Mental Health through the Menstrual Cycle

450.

If you menstruate, that’s about how many periods you’ll have in a lifetime.

Yet even though half the world’s population is menstruating for half their lives…we have very little research on what the hormonal effects actually are…especially in relation to the brain and mental health.

That’s why this new study 👆 is so remarkable.

Neuroscientists tracked 30 women over the course of their menstrual cycles with MRI brain scans and hormone tests—and found brainwide structural changes that correlated with hormone fluctuations 🤯🤯🤯

For example:

🔹 Just before ovulation (when estrogen is high), brains showed changes that indicated faster information transfer.

🔹 The rise of FSH before ovulation was associated with thicker gray matter.

🔹 Progesterone after ovulation correlated with decreased cerebrospinal fluid volume.

What does all this mean?

It means the hormone changes throughout the menstrual cycle influence MORE than just the ovaries and uterus. The more we learn about these hormone-brain connections, the better we can make sense of the domino effect of female hormone balance.

Is your mind blown?

P.S. this study is not yet peer-reviewed but available preprint.

Reference

Rizor EJ, Babenko V, Dundon NM, et al. Menstrual cycle-driven hormone concentrations co-fluctuate with white and grey matter architecture changes across the whole brain bioRxiv 2023. [link & news article]

Stress Stoppers: Try These!

Stress Stoppers 👉👉

You know that moment when your heart races, your muscles tense, your mind checks out, and everything in your body just wants to escape wherever you are?

It’s our acute stress response, and we call it “fight or flight.”

When I notice this happening (the first step is awareness!), here are some things I do:

💡 Notice my thoughts or emotions.

☀️ Reframe negative thoughts to the positive.

👣 Put my feet to the earth to feel grounded.

🌬️ Take some deep breaths.

⛰️Change my location.

💃 Move my body (dance, shake, jump, walk).

None of this is easy.

It takes practice.

But learning to stop stress in its tracks is one of the best things you can do for your current health and your future self.

Which of these ideas do you like best?

Have You Heard of Left Nostril Breathing?

Have you heard of left nostril breathing?

🧘‍♀️ Yogic traditions teach that the left relates to moon energy: cooling, calming, and reflective. The right relates to sun energy: fiery, energizing, and awakening. So, the yogic practice of left nostril breathing is thought to have a calming effect on the body.

🧠 A more science-y way of explaining this is that left nostril breathing puts the body into a parasympathetic state (instead of the “fight or flight” mode of the sympathetic state). Studies have even shown that left nostril breathing changes brainwave activity on EEG. Pretty cool!

Left nostril breathing is simple:

👍 Just press your right thumb against your right nostril, and breathe slowly and deeply through the left nostril.

That’s it!

You can combine it with other breathing practices, like box breathing (inhaling for a count of 4, holding for 4, exhaling for 4, and holding for 4) or just breathe deeply.

Will you try it?

Reference

Niazi IK, Navid MS, Bartley J, et al. EEG signatures change during unilateral Yogi nasal breathing. Sci Rep. 2022;12(1):520. [link]

Exercise & Stress: Good or Bad?

Should I exercise when I’m stressed?

There are a lot of mixed messages out there, so let’s look at some facts. 

Intense exercise causes a temporary increase in stress hormones BUT:

✅ The cortisol spike during intense exercise reduces the cortisol response to subsequent stressors in life AND

✅ Exercise releases endorphins, which naturally combat stress AND

✅ Regular exercise over time supports a healthy cortisol rhythm. 

Some exercises, like yoga and tai chi, combat stress by putting the nervous system into a more parasympathetic state.  

So, for most people, exercise helps to combat stress. 

Exercise only becomes a problem when it’s extreme and intense—particularly in people who are already stressed by other things in life. 

It’s all about looking at the big picture! 

Let's Talk About Stress & Food!

Want a stress hack most people never think about?

Food.

Here’s why:

➡️If we skip meals, the body perceives this as a stress and releases cortisol.

➡️Other stressors (like the pressures of work and life) also increase cortisol.

➡️Regardless of the trigger, cortisol prompts the liver to release sugar into the bloodstream for a quick source of energy. It doesn’t matter if we need that energy or not. It’s just one of the effects of cortisol.

➡️Elevated cortisol over time can lead to persistently elevated blood sugar and all the problems that follow (like insulin resistance and weight gain)

What all this means is that eating in a way that supports balanced blood sugar levels sends the body a signal of safety (not stress) and helps to support healthy cortisol levels.

It reduces the stress load on your body and makes you more resilient.

You with me?

Here’s how I eat to combat stress:

🥣 Eat balanced meals on a regular schedule (skipping meals = stress)

🚫 Limit refined sugars (they cause the blood sugar to spike and crash, triggering cortisol)

🥦 Load up on fiber-rich foods (they slow the release of sugar into the bloodstream)

🥤 Stay hydrated (dehydration can spike blood sugar)

Have you noticed that food affects your stress level?

Like if you found this helpful ❤️