Travel's Impact On Your Period

Travelling abroad can definitely affect your period. Jet lag, changes in diet, and stress can all cause hormonal changes that impact your menstrual cycle. Even small changes to your sleep cycle can have an effect, and when you travel across time zones, your exposure to light at different times of day can disrupt your body's circadian rhythm. This, in turn, can cause a delay in the oestrogen spike that leads to ovulation, resulting in a later period.

Jet lag and sleep disruption

The circadian rhythm plays a crucial role in regulating the hormonal balance that governs the menstrual cycle, including progesterone, testosterone, and estrogen. So, when your sleep cycle is thrown off due to jet lag, it can have a direct effect on your period. The stress caused by jet lag can also contribute to menstrual irregularities.

The specific effects of jet lag on your period can vary. You might experience an early or late period, skip it altogether, have a longer or shorter duration, or notice changes in flow. These variations are all normal responses to the disruption of your body's internal clock.

To mitigate the impact of jet lag on your period, it's essential to focus on maintaining a healthy sleep schedule and reducing stress. Here are some strategies to consider:

• Adjust your sleep schedule gradually before your trip: In the days leading up to your travel, slowly adjust your bedtime and wake-up time to match the schedule at your destination. This proactive approach can reduce the severity of jet lag symptoms.
• Get quality sleep before your trip: Ensure you're well-rested before embarking on your journey. Prioritize sleep in the days leading up to your trip to minimize the cumulative effects of jet lag and travel fatigue.
• Manage light exposure: Light is a powerful cue for regulating your circadian rhythm. Upon arrival, try to get outside during daylight hours to promote alertness and help your body adjust to the new time zone. If natural light is limited, bright indoor lights or light therapy lamps can also be beneficial.
• Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of water to counter the dehydrating effects of air travel. Dehydration can exacerbate jet lag symptoms, including fatigue and sleep disturbances.
• Avoid caffeine and alcohol: These substances can disrupt your sleep and make it harder for your body to adjust to the new time zone. Opt for water or herbal tea instead.
• Maintain a healthy diet: Eat nutritious meals and snacks, focusing on fruits and vegetables. Heavy or fatty foods can contribute to digestive issues, which are already common symptoms of jet lag.
• Engage in light physical activity: Gentle exercises or stretching during and after your flight can improve blood flow and reduce the risk of blood clots and stiffness associated with prolonged sitting. Moving your body can also aid in resetting your circadian rhythm.

By implementing these strategies, you can help minimize the impact of jet lag on your body and reduce the likelihood of menstrual irregularities during your travels.

Stress

Scientists explain this phenomenon as the body's strategy to avoid pregnancy in an uncertain environment. Essentially, stress signals that your body is under distress and not in a safe environment. As a result, a mechanism to prevent pregnancy is activated, delaying your period.

Travel can be a stressful experience, even if you are having a great time. If you are drinking too much, sleeping too little, or dealing with jet lag, your body may be experiencing stress. This stress can suppress the pituitary gland's functions, affecting the production of estrogen and disrupting ovulation.

Additionally, the stress of travel can affect your sleep patterns, which are necessary for your body to function properly. Traveling through different time zones or changing environments can disrupt your circadian rhythms, your body's internal clock. This can impact your sleep quality and confuse your body, as it tries to adjust to a new schedule, impacting your period.

Furthermore, the stress of travel can lead to changes in diet and exercise routines. When traveling, you may have less control over your eating and exercise habits, indulging in local foods, alcohol, and staying up late. These changes can add additional stress to your body and alter your menstrual cycle.

To manage stress while traveling and potentially reduce its impact on your period, try to maintain regular sleeping and eating habits, exercise, and stay hydrated. Remember that any changes in your physical or emotional state can affect your hormones and lead to irregularities in your menstrual cycle.

Hormonal changes

Travelling abroad can affect your period due to the hormonal changes it causes in the body. The menstrual cycle is influenced by travel because of its hormonal relationship with your circadian rhythm or body's inner clock. The circadian rhythm influences hormone release and other important bodily functions, so when it's disrupted, this can impact your levels of oestrogen and progesterone, which play a key part in ovulation and your menstrual cycle.

When you travel across time zones, your body suddenly becomes exposed to light at different times of the day, which throws off your circadian rhythm. Research has shown that even a small amount of dim, artificial light triggers hormonal changes in the body. These hormonal changes are responsible for changes in your menstrual cycle, such as getting your period early or late, skipping it altogether, having a longer or shorter period, or a heavier or lighter period.

In addition to the changes in light exposure, travelling across time zones can also disrupt your sleep schedule, leading to jet lag. Jet lag can cause trouble falling and staying asleep, daytime sleepiness, loss of concentration, fatigue, disorientation, decreased alertness, and digestive issues. These symptoms can further contribute to hormonal imbalances and affect your period.

The impact of travel on your hormones and menstrual cycle can vary depending on the distance travelled and the direction of travel. The further you travel, the more likely you are to experience hormonal changes and menstrual irregularities. Additionally, eastward travel is typically associated with more intense jet lag than westward travel.

While international travel can have a more pronounced effect, any changes in your sleep cycle, such as working night shifts or experiencing sleep disturbances, can also impact your hormones and menstrual cycle.

Diet and exercise changes

Travel can cause diet and exercise changes that can affect your period. Maintaining a healthy diet and regular exercise routine can help keep your period regular. However, it's important to note that extreme dieting or exercise routines can also impact your menstrual cycle.

Diet Changes

Diet can have a significant effect on your menstrual cycle. Restrictive diets or not eating enough calories can prevent your body from getting the nutrients it needs to support your hormonal needs. When this happens, the body can go into starvation mode, prioritising vital functions such as your brain and heart over reproduction. This can result in missed or irregular periods.

Yo-yo dieting, or erratic eating patterns, can also send mixed signals to your hormonal system, often causing irregular periods and symptoms of PMS. On the other hand, a healthy diet can be beneficial for regulating your hormones and reducing PMS symptoms. A diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, vitamin D, and fibre, while low in animal fats, salt, and caffeine, may reduce the risk of troublesome PMS symptoms.

Exercise Changes

Regular exercise is beneficial for reducing menstrual pain, cramps, and mood disturbances. It can release 'happy' hormones such as serotonin and endorphins. However, starting an extreme new exercise regimen, such as training for a marathon or intense interval training, can cause you to menstruate less frequently or not at all.

Extreme exercise can send a signal to the brain and ovaries to temporarily pause ovulation due to the intensity of the workout, weight loss, or hormone changes. While this is not dangerous, it can lead to low estrogen levels and potential bone mass loss over time. If you've been following an extreme exercise routine and haven't had your period for more than a year, it's important to consult a doctor to avoid any long-term side effects.

Lifestyle changes

Sleep

Poor sleep can affect your melatonin levels, which play a part in regulating your menstrual cycle. It's important to get enough sleep and maintain a healthy sleep schedule. If you're travelling, try to adjust to the new time zone as quickly as possible to minimise disruption to your cycle.

Diet

A changing diet can have an effect on your period. Eating too much or too little can change the rest of your body's functions, including your menstrual cycle. Make sure you're eating a healthy, balanced diet and getting all the nutrients you need.

Exercise

Exercising too much or too little can impact your period. Your body needs a certain amount of body fat to ovulate, so if you're not getting enough exercise, you may experience irregularities. On the other hand, if you've recently started an extreme exercise regimen, that can also cause your period to become irregular or stop altogether. Try to maintain a moderate level of physical activity.

Stress

Stress is the number one contributor to changes in menstrual cycles. When you're stressed, your body shuts down the hormones you need to ovulate. Try to manage your stress levels through relaxation techniques, exercise, or other self-care practices.

Frequently asked questions