New Delhi: Your menstrual cycle isn’t just about hormones—your daily lifestyle deeply influences it. Understanding how these factors affect your cycle can help you regulate your menses. A regular menstrual cycle is an indication of good reproductive health. Many women tend to experience irregular periods without even realizing that their daily habits and lifestyle choices can be the major contributors. Your body mainly relies on the significant balance of vital hormones like estrogen and progesterone to regulate periods. Various factors can altogether disrupt this balance. This can include factors like taking too much stress, eating a poor diet that lacks essential nutrients, and a lack of sleep.

High levels of stress in women can cause delayed ovulation, whereas unhealthy eating habits can lead to hormonal fluctuations. While hormonal fluctuation is generally considered natural, extreme changes that can be influenced due to unhealthy lifestyle choices can affect your overall well-being. Dr Kusum Lata, Senior Consultant- Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Advanced Laparoscopic Surgeon, Motherhood Hospitals, Gurgaon, explained the impact of stress, diet, and lifestyle on menstrual cycles.

How do stress, diet, and sleep affect your menstrual cycle?

1. Chronic stress: Too much stress can harm your overall well-being, including reproductive health. The cortisol hormone is released when your body is under too much stress. It can also interfere with your reproductive hormones. This can further lead to irregular or delayed periods. Managing stress can be helpful.
2. Poor diet: Processed or junk foods can be tempting, but they can significantly affect your cycles. These unhealthy foods contain sugar, sodium, preservatives, chemicals, and unhealthy fats in excessive amounts. This can further cause a spike in your insulin level, which can affect the delicate balance of estrogen and progesterone levels. Ensure that you eat a healthy and well-balanced diet instead of unhealthy food choices.
3. Lack of sleep: Poor sleeping patterns can affect the production of melatonin and cortisol levels in your body while disturbing the reproductive hormones. Due to this, one can experience irregular cycles, fatigue, dizziness, and nausea. Women are advised to prioritize their sleep and aim for at least 7 to 8 hours of quality sleep. This can be achieved by limiting screen time before going to bed or avoiding caffeinated drinks.
4. Excessive exercise: To regulate your menstrual cycles, it becomes crucial to stay fit and active by exercising regularly. However, exercising can indeed be beneficial,l but too much of intense workout sessions can be harmful. It can negatively lower the estrogen levels in the body while causing irregular or delayed periods. Maintaining a healthy balance is the key.