Don’t worry, your period is normal: How does burnout affect women's periods?
Overworking and stress, also known as burnout, often has repercussions on your mental health, your social life and career. But there are many ways it can also affect physical health, including your period.
What is the normal length of a period?
According to the NHS, most females have their periods every 28 days or so, but the days can range from 21 to 40. Periods can last between 3 to 8 days and the 2 are considered to be the heaviest. Senior consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist and the founder of Women for Women's Health. Dr, Nitu Bajekal says that burnout can be the cause of irregularities with periods.
How does burnout affect it?
Burnout is a state of exhaustion and can affect our health emotionally, physically or mentally. It occurs when we begin to feel overwhelmed, whether it be in our jobs or social life, it causes us to feel drained this, in turn, impacts our health.
When we put our bodies under a lot of stress, our bodies’ response is to shut down and/or begin to prioritise the non-essential functions within our body. This can interfere with the body’s hormone levels, which can interrupt or delay periods.
Dr Sarah Brewer, medical director of Health Span and author of Cut Your Stress explains “When you are under severe emotional or physical stress, periods often become irregular or even stop altogether.”
The NHS does advise that if you begin to suffer from irregular periods, this may not be a sign of a problem but it is good to visit your GP just in case.
Home remedies to help with your irregularities and fight against your burnt out:
Take up Yoga
Yoga has a lot of benefits for your physical and mental health, including keeping your body flexible and well balanced. It helps your mind with strengthening your awareness, relieving stress and muscle tension, and helps your concentration. This in turn really helps to manage and prevent burnout.
With menstrual health, yoga has been shown to help there too. A 2013 study with 126 participants found that up to 40 minutes of yoga, 5 days a week for 6 months helped in patients with hormone imbalances. Yoga can also help reduce menstrual pain and the emotional pains that come with periods.
Add a touch of Ginger
Ginger is one of the healthiest (and most delicious) spices on our planet. It’s full of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects which help with muscle and menstruation pain. The results from a study in 2009 showed that 92 women with heavy menstrual bleeding, after taking daily supplements of ginger for five days effectively relieved intensity and duration of pain. Ginger is a very versatile spice and can be used in your cooking as a powder or oil, chopped down, added into a smoothie, or even eaten raw.
Good Sleeping Habits
The simplicity of a good night’s sleep can do wonders for our bodies, mentally and physically. Sleep is essential for us, as important as a healthy diet. It helps us recover from our day’s exhaustion and allows us to relax, but keeping up a good sleeping regime is the best way to continue receiving its benefits.
Burnout causes weariness and can prevent us from getting a good night’s sleep, and in a similar way, menstrual problems can interfere with our sleeping patterns. Ways that we can combat this is to try to go to bed and get up roughly the same time each day; it trains our bodies to follow our own clock. Steering clear of caffeine after noon gradually lets our bodies tire out naturally and not keep us too alert. Avoid taking too many naps as this can disrupt the cycle and don’t read or watch TV in bed as this can keep our minds energised and thus difficult to fall asleep.
These three home remedies can help you manage your period and burnout. However if your burnout and period irregularities become too much for you to handle, it’s always good to visit your Doctor.
About the Author:
Prishant is a creative writer and storyteller, graduated in Creative Writing and English Literature based in London UK. She is passionate about LGBT issues, film, TV and fashion. When she is not writing, you can find her collecting notebooks too perfect to use, watching horror movies and discovering random historical facts for fun. She also has two cats who rule her life.
OTHER FEATURED ARTICLES
