In today’s fast-paced economy, it can seem like sleep takes a backseat to deadlines, social events, and practically anything else we can cram into our schedules. However, miss just a single night of sleep and you can tell: it matters.
Sleeping is a critical time for your body and brain. Your brain restores, recharges, and rests during sleep, and your body uses this essential function to heal itself. Your skin, for instance, does the majority of its rebuilding, healing, and restructuring during the hours you are asleep.
Sleep also helps keep your body functioning properly and helps protect against disease. Not getting adequate sleep directly correlates with increased chances of becoming sick, even if it’s just with a minor cold.
The old standard has always been eight hours, but that's not a one-size-fits-all sleep solution. Depending on your age and activity level, you might need more or less. For instance, if you are extremely physically active, you’ll need more sleep to allow your muscles time to heal and repair after you exercise.
If you have a more sedentary lifestyle, you may require less sleep than others. During different phases of life, you’ll need more sleep. For instance, during puberty, you’ll need closer to nine hours of sleep, while you’ll need less as an adult, and even less after age 65.
On top of the increased risk of disease, you’ll also feel like total trash when you don’t get enough sleep. You might be able to get through the day if you’ve just missed one night of sleep, but if you’re consistently missing sleep, it will have a cumulative negative effect on your body and mind.
If you experience these symptoms while on your period, you could be suffering from period insomnia, a condition caused by the hormonal changes a woman experiences before and during her period.
Women are more likely than men to experience insomnia, and the likely cause is hormonal. Your monthly cycle consists of four distinct phases, and each phase brings about changes to your hormones that can directly affect your sleep.
The four phases of your period are the menstrual phase, follicular phase, ovulation phase, and luteal phase.This cycle can trigger insomnia depending on which hormones are being released and how your body responds to their release.
It’s more than just not sleeping during your period. Period insomnia can involve not falling asleep, waking up during the night, not getting enough deep, or “REM” sleep. Researchers aren’t really sure why some hormone changes cause women to lose sleep, but they know that it’s a real occurrence.
Here’s how to tell if you’re experiencing period-related insomnia.
Maybe you have a lot on your mind, or maybe nothing at all. No matter the reason, you simply cannot fall asleep during your period. Changes in your hormone levels can interfere with your body’s release of melatonin, which helps you fall asleep.
Hormones can change your body temperature, making it difficult for you to stay asleep. If you’ve ever woken up feeling hot or sweaty, it could be a result of hormonal changes that are making your body temperature rise.
It can also be hard to stay asleep if you find you are constantly bleeding through your overnight period protection. Your body wakes up when it feels a leak, and taking care of a middle-of-the-night leak can cause you to lose sleep and find it difficult to fall back asleep.
Sometimes, it’s easy to get better sleep simply by making some lifestyle changes and paying closer attention to your body. If you find you still can’t sleep after making some changes, it could be time to see your doctor.
Here’s how to ensure you’re sleeping better, no matter where you are in your monthly cycle.
1. Eliminate Caffeine
We know. It’s hard. But if you aren’t sleeping well, caffeine will make your lack of sleep worse. Using too much caffeine can interfere with your natural sleep cycle and make it even more difficult to fall asleep, which will have you reaching for more caffeine the next morning.
Caffeine can place you in a vicious, sleep-deprived cycle that never ends unless you cut back on your favorite frap. A better option is to switch to green tea during your period or other low-caffeine beverages to help pep you up during the day but allow you to sleep at night.
If you find yourself stressed and anxious during your period, better relaxation techniques can be the answer. Whether you find your peace in yoga, meditation, or exercise, finding a way to relax and manage stress healthfully can mean the difference between sleeping or not sleeping.
Your work or school emails can wait. Blue light emitted from your devices can interfere with your circadian rhythm, causing it to become increasingly difficult for you to fall asleep at night.
If you’re having trouble sleeping, make it a rule to put down your phone and power off devices at least thirty minutes before bedtime.
If your insomnia is directly related to getting up to change a pad or tampon in the middle of the night, opt for longer-lasting period care that can protect you all night long and let you sleep soundly. Rael’s period panties give you all-night protection by themselves or along with another period care item like a tampon or a pad.
Our period panties are available in disposable and reusable versions to fit your lifestyle and make it easy to stay protected and comfortable while you sleep.
Your body and mind both need sleep to stay healthy, and if hormonal changes during your period prevent you from getting sleep, Rael can help. Our period care products help protect you all night, so you don’t have to worry about leaks or waking up to change your pad or tampon.
Sleep is holistic, and you can get it holistically, even during your period. Rael has everything you need to have an empowering (and restful) period.
Sources:
Sleep and your health | MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia
Sleep and Premenstrual Syndrome | PubMed
]]>