Could your insomnia be tackled through menstrual cycle mapping?

What is menstrual cycle mapping and why is it important?

Menstrual cycle mapping is when you track your period cycle based on any symptoms you experience. Usually, you can tell when your period is nigh, due to mood swings and other changes. 

The main hormones responsible for our sleep cycle are cortisol, melatonin, progesterone and oestrogen, and when we get a good sleep, cortisol is released, which kick-starts a chain reaction of hormones being released to provide balance. However, if we have a poor night’s sleep, these hormones become imbalanced, which affects our sleep, and so on. During your menstrual cycle, these hormones are once again imbalanced, which is why it’s important to map and track your cycle in order to prevent hormone imbalance and insomnia caused by this. 

For example, if you notice that you tend to wake up feeling more tired than usual on days 5-7 of your cycle, you might want to consider changing how you approach this time. Instead of waking up early and getting stuck doing work or other activities, try going to bed earlier on those nights or taking some time for yourself before bed.

This insight into your cycle and its effects on your mental and physical being will allow you to make changes in your life that positively impact your health and well-being in a way that improves sleep quality, while also keeping the rest of your schedule intact.

Can your period affect your sleep schedule?

Women are more prone to suffering from insomnia more frequently than men, and this can be due to menstrual cycles. Your menstrual cycle follows four seasons or phases, which are known as: menstruation, follicular phase, ovulation and luteal phase, and they are often categorised as summer, spring, autumn and winter phases, making them easier to follow. 

Following the different ‘seasons’ is a good way to map your cycle. If you know when your body enters each phase, mapping your cycle becomes easier, enabling you to start gaining a better night’s sleep. 

During your period, you also experience various other body changes that can keep you awake at night, such as period pains, back pain, nausea or enhanced stress or anxiety, which can also contribute to insomnia. Fortunately, these symptoms can be easy to deal with using hot water bottles, painkillers, warm baths, or herbal teas. 

How to deal with hormonal imbalances

Aside from mapping and tracking your period, you can also adapt your lifestyle around the different menstrual ‘seasons.’ For example, you can adjust your bedroom environment to make it more conducive to a relaxing and sleep-inducing atmosphere by using a night light, altering the temperature, etc. 

You can also alter your eating and exercise habits, or you can choose to go down the medication route, though you should seek advice from your GP before doing so. By tracking your period, you can see at which points during the month your hormones are most likely to be out of balance, so you can adapt your lifestyle especially around those specific times.

Other ways of reducing insomnia

We have many articles on how to reduce insomnia in a more general sense, such as with Paradoxical Intention. 

You can also begin meditation or yoga to help you relax and induce sleep. Make sure you have a strict wind down routine before bed, such as eliminating screens, keeping a night light on, and reducing noise or anything that could disrupt sleep. These, along with menstrual mapping, could help tackle your menstrual-induced insomnia.