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When almost everything in the world came to
a standstill due to the spread of corona-virus among all the countries, one
thing could not get a break from this new routine, PERIODS. A sworn enemy, that
wouldn’t cooperate with the sudden change.
Minor changes in our lifestyle like food
habits, sleep cycles and exercise routines often have a marked effect on the
menstrual cycle. These minor changes have major impact on our monthly cycles.
Women could develop serious health issues due to such changes.
For those women who are already dealing
with periods problems like PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome),PMS (Premenstrual
Syndrome), Dysmenorrhea (Painful Periods) etc. experience their conditions
worsening.
Effect of Pandemic Stress on Menstrual
Cycle
We are in the middle of one of the worst
Global Pandemics ever faced by the humankind. The reasons for stress are no
less. It could be the fear of losing one’s job in this Global Recession or the
fear of not being productive.
These days everyone’s good side of their
life is online. People are posting videos online on doing yoga, cooking or
following their passion at home. All this builds a sense in people where they
feel like they are not doing well enough.
All this stress is certainly not good
enough for our hormones. Stress has a substantial effect on our health.
Hormones affect the frequency and stretch of periods. Proper coping mechanism
for stress could improve the situation of periods.
Food Cravings
With everyone turning into a chef during
the lockdown, we are also turning into heavy eaters as well. Not having a
proper eating schedule and answering those midnight cravings for sweet due to
lack of sleep, all this has made serious impact on our health.
Fluctuating blood sugar level leads to
cortisol production which leads to stress. The food we intake have austere
effect on the menstrual cycle.
Poor diet and excessive alcohol
consumptions also harm our monthly cycles. A lot of people have gained weight
in this lockdown as well which could be a major change for the body health.
Sleep Cycle Change
During the initial days, lockdown was like
a dream come true for us. We never thought that we could have so many days just
for ourselves. We could complete our sleeping goals. But the lockdown has not
been kind to our sleep schedule.
Spending time binge watching new shows and
movies has affected our sleep schedule. The ideal time for sleep is between 7-8
hours for an adult female. Sleeping for more or less than 7-8 hours affects our
hormone production. This hormonal imbalance affects our periods negatively.
Cutting off excessive caffeine and sugar
content in our diet could lead to better sleeping mechanism. Also, meditation
and breathing exercises can help us sleep better.
Availability of Products Is Tough
As the lockdown started, most of the
factories had to stop their production. Fearing the shortage of pads and
tampons, every lady started to stock up their pads for future use. This led to
a shortage of sanitary napkins in the market.
Even though the government gave orders to
restart the production, lack of employees and workers in factories and unclear
guidelines by the government led to delay in production by companies.
As a last resort, many women had to switch
to other companies for pads that they might not be accustomed to. Using
different quality pads could lead to rashes, itching and even infection. It’s
high time that people realize that feminine hygiene is not a luxury but a
necessity.
Work From Home Dynamics
A break from going to office has also given
a break from office hours. That means at home we do not have any specific
working hours. A day full of video calls while we are sitting and zero movement
of our body has done us no good.
Earlier we found home as a place to relax
but now it is like a place we are confined to. Lack of fresh air and exercise
has resulted in irregular periods. There is no way to release the stress due to
work.
Earlier people could meet their friends and
relieve the stress by partying and going on vacations. But now the severe
amount of stress is just getting accumulated.
Our new routine has been very bad for our
periods and we need to inculcate ways like meditation and breathing exercises
to get through these tough times. It is imperative to concentrate on our health
and build a healthier lifestyle.
Written by – Trishla Gupta
Edited by – Adrija Saha
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