Monthly Biorhythms and Menstrual Cycles

Some days I’m on fire. I feel inspired and energetic. And my creative juices are flowing, bountifully and beautifully. While other days I feel tired and unmotivated. And still other days, I get agitated and irritated — easily.

Are these random mood swings and energy fluctuations? Or is there a hidden pattern underlying how I experience life, day in and day out?

If I can figure this out, perhaps I’ll be able to use my energy more effectively. I can write on my creative days. And do mundane tasks on those low energy, uninspired days.

Sounds like a great idea!

I’m motivated to find answers, partly because I have an increasing need to stay on top of my game — to be a full-time mom, while staying on track with my work at Cycle Harmony.

So I’ve set out to get a better understanding of what drives the changes in the physical, mental and emotional aspects of my being…

Circadian Rhythm

I know that the circadian rhythm is what regulates our energy changes during a daily (24-hour) cycle.

If the circadian rhythm works naturally, we tend to have a higher energy level in the morning due to a rise in cortisol level.

We may experience an energy dip after lunch (1-3pm), and a pickup in the late afternoon/early evening. And then we’re likely to feel tired and sleepy at night before going to bed.

Since I’ve been monitoring my energy and mood on a daily basis with the Mood Runner app, I’m familiar with my own body clock. And I make a conscious effort to live in harmony with my daily biological rhythms.

Biorhythm and Menstrual Cycle

I’ve also been tracking my menstrual cycles for years. So I know intimately how the hormonal changes at the various phases of a menstrual cycle affect my mood and energy level.

But is there another biological rhythm also at play?

In my research, I discovered an interesting theory called “biorhythms.” Based on this theory, using your birth date and a simple mathematical model, a predictive chart is generated, illustrating your monthly physical, mental and emotional cycles.

Even though I’m not yet convinced of the scientific reasoning behind this method, I find it quite fascinating.

As I’m writing this post today, my chart indicates that I’m at the peak of my physical cycle and near the peak of my intellectual cycle. My emotional cycle, however, is on a declining slope.

This seems to make sense based on how I feel.

I also checked my Period Tracker. It tells me that I’m at day 19 of my cycle — a couple of days after ovulation. Hmm, interesting! My menstrual cycle seems to correlate with my emotional biorhythm.

I wonder if this is a coincidence, or it’s part of a bigger pattern.

Curious to find out…

If you’re also interested in learning more about your monthly energy and mood cycles, please join me!

Get a chart of your biorhythm, and monitor your mood and energy for a couple of months. See what you discover, and share your experience with us!

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