Men’s vs. Women’s Cycles: How Circadian and Infradian Rhythms Shape Your Health
When it comes to biological rhythms, both men and women follow the circadian rhythm—a 24-hour internal clock that regulates sleep, energy levels, and hormonal fluctuations based on the day-night cycle. However, women have an additional rhythm: the infradian rhythm.
What is the Circadian Rhythm?
The circadian rhythm affects everyone and aligns with the Earth's 24-hour rotation. It influences daily patterns like wakefulness, alertness, digestion, and mood. For men, most biological processes, including testosterone levels, fluctuate on this daily cycle.
What is the Infradian Rhythm?
Women, in addition to the circadian rhythm, experience an infradian rhythm, which spans roughly 28 days and is linked to the menstrual cycle. This rhythm impacts not only hormonal changes but also energy, mood, cognitive abilities, and metabolism over the different phases of the cycle—follicular, ovulatory, luteal, and menstrual phases.
Key Differences between men and women’s cyclical nature
- Men: Primarily follow the 24-hour circadian cycle, with daily fluctuations in energy and hormone levels.
- Women: Experience daily circadian rhythms and a monthly infradian rhythm, which requires a broader approach to optimizing health and wellness.
Understanding these differences is crucial for tailoring daily habits, self-care, nutrition, and exercise according to one's biological rhythm, helping both men and women achieve balance, ease and well-being.
Menstrual Cycle Awareness and Cyclical Living: Supporting Women's Biology
To truly harness the power of the infradian rhythm, women can practice menstrual cycle awareness and cyclical living. This approach involves understanding the four phases of the menstrual cycle—menstrual, follicular, ovulatory, and luteal—and adjusting lifestyle choices to support the natural hormonal shifts and energy levels during each phase.
Phases of the Menstrual Cycle
1. Menstrual Phase (Apx. Cycle Days 1-5): Hormone levels are at their lowest, and energy may dip. This is a time for rest, reflection, and lower-impact activities like gentle yoga or meditation.
2. Follicular Phase (Apx. Cycle Days 6-13): Energy begins to rise as estrogen increases. It's a great time for creative projects, new challenges, and higher-intensity workouts.
3. Ovulatory Phase (Apx. Cycle Days 14-18): Estrogen peaks, and many women feel their most energetic, social, sexy and communicative. It’s the perfect phase for collaboration, socializing, difficult conversations, and high-performance activities.
4. Luteal Phase (Apx. Cycle Days 19-28): Progesterone rises, promoting more inward focus. It’s ideal to slow down, focus on completing tasks, and engage in calming, restorative activities.
Note: the above is a generalized template of a “typical” cycle. Each woman's body and infradian rhythm is different, and each woman’s cycle is also affected by external factors such as stress, travel, relationships, life transitions, and more, which can create fluctuations in the length of each cycle phase from woman to woman and from month to month. The most important thing you can do for your health is to get to know YOUR cycle phases and the way your unique body changes throughout the month. This information supports you in making lifestyle adjustments in accordance with your infradian rhythm, also known as cyclical living.
Benefits of Cyclical Living
By aligning with these natural rhythms, women can optimize their physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health and wellbeing. Cyclical living encourages women to embrace the fluctuations in their body and energy levels rather than forcing themselves into a one-size-fits-all routine. This means tailoring workouts, nutrition, socializing and even work schedules to different phases of the cycle. While men may benefit from a routinized daily schedule, women are at their most healthy and happy when their routine ebbs and flows in accordance with their cyclical nature.
In our patriarchal culture, which was developed with men’s body’s in minds, many women struggle with burnout, exhaustion, anxiety and overwhelm. The capitalist system supports sameness and productivity and encourages all of us to grind away producing the same “results” day in and day out. This system ignores the cyclical needs of the female body, and as a result, women suffer.
Practicing menstrual cycle awareness and cyclical living not only supports women's biology but can also reduce burnout, improve mood, and boost productivity—all while honoring the natural rhythm of the body.
Resources to Support your Infradian Rhythm
Are you a woman struggling to live in balance with your natural infradian rhythm?
Are you feeling stressed out and exhausted from living in a culture that encourages you to push against the needs of your cyclical body?
Would you like to learn more about your menstrual cycle and discover practices and tools to support you in living cyclically?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, check out Radiant Woman, a transformative women’s group mentorship program focusing on cyclical living and embodiment. Radiant Woman is a gentle, yet life-changing, 6-week women’s group mentorship container to support you on your path towards greater cyclical awareness, vibrancy, ease and self-love, in a supportive community of soul sisters championing your growth. For more information or to join our community, click here.
About Ebb & Flow: Ebb & Flow is the holistic women’s coaching practice of Emma Brinkman. Through menstrual education, women’s mentoring and somatic practice, Ebb & Flow works to connect women to the power and wisdom within their bodies, in order to live more easeful, sensual, vibrant and empowered lives. Follow along to stay up-to-date on blog posts and articles, and check out of Emma’s offerings.
