How to help manage your PMS
You have just passed ovulation. Now what? Set yourself up for success by planning for this upcoming high hormone phase. What do you most like to do during this time? What do you excel at when your hormones are high? What foods and activities fuel you best when estrogen and progesterone are at their peak? And what activities should you avoid? Put it in your calendar and give yourself the foundation needed to thrive in this more turbulent phase of your cycle.
Appointments to book
Massage therapy, spa hydrotherapy, or any other physical therapy that will relax you and reduce cortisol. If cortisol requirements (aka stress levels) are high, the adrenal glands will poach progesterone and convert it into cortisol in order to continue to perform/stress out. To avoid the estrogen dominance that this creates, support the stress response by prioritizing calming activities in your premenstrual phase.
Reset your alarm clock
Sleep changes a lot in the premenstrual phase. If we can bank more sleep, stress tolerance will improve, but often high hormone levels cause insomnia for many women. Start by at least changing your morning wake up time. Even an additional sleep in of 15-minutes can help reduce irritability later in the day.
Veggies to buy
Go buy 4 different cruciferous veggies. These will help metabolize the elevated hormones and get them out of your system efficiently.
Broccoli, cauliflower, kale, swiss chard, brussels sprouts, boy choy, etc
Protein to buy
Stock up on tofu, edamame, organic soy milk, plant-based protein powder, and any healthy animal proteins that you usually would consume (fish, poultry, grass-fed beef). And don’t forget to have lots of seeds, nuts and nut butters on hand as well. You have very high protein requirements in this phase and need to rely on a variety of sources to meet your targets.
Dr. Sarah Goulding | Naturopathic Doctor
Need help eliminating your PMS symptoms? It’s probably easier than you think.
