The Benefits of Knowing Your Cycle

The Benefits of Knowing Your Cycle

Recently I read an article in which the writer spoke of something her Anthropology professor said during a lecture. The professor held up a photograph of an antler bone with 28 lines engraved in it and proceeded to say that it was thought to be man’s first attempt at a calendar. She then went on to pose the question, “What man needs to know when 28 days have passed?”

28 days is the global average of a menstrual cycle, although cycles can be more or less than this and periods can be unpredictable. There can be a lot of benefits to knowing your own average cycle. Looking back to my younger years, this is not something I thought could benefit me much. I can now see the value of being in tune with my body and the benefits of knowing roughly what it is doing and when, especially when it comes to my mental health.

I have been tracking my cycle for about 8 years now and it really helps me to navigate life with more awareness and kindness towards myself.

These are 5 benefits I have experienced from knowing my cycle.

1. Using a free app to track my cycle means that when a health professional asks me when my last period was, I can simply look at the app and tell them instantly. If periods become heavier or more irregular than usual it can sometimes point to an underlying issue plus certain procedures will only be possible at certain times of your cycle.

2. Using some sort of protection to prevent STIs, STDs and unwanted pregnancy is very important, but being aware of your rough fertile window can really help with family planning.

3. Tracking my cycle can create more awareness surrounding mood changes. PMS doesn’t just happen at one time. Mood changes can differ from person to person and knowing your unique pattern can really help with mental health. There are times when you may feel sad, lonely, tearful, or just simply overwhelmingly emotional (good or bad). A lot of the time we can’t pinpoint the reason for these emotions, but often it can just be hormone related. At different points in your cycle your hormones change. When we know this, we can be confident in the fact that whatever we are feeling is simply a wave and we can just ride it out. Knowing that the reason is out of our control can allow us to have more patience and kindness towards ourselves. From consistently tracking, we will learn our patterns and over time we can quickly discern what is happening when emotions arise.

4. Tiredness and fatigue can impact us at different times in our cycle. This can be annoying if we want to exercise but don’t have the energy. Once we know our average pattern, we can take it easy when we know our energy is low. Iron levels can dip after menstruation so eating more iron rich foods or taking a supplement around menstruation can really help. Exercise can help alleviate cramps, but if you don’t have much energy then a walk or some gentle stretching can help. Be kind to yourself, sometimes all we want to do is curl up with a hot water bottle, some chocolate, and a movie.

5. Bloating is something we all experience and it can trigger some negative thoughts about body image, but if we can simply attribute it to where we are in our cycle then we can cultivate more kindness towards our bodies.

Sometimes simply listening to our bodies can tell us all we need to know to alleviate anxieties. Tracking your menstrual cycle and how you feel at different points can help keep a record that you can refer to time and time again when you might be having a bad day and you don’t know why. Sometimes we must experience what we are experiencing but simply knowing the possible reason and that there is an end point is more than half the battle. More importantly, knowing our own bodies as best we can is empowerment, so be empowered