Why am I so hungry while and around my period?

It comes every month in a cycle. And there are signs that can tell you that it is coming.

• A new pimple in your face,
• plus all the symptoms of Pre Menstrual Syndrome (PMS),
• including being moody,
• feeling irritated and low,
• pains in your back and legs,
• constipation, diarrhea, nausea,
• occasional headache,

uff… there is a lot of suffering.

But they are actually symptoms that tell you that your period is on its way.

The symptoms of PMS include one more thing, excessive appetite during the premenstrual period.

This is all normal for most of the women around.

You feel excessively hungry and eat often or eat more during the week just before your period and on your period. Especially for most women, the desire of chocolates and ice cream grows.

Though there are very few journals of research on the physiological and psychological health problems of women during the menstrual and premenstrual period, there are a lot of theories that can explain why you feel so hungry while and around your period and is to okay to eat a lot.

Definitely you are eating a lot that is agreed widely. And if you watch close, you crave for sugar and chocolates rather than salt and spicy food.

It is all happening inside your body. You are going to have your period and body is preparing itself for it.

It prepares itself to balance during the period by adjusting the hormones secretion inside your body.

You might have known. Hormone change it is.

Out of many whose levels goes up and down temporally, primarily there are two hormones, oestrogen and progesterone which rise and then fall abruptly just before your period and this is the main cause of excessive hunger.

But why do you beg for chocolate and sugar? There are theories too to explain this.

During your premenstrual phase, your blood sugar levels undergo a mild change and you become a bit over-responsive to the insulin, yet another hormone. 

So, naturally you pine for sugar, chocolates and carbohydrates.

And during period, you feel naturally irritated and stressed.

It is due to the increased secretion of Cortisol, a hormone, responsible for stress and thus most commonly known as stress hormone.

It’s a bad mood hormone and while it increases more insulin is used. And hence there is a low blood sugar level.

So, bad mood and low sugar level, what you would do to help yourself, grab a chocolate drink even if the whole world is against you.

Eating sugar and carbohydrates will truly improve your mood because with more food, the level of Serotonin hormone.

Serotonin hormone is a good mood hormone that will aid in relieving your stress out.

But with increase of Cortisol during your period, the level of Serotonin goes down.

So with more food and sweets, cortisol goes down and serotonin levels up, making you feel okay.

Not just that. Not just inside your body. They say there some cultural reasons as well. We have been told that chocolates burst the stress and soothe your mind.

And why not, we have experienced it, right? That single bite of chocolate that melts in your mouth and slips inside. That really helps, doesn’t it?

Chocolate has magnesium that will compensate for the magnesium deficiency in your body.

And as women, it is expected in the social living for a woman to be fit in a good shape and that is primarily why you might have been avoiding your favorite food all these time because they are high in calories.

So, during your period, eating chocolate and more food is a kind of reward that you give yourself. Come on, that’s not bad.

After all these days of dieting and possibly avoiding everything you like to eat, premenstrual phase and period time are the times in a month where you allow yourself to be fuelled by all you want, without the worry of getting some extra fat in your mid section.

These are all the whys you feel so hungry while and around your period? But is it okay to eat a lot on those days? Especially carbohydrates, sugar and chocolates?

Try healthy alternatives

You feel naturally hungrier and eat often. Don’t stress yourself for not helping to eat less. Instead eat more.

But try healthy alternatives.

Do not always opt for French fries and spicy chicken and creamy ice creams. Feed upon iron rich foods like red meat, dates.

Try almonds and walnuts. Choose dark chocolates for chocolates.

Do a little exercise

As you eat more, naturally you are filled with calories and you need to burn them out.

Do a little exercise to burn that out. But do not push yourself. Do not do hard work outs.

Instead prefer easy and simple yoga poses. Try doing meditation and breathing exercises.

This will physically and mentally help you in many ways.

Be kind to yourself

The premenstrual phases are definitely not the good times.

You feel low, moody and bad and both your mental and physical health is not in the brink.

You might not handle your emotions very well during these times. Do not punish yourself for not being able to handle yourself.

It happens and you are not the only one feeling so. Most women have this problem.

Be kind to yourself in your bad times. By doing so, you might see yourself more stable during your periods.

Hope we let you know why you are so hungry while and around your period.

Also hope that we let you know what you can do about it.

As said before, there are only a limited number of researches going on the women’s health problem during premenstrual period.

But we can know more by sharing. How do you feel about it during your period and what do you do about it?

Sharing is caring. Share with us. We will like to hear. And always, have a happy period.