Periods not coming on time every month can be a common problem for women, but taking it lightly can be the beginning of serious health problems. Irregular periods can cause pregnancy-related problems and hormonal imbalance. Some of your bad habits may be responsible behind this. Know which habits affect your menstrual health.

1. Disturbances in sleeping time

• What happens: Not having a proper sleep-wake routine or sleeping and waking up at different times every day affects your body's melatonin and cortisol hormones.
• Effect: These hormones affect the reproductive system and can disrupt the menstrual cycle.

2. Constant stress

• What happens: Stressing over every little thing increases the cortisol level in your body.
• Effect: It affects the hypothalamus (which produces hormones that control periods).
• What to do: Meditate, exercise, or do your favorite activity to reduce stress.

3. Consumption of high-carb foods

• What happens: Excessive consumption of flour, cornstarch and other high-carb foods leads to insulin resistance.
• Effect: It disturbs the balance of estrogen and progesterone in the body.
• What to eat: Include fiber-rich fruits, vegetables and whole grains in your diet.

4. Lack of physical activity

• What happens: Being too inactive, such as sitting for hours or not doing any physical activity.
• Effect: This may increase the estrogen level in the body, which disturbs the periods cycle.
• What to do: Exercise or walk for at least 30 minutes daily.

5. Hormonal Disorder

• What happens: Problems like PCOD imbalance the levels of androgen and insulin in the body.
• Effect: Due to hormonal imbalance the menstrual cycle may become irregular.
• What to do: Take a healthy diet and consult a doctor.

6. Sitting for long periods of time

• What happens: Sitting for hours not only leads to weight gain, but can also cause abnormally high estrogen levels.
• Effect: Estrogen imbalance can disrupt the menstrual cycle.
• What to do: Take a break every hour and walk for a while.

7. Vitamin D and iron deficiency

• What happens: Deficiency of Vitamin D and iron in the body affects the production of hormones.
• Effect: Vitamin D regulates hormones and menstrual cycle. Its deficiency can cause delay or irregularity in periods.
• What to do:
  • Spend time in the sun.
  • Eat iron-rich foods like spinach, lentils and beans.
  • Take vitamin D supplements, but only on doctor's advice.