Premenstrual Nesting – Is It A Thing?

Cleaning is one of those things that never feels like it’s done. It doesn’t matter how often you do it, it always feels like it never ends. There is always dirty dishes or dirty laundry or clean laundry to be folded. It really never ends, especially with kids. The struggle to keep anything clean is real.

Cleaning is my least favorite thing to do. It never ends. I could clean the entire house from top to bottom and by the time I turn around again, there’s dirty dishes or laundry piling up again. The battle for a clean house never ends. Cleaning can feel like it’s a breeze at times or feel like it takes hours to accomplish. Those days it feels like a breeze are really something special. The days it feels like hours, not so much. Cleaning is just a part of life we all have to deal with though. Nothing like finishing all the cleaning to turn around and see your kid chose crackers as their snack. HA!

Every so often though I get the urge to clean. I’m not talking do the dishes or fold the laundry clean. I’m talking full on rearrange the house and reorganize everything. I like to call in Premenstrual Nesting because that’s what it feels like, nesting. I honestly don’t know if it actually has a technical name. I know when this urge hits that my period is right around the corner. So I got to thinking, am I the only one that does this? I started doing a little research and you guys it’s a real thing! Maybe not Premenstrual nesting, but it’s a thing. Here’s what I found out.

Estrogen and progesterone levels affect your brain. When estrogen levels drop before your period it causes serotonin levels to drop. The drop in serotonin makes us more prone to depression, feeling extra sad, and even obsessive compulsive behaviors.The progesterone level drop before your period causes the impulse to clean with an instinct to nest, similar to that of a pregnant women, but not as intense. The changes in your estrogen and progesterone levels are more noticeable when you’re not taking hormonal birth control. If you are you may not notice this need to nest or feel it to a point of needing to do it.

Crazy right! Our periods actually cause us to go into a small nesting stage. What that nesting is for, I have no idea. Glad to know it’s a thing that many women deal with and not me. I thought I was crazy for thinking my need to clean before my period starts had anything to do with my period. Do you Premenstrual nest? Have you ever even noticed it’s a thing? Our bodies are so crazy and so amazing.