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women no harm comes to them brain function while on their DurationNew research has suggested.
Experts at University College London said that while many women are feeling worse menstruationTheir study found “no evidence” to suggest that these mood symptoms affected participants. Feeling,
The paper was published Friday in the journal Sports Medicine – Open, That said, the study identified times in the menstrual cycle when women’s cognitive function was better or worse, none of which were during the menstrual phase when a woman was on her period.
Researchers tracked the menstrual cycles of 54 women aged 18 to 40 across four major phases. Participants were asked to complete a 10-part questionnaire to assess their mood and take two cognitive tests on the first day of menstruation, two days after the end of menstruation (late follicular phase), the first day after ovulation was detected, and between ovulation and menstruation (mid-luteal phase).
The analysis showed that although women reported symptoms such as headaches, pain, brain fog and nervousness during their menstrual phase, these symptoms did not affect their reaction times and attention levels.
Instead, their findings showed that participants’ reaction times were slower during the mid-luteal phase, and more errors were made during the late follicular phase – despite this not being the time when women typically believe performance will be affected.
Brain function was found to peak during ovulation – when an egg is released – with participants displaying reaction times 30 milliseconds faster compared to the mid-luteal phase.
talking to IndependentLead author Dr. Flaminia Ronca said she hoped the study would generate a “positive” discussion about women’s cognitive performance during menstruation.
“Women say they think their periods may be compromised because some women experience symptoms such as brain fog and headaches,” she explained. “If we think about the broader question of whether cognitive function alters the menstrual cycle, the answer is yes, but not in the way that women understand, which is quite positive.
“We need to start separating how we feel from our performance. You may be in pain and your mood may be bad. That doesn’t determine your performance. You can still perform at your best.”
Dr. Ronka emphasized that academics were tracking brain function, but that this did not equate to intelligence. “We’re not measuring IQ here. They’re not becoming dumber or smarter,” he said.
He said that while the millisecond difference in reaction times measured by scientists is likely to be “irrelevant” in everyday life, the findings were particularly relevant to women’s sports, where a slightly faster reaction time of about 20 milliseconds could make the difference between sustaining or avoiding an injury such as a concussion.
Previous research on elite athletes has shown that injuries are more common at certain points during the menstrual cycle, and Dr. Ronca said these changes in cognition may partially explain it.
“Where it matters is in contact sports where things are moving very quickly and injuries typically occur in a span of nine to 18 milliseconds,” he explained.
The researchers divided the participants into groups based on how active they were. The scientists found that compared to active participants, inactive participants’ reaction times were on average about 70 milliseconds slower and they made about three times more impulsive errors, regardless of cycle phase.
“70 milliseconds is enough time for the brain to register a stimulus and initiate a voluntary response, and so it is much more meaningful for everyday life,” Dr Ronka said.
“This shows the importance of incorporating some form of recreational physical activity into our lives. It doesn’t have to be so intense or competitive to bring about change – and importantly, it’s something we can control.”