as digestion.
In today's world, the ‘fight or flight’ mode can still help us survive dangerous situations, such as reacting quickly to a person running in front of our car by slamming on the brakes. However, the challenge is when our body goes into a state of stress when it does not need to, and if we are kept in a state of stress for long periods, it can be bad for our health.
The stress hormone cortisol impacts how much oestrogen and progesterone you produce. If you have too much cortisol it can affect everything from the flow and length of your cycle, as well as when it’s due to arrive, and even cause it to completely stop.
There’s also a theory that the loss of your period at stressful times goes way, way back. Focusing on survival means that your body shuts down hormones needed to reproduce so that you don’t get pregnant in a threatening and scary environment. Our bodies are more clever than we might think!
The obvious way to get your period back to how it used to be is to remove the stress from your life. If you’ve gone through a stressful event or situation and you’re finding it hard to feel like you again, engaging in a little therapy could help you feel saner and help you get your cycle back on track.
It’s hard to completely remove everyday stress from your life and we all suffer from this once in a while, however, therapy like CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) can help you learn how to handle it better, which will stop you from becoming so stressed or overwhelmed, and in turn will help your periods return.
As well as shortening, lengthening, or completely stopping your period, many women also report that psychological stress worsens their menstrual pain.
Cortisol, our stress hormone is used when we are under pressure or experiencing stress of some sort. Progesterone, which is one of our female balancing hormones, is replaced by cortisol if we are stressed. Therefore we make much less progesterone when we are stressed causing our female hormones to be unbalanced and in turn, increasing period pain.
Exercise, getting enough zzz's and eating well will play a big role.
If you're feeling overwhelmed, it's time to start saying no. It doesn't make you a bad person, but it will make you a happier healthier one.
When we're stressed we tend to turn to coffee in the morning to help us get things done, and alcohol in the evening to help us rewind - this doesn't help anything. In fact, they do the opposite and raise cortisol levels, increasing your stress in the long run.
It's easy to get caught up with what we don't have and focus on what every one else is doing. Sometimes we forget to appreciate what we do have. Try to be glass half full instead of glass half empty.
