Women often struggle with cramps, bloating and mood changes when their period arrives, so knowing how to biohack it may be the solution to avoiding such symptoms.
Understanding your body’s hormonal changes is the key to eating in line with them, and this podcast episode provides tips to do exactly that.
Tracking your cycle
Keep a journal of how you feel during each phase of your menstrual cycle to gain insight into how hormones impact your mood, energy levels, and body functions. This can be especially helpful if you’re trying to become pregnant; keeping track can help determine when it is advisable to engage in sexual activity and when to hold back and when not. It will also enable you to track symptoms like bloating, PMS cramping or insomnia more accurately.
Keep it easy by simply using a calendar or training tool to mark the days of your cycle and write notes about how you felt each day. Or buy an app such as Clue that is designed specifically to do this – founded by women, easy to use, customizable to what you want tracked, transparent about how it uses data, and free.
Another popular solution is an ovulation tracker app. These apps predict when women may ovulate based on past cycle data; however, their predictions may not always match your experience and could even contradict one another causing added anxiety and stress for you and other women using the tracker.
Focus on consistency when tracking your cycle. Doing so will allow you to identify any patterns or issues and utilize tools and strategies available from that knowledge for optimizing health, fitness and sexual life. However, keep in mind that female hormones differ significantly from those found in male bodies – what may work for one may not necessarily apply equally or even at all.
Getting enough sleep
Sleep is an integral component of biohacking strategies. Sleep can improve your mood, memory and concentration as well as help metabolize glucose which affects energy levels. Aim for six to nine hours of restful slumber each night – more sleep can also help you lose weight and speed up metabolism! If you’re having difficulty sleeping try practicing some relaxation rituals such as bathing in warm bath water before bed or sipping soothing herbal tea before sleep – all are effective solutions!
Biohacking was once predominantly practiced by men in Silicon Valley. Now more women are adopting it and using techniques, like period biohacking, to optimise their health, career, sex life and motherhood experiences.
Biohack your period by getting enough restful sleep each night. This will reduce cortisol, or stress hormone, and increase oxytocin, or “love and bonding” hormone. Meditation or listening to music are effective relaxation techniques as well. Sleep can also help maintain healthy blood sugar levels while improving mood; for maximum effectiveness use a sleep tracker such as Oura Ring to monitor it. More knowledge means greater opportunities to optimize lifestyle choices and nutrition strategies during menstruation cycles.
Drinking water
Biohacking your period means drinking lots of water! Our bodies consist of 50-60% water, so keeping hydrated is vital for optimal functioning. Mild dehydration can lead to fatigue, foggy thinking and slower metabolism – sipping on a glass first thing in the morning can rehydrate you quickly while simultaneously curbing cravings and improving digestion. For added benefits add lemon juice or Himalayan salt for even greater health benefits!
An additional way to biohack your period is by eating fermented foods like kimchi, pickles and kefir. Fermented foods contain healthy gut bacteria which aid in breaking down estrogen. This is particularly important for women trying to conceive as excess estrogen may interfere with fertility and lead to miscarriage. Furthermore, fermented foods may reduce menstrual pain and cramps as well.
Biohack your period by engaging in physical activity regularly. Physical exercise has many health advantages and can even help reduce stress and depression. Consider adding high-intensity interval training (HIIT) as part of your workout regimen as it’s an effective way to burn calories while increasing endurance.
Though biohacking can improve many aspects of life, it should never replace professional healthcare advice. If you’re experiencing symptoms related to hormone fluctuations like hormonal acne or severe PMS, speaking to a healthcare provider is essential. For natural ways of managing symptoms such as hormone-balancing nutrition or tracking your cycle using apps such as MyFLO is recommended; additionally check out our menstrual cycle supplements which support regular cycles and successful ovulation.
Getting a good night’s rest
Resting well is an integral component of biohacking your period as it helps regulate ovulation and balance hormones. Studies also indicate that sleep can stimulate serotonin production which in turn alleviates symptoms associated with PMS as well as cramping and bloating during your menstrual cycle. If you want a good night’s rest, try drinking warm milk or taking an L-tryptophan supplement; tryptophan is a naturally occurring amino acid which when processed produces serotonin which acts as a key neurotransmitter that aids your mood while soothing aches and pains during menstruation cycles.
Menstrual biohacking is becoming more and more popular among men, but what works for one may not work as effectively for another. Women have different hormones from men, so the best way for a woman to adapt her biohack to her specific physiology would be through food, exercise and targeted supplements such as “cycle syncing”. Cycle syncing may help alleviate issues like heavy periods, PMS, bloating acne cysts fibroids PCOS low libido infertility migraines or hormone related migraines.
Cycle syncing involves tracking symptoms and adapting your diet and lifestyle to fit each month of your menstrual cycle. While this may initially seem challenging, FloLiving founder and author Alisa Vitti discusses its importance for women during this episode of FloLiving Live! She addresses how food, supplements, and exercise can be tailored specifically for each phase of the menstrual cycle to relieve symptoms while increasing wellness.
Getting a good night’s sleep
Sleep is essential to overall health and wellbeing, particularly during menstruation. Lack of restful slumber can have serious repercussions for the female hormones and cause symptoms like cramping, bloating and weight gain, as well as mood fluctuations and decreased libido. Also essential are adequate amounts of restful sleep in helping your body fight infections or recover from stressors like infections – biohacks may help achieve a good night’s rest!
Balance your hormones for improved sleep! High cortisol levels can make it hard to fall asleep, while low estrogen can result in night sweats. Altering your diet and taking natural supplements such as almonds, walnuts, and bananas rich in melatonin could help improve the quality of your restful slumber; alternatively you could take a cold plunge or use red light therapy in order to increase production of this neuroprotective chemical and decrease inflammation in your body.
Although biohacking often has negative associations, it can actually be used as an effective strategy to boost your health. Biohacking involves self-discovery; to find one that suits you effectively is key. You could use an app such as InsideTracker to analyze blood test results and discover which biohacks will prove most helpful to you.
Biohacking has seen an upsurge recently, with trends like spiked lattes and medicinal mushrooms becoming more mainstream. While some of these methods may appear strange or counter-intuitive, science supports them as ways to help make you healthier overall and better align with your menstrual cycle. Alongside these tips, consider including a PEMF (pulsed electromagnetic magnetic therapy) mat in your bedtime routine; this device will enable deeper sleep while increasing serotonin production to help boost quality slumber.
