The week before your period, your melatonin (sleep hormone) levels are lower than average. That means your deep sleep is often not as good. This can impact different women in different ways. Some women are actually very sensitive to changes in melatonin levels. Melatonin is controlled partially by light exposure. We should have light exposure in the morning, but not at night. I am going to cover a few topics related to light exposure and women’s health.
Women who are very sensitive to changes in light exposure and melatonin are at much higher risk of having severe mood changes before their period. Sleeping in a really dark room and using bright light exposure in the morning can help to alleviate those mood changes. Using melatonin can also help. In fact, the changes are not just mood related. It turns out having more normal melatonin patterns impacts hormones like FSH, LH, and even the size of the follicle (the part of the ovary the holds the egg). Bright light exposure in the morning and dark at night can even help with binge eating before your period. For bright light exposure, I like the Phillips brand broad spectrum light box. It can be found on Amazon. You use it like an alarm clock, and it can also help with seasonal depression.
