Sip green tea to boost focus on foggy cycle or peri days

Home > natural remedies  > Sip green tea to boost focus on foggy cycle or peri days
My Hormonology

03 May Sip green tea to boost focus on foggy cycle or peri days

Posted at 13:16h in natural remedies, perimenopause, pms, Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4 by
0 Likes

BY GABRIELLE LICHTERMAN

 

  • Numerous studies show that drinking green tea can improve concentration and mental alertness thanks to its l-theanine, caffeine and catechins. Use this tip to gain more focus on foggy days in your menstrual cycle or as you go through perimenopause.

 

May 3, 2022—Have you noticed that your ability to concentrate varies as you go through your menstrual cycle? For example, maybe you tend to lose focus during your Week 1 (your period week) due to menstrual cramps distracting you. Or it could be that spiking estrogen in your Week 2 (the week leading up to and including ovulation) is filling your brain with so much energy that it’s difficult to keep your mind on one task at a time. Perhaps, fatigue from spiking progesterone in your Week 3 (the 8 days following ovulation) has you feeling hazy. Or, maybe you find concentrating more difficult during your premenstrual Week 4 due to plunging estrogen.

Or, are you perimenopausal and have realized that it’s more difficult to stay focused on a task, in general? For instance, maybe you’re losing your train of thought more frequently or you’re not absorbing new information as easily. These are common challenges when your estrogen levels starts to become erratic and the overall level of this hormone drops, which reduces the production of certain neurotransmitters (such as acetylcholine and serotonin) that help you maintain focus.

Whether you’re regularly menstruating or perimenopausal, there is good news to report: During your menstrual cycle, hormone-fueled fogginess is typically a temporary phase and you’ll have sharper focus during other cycle weeks. And if you’re perimenopausal, your concentration issues usually aren’t permanent. Most women become mentally sharper again once they get past the perimenopause phase and their hormones level out.

Want even better news? Whether you’re still menstruating regularly or deep into perimenopause, you can sharpen concentration right now by simply drinking green tea.

Numerous studies show that sipping a cup of this healthy brew improves attention for hours.1

Credit goes to its small amount of caffeine (about 25 mg. per cup, equivalent to about a quarter of what you’d get in a cup of brewed coffee2), which increases alertness. But, at the same time you also feel calmer thanks to the amino acid l-theanine in this tea, helping your brain focus. On top of all that, each cup delivers a hefty dose of compounds called catechins (such as EGCG) that sharpen memory and boost your ability to pay attention.

Sounds like a great reason to brew a cup of green tea today!

Never miss a Hormonology tip!
Subscribe to the free Hormonology newsletter:
I’d love to learn more–sign me up!

SOURCE:
(1) Yoshitake Baba, et al., “Effects of l-Theanine on Cognitive Function in Middle-Aged and Older Subjects: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Study”, Journal of Medicinal Food, 24 (2021): 333-341
David A Camfield, et al., “Acute effects of tea constituents L-theanine, caffeine, and epigallocatechin gallate on cognitive function and mood: a systematic review and meta-analysis”, Nutrition Reviews, 72 (2014): 507-522
Timo Giesbrecht, et al., “The combination of L-theanine and caffeine improves cognitive performance and increases subjective alertness”, Nutritional Neuroscience, 13 (2010): 283-290
(2) MayoClinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/caffeine/art-20049372

Follow me
Latest posts by Gabrielle Lichterman (see all)