An unpleasant symptom of PMS is insomnia before menstruation, what to do?

Premenstrual syndrome - signs and causes

About a week or a few days before the start of menstruation, many women notice some changes in their body, which is completely normal. Some of them experience severe weakness, drowsiness, apathy, and depressive thoughts. For others, the breasts swell and become more sensitive, swelling, dizziness, and headaches appear.

The most common reasons for the development of weakness and drowsiness are:

• A significant change in the level of female sex hormones in the blood. Progesterone and estrogen have a particular effect on well-being. They promote ovulation and egg maturation. During menstruation and immediately before its onset, progesterone levels drop sharply, which can negatively affect a woman’s well-being.
• Fatigue and lethargy during and before menstruation are explained by a lack of certain minerals in the body, such as calcium. This leads to disruption of the nervous system, convulsions, and severe psycho-emotional states .
• Decreased blood glucose levels due to hormone imbalance.
• Decreased serotonin production, which leads to poor mood and decreased performance.
• Increased concentration in the blood of aldosterone, which is produced by the adrenal glands. This causes swelling, disruption of the heart and changes in blood pressure.

Bloody issues

Bloody discharge during pregnancy is explained by the process of attachment of the embryo in the uterine mucosa. Such phenomena do not happen often during pregnancy, but 2 of my friends experienced this.

Every woman should listen very carefully to her body, then such symptoms will not go unnoticed. This symptom is quite indicative

It is important to learn to determine the difference between spotting during pregnancy and menstruation

Nausea

PMS may also be characterized by nausea, but this is a short-term and rare phenomenon, and occurs much earlier than during pregnancy.

Early toxicosis of pregnant women leads to aversion to food. Nausea occurs not only in the morning, but throughout the day at any time. Under the influence of unpleasant odors, toxicosis intensifies.

Usually this symptom occurs after 5 weeks, which is associated with the vital processes of the fetus. The metabolism has not yet been established, and fetal decay products enter the mother’s blood and cause minor intoxication. This continues until 4-5 months, while the placenta matures. Vomiting may occur periodically.

This symptom may manifest itself differently in one woman during different pregnancies. My friend did not have toxicosis while expecting a boy, but when she became pregnant with her daughter, nausea and vomiting accompanied her constantly. From my own experience, I will say that toxicosis accompanied me from 5 to 16 weeks, but for two of my friends, it clearly stopped at 12 weeks. Several of my good friends did not suffer from it at all.

During pregnancy, food tastes often change, cravings for certain foods arise, and familiar foods can cause disgust. The expression “craving something salty means pregnancy” is known to everyone, and this is understandable; there is often a desire to eat sweet and salty foods.

But such a symptom is also not decisive, since from my own experience I will say that before PMS my appetite greatly increases, like most of my friends. This is also understandable from a physiological point of view - the body accumulates nutrients before significant blood loss.

During pregnancy - short-term, non-intrusive and sluggish.

With PMS, the pain is more severe and unpleasant, and there is bloating, especially on the first day. A third of my friends have a tummy tug throughout their period. There are also lucky women who do not experience such unpleasant sensations.

When pregnancy occurs, the egg is fertilized, and the uterus begins to prepare for its implantation. During the attachment of the fruit egg to the mucous membrane, unpleasant sensations are possible. Before menstruation, the reverse process occurs - the mucous membrane peels off, which is released during menstruation. It gives a similar feeling. In both cases, the pain is of a different nature.

During pregnancy, mood swings are extreme, emotions are stronger and appear more vividly. One of my friends, in the early stages of pregnancy, wanted to cry all the time, she felt sorry for everyone and was offended to the point of tears, or she simply laughed merrily at an insignificant joke. Moodiness and causeless anxiety also constantly accompany a woman.

With PMS, negative emotions, increased nervous tension, panic attacks, anger, and anger are more often present. Everything returns to normal with the start of menstruation.

What other symptoms and signs are there before menstruation? PMS can include discharge from the genital tract. Normally they are creamy, white or clear. The mucus is odorless and does not bother the woman.

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The manifestation of premenstrual syndrome can be characterized by brown discharge. In most cases, this is a symptom of endometriosis or inflammation. If a woman detects mucus with white streaks, this indicates cervicitis or cervical erosion. A gynecologist treats these diseases and diagnoses them.

The connection between PMS and insomnia

Very often, insomnia occurs during menstruation approximately 5-8 days in advance. This is associated with changes in hormonal levels, which affect the functioning of the entire body. This negative impact especially affects the functioning of the cardiovascular and nervous systems. Such disorders are manifested by deterioration of well-being, severe psycho-emotional state and sleep problems.

Constant lack of sleep during PMS aggravates nervousness and causes decreased performance.

Another harmful factor leading to chronic insomnia is a lack of nutrients. A woman’s body reacts especially acutely to a deficiency of serotonin, calcium, glucose, various amino acids and vitamins. This condition disrupts the normal transmission of nerve impulses to the brain, which negatively affects a person’s emotional state and disrupts his sleep.

Causes of insomnia before menstruation

The main danger of insomnia with premenstrual syndrome is that the body loses strength and does not replenish energy reserves. Sleep deficiency reduces work capacity and worsens the emotional state.

Before starting treatment, it is necessary to understand the causes of insomnia before menstruation:

• drinking coffee, alcoholic beverages, smoking;
• taking certain medications;
• heredity;
• lack of comfort: stale air, noise, uncomfortable bed or pillow;
• diseases: pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract, thyroid gland, Parkinson's disease, asthma, allergic reaction.

The main factors that provoke insomnia during menstruation are nervousness and irritability. Depression, mental and physical overload, anxiety - all this negatively affects the functioning of the nervous system, depriving a woman of the opportunity to easily fall asleep and fully rest.

Before the onset of critical days, hormonal changes occur in the body, which affects well-being, mood, and appearance. Healthy patients also experience difficulty falling asleep. Doctors consider the appearance of insomnia a week before menstruation as a typical phenomenon. In some cases, it is accompanied by a delay in menstruation.

How to get good sleep back

Treatment for insomnia caused by PMS can occur in different ways. It all depends on the well-being and general condition of the woman, the presence of concomitant diseases.

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Traditional medicine

There are many effective medications that help normalize sleep and get rid of neuroses:

• Sedatives (tincture of valerian, motherwort, Sedasen, Novopassit). They have a calming effect on the nervous system, which helps you fall asleep without problems and relieves psychological stress.
• Tranquilizers, antidepressants. These are very powerful drugs that are prescribed in extreme cases when easier drugs do not give a positive result. Such treatment can only be recommended by a doctor, since it is accompanied by significant risks due to the high likelihood of developing side effects. The duration of the course and acceptable dosages are determined only by a specialist, based on the patient’s condition .
• NPS (Ibuprofen). Prescribed to combat headaches and migraines, which often cause poor sleep.
• Diuretics. Designed to remove excess fluid from the body, which often creates problems with falling asleep.
• Hormonal therapy. If serious disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system are detected, artificial substitutes for female hormones are prescribed. Such therapy is rarely used due to the large number of side effects.

Traditional treatment

There are many effective traditional medicine recipes that have a positive effect on a woman’s well-being before the onset of menstruation and normalize sleep.

The most popular of them:

• Aromatherapy. It is recommended to place a napkin on the table near the bed, where you need to drop a little lavender oil. It calms the nervous system, which will help you fall asleep easier.
• Herbal teas. Drinks based on mint, lemon balm, and chamomile are especially useful. It is not advisable to add sugar to them. It is best to use natural honey. Disposable pharmacy filter bags are suitable for making tea.
• Milk with honey. Before going to bed, it is recommended to drink a glass of this drink .
• Herbal collection. An infusion of a mixture of components such as valerian root, mistletoe leaves, dandelion and oregano has a positive effect on a woman’s condition during the onset of PMS. They are used in a ratio of 1:3:4:5. A teaspoon of the mixture is poured with 210 ml of boiling water. After 15 minutes, drink the infusion, adding a little honey.

Diagnostics: what can masquerade as symptoms of PMS?

Since dates and deadlines are easily forgotten, to make your task easier, you should keep a calendar or diary where you write down the start and end dates of menstruation, ovulation (basal temperature), weight, and symptoms that bother you. Keeping such a diary for 2-3 cycles will greatly simplify diagnosis and allow you to track the frequency of PMS symptoms.

The severity of premenstrual syndrome is determined by the number, duration and intensity of symptoms:

• Mild form: 3-4 symptoms or 1-2 if they are significantly pronounced
• Severe form: 5-12 symptoms or 2-5, but very pronounced, and regardless of the duration and their number, if they lead to disability (usually the neuropsychiatric form)

• If a woman feels relatively well in phase 1 of the cycle, then this is premenstrual syndrome, and not a chronic disease - neurosis, depression, fibrocystic mastopathy
• If pain appears only immediately before and during menstruation, especially when combined with spotting in the middle of the cycle, it is most likely not PMS, but other gynecological diseases - endometriosis, chronic endometritis, dysmenorrhea (painful menstruation) and others.

To establish the form of the syndrome, studies of hormones are carried out: prolactin, estradiol and progesterone. The doctor may also prescribe additional diagnostic methods, depending on the prevailing complaints:

• For severe headaches, dizziness, tinnitus, decreased vision and fainting, a computed tomography or MRI scan is prescribed to rule out organic brain diseases.
• If there is an abundance of neuropsychiatric diseases, an EEG is indicated to exclude epileptic syndrome.
• In case of severe edema, changes in the daily amount of urine (diuresis), tests are performed to diagnose the kidneys (see causes of swelling of the legs).
• In case of severe and painful engorgement of the mammary glands, it is necessary to perform an ultrasound of the mammary glands and mammography to exclude organic pathology.

Not only a gynecologist examines women suffering from PMS, but also involves psychiatrists, neurologists, endocrinologists, nephrologists, cardiologists and therapists.

Prevention

To prevent the development of insomnia before the onset of menstruation, you must follow simple rules:

• Regular physical activity. Depending on your health and desire, you can sign up for a gym, swimming pool, aerobics, or just jog or walk every day. Physical activity promotes the production of endorphins, which improves mood and prevents the development of stress.
• Daily routine and enough sleep. You need to get enough sleep all month, which allows you to always feel cheerful. It is recommended to go to bed and get up at the same time. In this case, the body will develop its own biorhythms.
• Proper nutrition. To normalize the activity of the nervous system, shortly before menstruation, it is advisable to give up excessively fatty, sweet foods, alcohol, coffee and tea . It is recommended to eat often, but in small portions, and eat a lot of vegetables and fruits.
• During the period of exacerbation of all PMS symptoms, it is recommended to enrich your diet with vitamins and minerals. It is advisable to use products containing magnesium, calcium, iron, vitamins B6 and C.

Following fairly simple recommendations will help maintain good health and normalize sleep during any period of the menstrual cycle. But if pathologies appear, you need to consult a doctor who will prescribe the optimal treatment.

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Self-remediation

If you suffer from complicated PMS and sleep disorders during this period, you can take measures to prevent the disorder. They consist of correcting the rest and wakefulness regime, paying attention to diet and physical activity.

Let's take a closer look at how you can help yourself.

1. Sports activities. It is not necessary to go to the gym and carry iron; to normalize the condition before menstruation and eliminate the manifestations of PMS, regular exercise or jogging before bed will be enough. Physical activity leads to the production of endorphins - hormones of happiness. They effectively combat stress and improve mood.
2. Ventilation of the room. You need to sleep 8-9 hours a day; if you devote less time to rest at night, you risk getting a fair amount of irritability before the onset of menstruation, loss of normal ability to work, and the manifestation of other PMS syndromes. Before going to bed, ventilate the room, use aromatic paws with soothing oils, take baths with herbal infusions, drink a glass of warm milk with honey or chamomile tea.
3. Proper nutrition. Before your period begins, you need to make sure that your nervous system does not succumb to severe irritation and that the amount of nutrients in the body does not decrease. To do this, limit the consumption of fats, cheese, chocolate, coffee, and give up alcohol. These products increase excitability, provoke headaches, migraines, and mood swings. Eat more fiber, give preference to orange fruits and vegetables, greens, and grains. To maintain stable blood insulin levels, eat small meals 5-6 times a day.
4. Vitamin supplements. Introduce nutritional supplements into your diet. You should consume 50-100 mg of vitamin B6 and 250 mg of magnesium per day. Additional use of iron and calcium will also have a positive effect on your well-being and night's rest. Since the immune system fails during PMS, your body becomes susceptible to bacterial, viral and fungal diseases. To prevent them, make it a rule to consume vitamin C.

How to calm your nervous system

To improve the quality of sleep before menstruation and live normally, it is enough to stabilize hormonal levels and replenish the deficiency of useful components. When problematic periods are accompanied by physical weakness, pain, discomfort and insomnia, folk recipes and homeopathic medicines help.

From vitamin complexes, you need to choose products based on magnesium and water-soluble vitamin B6. These microelements normalize sugar levels, relieve irritability and restore sleep.

Additional use of vitamins C, calcium and iron has a positive effect on well-being during menstruation. Together, these beneficial substances relieve PMS symptoms, returning the woman to full and healthy sleep.

If the measures taken and remedies do not help, discuss the problem with your doctor. The causes of your insomnia may not be related to menstruation. In severe cases, when sleep disturbance before menstruation is chronic, more serious therapy is required.

With the onset of menstruation, many ladies, on the contrary, note drowsiness. You can learn more about this condition from a separate article on our website.