Here’s Why Your Period Cycle Is Totally Whack When You’re On Vacation

If you’re a frequent flier and you get a monthly period, you may have noticed that travel and menstruation aren’t the best of friends. Sometimes when we travel, our periods can experience major delays or they miss their flight altogether. And don’t even get us started on the overweight bags of PMS symptoms. Sooooo… why are our periods such awful travel companions?

According to sex educator Emma McGowan via Bustle, our periods are controlled by a complicated series of hormone releases. When everything in our body is business as usual, this 28-day hormonal process, for the most part, runs smoothly.

But when we travel, our sleep/wake cycle — a.k.a. our circadian rhythm — is often thrown off tempo.

McGown notes that our circadian rhythm is what helps our hormones stay balanced and on their usual production and release track. So when the rhythm is disrupted by travel (time zone changes, sleep deprivation, inability to sleep on planes, etc.), our menstrual cycle goes berserk.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot we can do about fixing our circadian rhythm while we’re traveling — unless we refrain from traveling altogether. But McGowan said there are a few things we can do to help our body maintain some sort of regularity.

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McGowan said that focusing on getting enough sleep and eating regularly while traveling can help your body get back on somewhat of a schedule. Hopefully, your period will catch on and catch up.

But if you’re feeling really out of whack, McGowan recommends researching herbal remedies and supplements like raspberry leaf tea, folic acid, and magnesium. These period aids can give your bod the extra boost it needs to get things back to normal.

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If you think your menstrual cycle needs more help than just staying home and/or being treated with natural products, definitely talk to your doctor. There could be something else going on in there that can needs to be addressed.

The next time you hop on a plane, know that your period isn’t amidst the pile of lost luggage, never to be returned. It’s most likely just confused and in need of help finding its terminal.