For women, there are always a few days in a month when they feel uncomfortable. Some women experience sleepiness during their menstrual period. Menstrual sleepiness is often caused by spleen deficiency and dampness, insufficient qi and blood, or kidney essence depletion. The specific situations are described below.
Menstrual sleepiness caused by spleen deficiency and dampness
Most of these women are overweight, often accompanied by edema, easily short of breath, poor appetite, fullness and stuffiness in the epigastric region, increased vaginal discharge that is sticky and thick. During menstruation, they feel mentally exhausted, heavy-headed, heavy limbs, and sleepy. They have a white and greasy tongue coating and a slow and slippery pulse.
Menstrual sleepiness caused by insufficient qi and blood
It is commonly seen in weak women, manifested as lack of energy, laziness in speech, fatigue, dizziness, and palpitations. The menstrual flow is light, pale in color, and thin in texture. They feel drowsy during menstruation, especially after meals. They have a sallow complexion, a pale tongue with a white coating, and a deep, thin, and weak pulse.
Menstrual sleepiness caused by kidney essence depletion
It is commonly seen in women who have undergone frequent artificial abortions. The main clinical manifestations include fatigue and good sleep during menstruation, tinnitus and deafness, and a dull expression. They lack energy on ordinary days and have sore and weak waist and knees. Menstruation is often delayed and the amount of menstrual flow is reduced. They have a pale tongue with a white coating and a deep, thin, and weak pulse.
Menstrual sleepiness is a very obvious symptom, but most women tend to ignore it. Director Hou said that many women experience fatigue, irritability, sadness, sleepiness, and even crying or anger for no reason before their menstrual period. In severe cases, they are unwilling to pay attention to family and friends, become withdrawn and bedridden, often accompanied by breast tenderness, bloating, and constipation. Some people also experience weight gain and swelling, especially finger swelling in the morning and leg swelling in the afternoon before their period. Others may have symptoms such as poor concentration, forgetfulness, difficulty in judgment, and coordination problems, as well as headaches. These symptoms can appear as early as 10-14 days before the period, usually 4-5 days before the period, and disappear after the period starts. These symptoms do not all appear in one person, and most people experience 1-2 of them.
Director Hou pointed out that the symptoms of menstrual sleepiness can be relieved by adjusting the diet. Women who feel sleepy during menstruation should pay attention to regular exercise, such as jogging, playing sports, or practicing Tai Chi, choosing a form of exercise they enjoy and sticking to it in the long term. They should also eat less sweet and greasy foods. In hot weather, they can eat a moderate amount of watermelon, and in cold weather, they can eat a little sweet radish. They can also cook porridge with Chinese yam, adzuki beans, or coix seed and drink it. These porridges have the best effect in tonifying the spleen and treating sleepiness caused by spleen deficiency. Generally speaking, women with menstrual sleepiness can achieve satisfactory treatment results as long as they pay attention to their lifestyle and take medication under the guidance of a doctor.
