Heavy menstrual bleeding often causes women to feel tired, commonly known as period fatigue. This is normal due to the decrease in oestrogen levels, which occurs around this point in your menstrual cycle. Your energy levels will usually return to normal within a few days as your hormone levels begin to increase again.
This dip could leave a person feeling tired and fatigued. Disturbed sleep: Period pains and mood changes may make it difficult for a person to get to sleep or stay asleep throughout the night. The person may then experience tiredness and fatigue the following day.
"This is not well-known but I think it should be,” Dr Harrington tells me, down the phone. Young fertile women need an extra half an hour, minimum, in the second half of our cycles, due to the increase in progesterone, which leaves us sleepy, she says.
This lasts for up to seven days, but the duration can vary from person to person. However, one common symptom that develops in most women who are menstruating is fatigue, as they complain of persistent tiredness and lack of energy.
A heavy menstrual cycle is the leading cause of low iron in women. In some cases, some women can lose too much blood during their menstrual cycle. This blood is replaced but not fast enough. Over time, month after month of extra blood loss, iron levels decrease.
If you notice on heavy days of your period that blood seems extra-thick, and can sometimes form a jelly-like glob, these are menstrual clots, a mix of blood and tissue released from your uterus during your period. They can vary in size and color, and usually, they are nothing to worry about.
So does being on your period burn more calories or not? Typically, no. While experts largely agree that resting metabolic rates fluctuate during the menstrual cycle, the change is negligible. Given this minimal difference, most women will not burn many more calories than usual.
In fact, it's completely normal and OK to eat more during your period. We explain why, below! Your menstrual cycle increases your metabolic rate, which is the amount of energy you expend while at rest. The weeks leading up to your period, you actually burn more calories than any other time of the month.
"The menstrual cycle isn't the cause of weight changes, it's just a bystander," explains Arias. The menstrual cycle does not directly impact weight loss or gain, but there may be some secondary connections.
It's very common to experience an increase in your appetite before and during your periods. The hormone changes which are associated with your periodical cycle can make you crave for food and the mood change that accompanies your period might lead you to crave foods that are higher in carbohydrates and sugar.
In addition, coffee was found to increase cramps. “Refined sugar, common cooking oils, trans fats, dairy products, processed and red meat, refined grains, and alcohol are considered highly inflammatory foods. It is thought that these 'inflammatory foods' cause an increased release of prostaglandins.
It's not a good idea to go an entire school day without changing pads, pantiliners, or tampons. No matter how light your flow is, or even if there is no flow, bacteria can build up. Changing your pad every 3 or 4 hours (more if your period is heavy) is good hygiene and helps prevent bad odors.
Periods last around 2 to 7 days, and women lose about 20 to 90ml (about 1 to 5 tablespoons) of blood in a period. Some women bleed more heavily than this, but help is available if heavy periods are a problem.
You Get a Gush of Blood When You Stand Up
Yep. “If you've been lying down or sitting for a long period of time, blood will collect in your vagina,” Dr. Herta explains. “When you get up, that pool of blood will come out.”
Most people notice spotting as a few drops of blood on their underwear or toilet paper when wiping. In most cases, spotting should not cause concern. Often, hormonal changes due to birth control, pregnancy, or menopause can trigger it.
Grey period blood or discharge can indicate that you have an infection and you should book an appointment to see a doctor for tests and treatment. Bacterial vaginosis is one of the more common infections.
Anaemia, a condition caused by low iron levels, can also cause pink period blood. 'Iron is what gives the blood its red colour, and blood may become lighter if iron is low,' explains Dr Rosén.
Usually, menstrual bleeding lasts about 4 to 5 days and the amount of blood lost is small (2 to 3 tablespoons).
What does this mean? Intermittent iron supplementation in menstruating women may be an effective intervention for reducing anaemia and improving haemoglobin concentrations compared to no treatment, placebo or daily supplementation.
Although men will not bleed, nor will they experience all of the same symptoms as women, these hormonal shifts can have some pretty notable side effects, especially with mood and irritability. Some call it the “man period” others call it Irritable Male Syndrome, either way, it can be quite similar to a woman's PMS.
“It's very minimal though,” she says. “Approximately 100 calories per day.” And no, getting your period is not like a natural form of “blood doping.” “It's not about having more blood in your system,” Sims says.