Energy Patterns Through Your Cycle: Why You Feel So Different Week to Week

April 30, 2025

If you’ve ever wondered why you feel like a goddess one week and a foggy snail the next, you’re not broken: you’re cycling. Energy isn't linear in a menstruating body. It's cyclical, deeply hormonal, and beautifully rhythmic (even if it sometimes feels chaotic).

Understanding your energy patterns through your menstrual cycle can help you plan better, rest more intentionally, and stop pushing yourself to perform the same way every single day. This isn’t about limiting yourself. It’s about syncing up with your biology and learning to work with your body, not against it.

Let’s break it down phase by phase.

Phase 1: Menstruation (Days 1–5)

Hormones: Oestrogen and progesterone are at their lowest. Prostaglandins trigger the shedding of the uterine lining. Inflammation may rise slightly.

Energy Profile: Low and inward. This is your body’s winter. You may feel slower, foggier, or crave more rest. It’s a natural dip in physical and mental energy.

Best for: Rest, reflection, journalling, creative ideation, gentle stretching, prioritising sleep.

Support it with: Iron-rich foods, grounding teas (like raspberry leaf or ginger), quiet evenings, and saying "no" without guilt.

Phase 2: Follicular Phase (Days 6–14)

Hormones: Oestrogen is rising, prepping the body for ovulation. FSH is stimulating follicle growth in the ovaries. Testosterone also rises slightly toward the end.

Energy Profile: Climbing. You’re moving into your body’s spring. Energy is increasing, moods tend to stabilise, and you may feel clearer and more motivated.

Best for: Brainstorming, initiating projects, exercise that builds strength, social plans, mental clarity.

Support it with: Protein, green leafy vegetables, movement that builds momentum (like brisk walks or dance), and creative expression.

Phase 3: Ovulation (Around Day 14)

Hormones: Oestrogen peaks, triggering a surge in luteinising hormone (LH), which causes the release of an egg. Testosterone also peaks briefly.

Energy Profile: Magnetic and outward. This is your body’s summer. You may feel energised, sexy, confident, and more socially or physically expressive.

Best for: Presenting, dating, collaborating, heavier workouts, batch-working, creative work and ideation.

Support it with: Cooling foods, hydration, short bursts of high-impact movement, and a healthy dose of play or flirtation.

Phase 4: Luteal Phase (Days 15–28)

Hormones: Progesterone rises after ovulation to prepare for a potential pregnancy. If no conception occurs, both progesterone and oestrogen begin to drop toward the end of this phase.

Energy Profile: Grounded, then slower. This is your autumn. Early luteal might feel steady and productive, but late luteal (especially the last 3–5 days) can bring fatigue, irritability, and low motivation.

Best for: Task completion, back-end work, nesting energy, checking in with emotions, slower strength training or yoga.

Support it with: Magnesium, vitamin B6, warm grounding meals, nervous system support (like chamomile or lemon balm tea), and early nights.

What If Your Energy Feels Off All Month?

If you feel consistently drained, anxious, or unmotivated no matter where you are in your cycle, it could point to:

Adrenal fatigue or high cortisol
Thyroid imbalances
Low progesterone
Poor sleep or blood sugar dysregulation
Nutrient depletion (iron, vitamin B12, magnesium)

This is where it helps to track your cycle alongside symptoms. You can use a simple journal, a cycle app, or a custom paper template that records mood, sleep, energy, and focus each day. Over time, you’ll start to spot patterns that tell a bigger story.

Final Thoughts

Your energy is not a flat line. It's a continuous wave, and learning to ride it rather than resist it can be life-changing.

The more you work with your cyclical energy instead of trying to override it, the more you reclaim your natural rhythm and rebuild trust with your body. Whether you're planning your work, workouts, or downtime, syncing with your cycle can help you optimise your output and honour your needs.

Start slow. Track what you feel. And remember: it’s not about being productive every day: it’s about being cyclical on purpose.