Believe it or not, men
also have "that time of the month". At least a quarter of men in the
UK reported experiencing what is called a "man period", based on
responses on an online survey at vouchercloud.com.
The survey responses assessed lifestyle habits and
behaviors of more than 2,400 people, with 50 percent of respondents being male
and the other, women.
Among men respondents, 26 percent said that they believe
they were experiencing a regularly monthly period. Among these men, 56 percent
said they felt irritable, 51 percent reported feeling more tired than usual and
47 percent said that they experienced increased cravings for sweets like ice
cream and chocolates.
Other symptoms felt were those commonly associated with
menstruation like bloating (15 percent) and having cramps (5 percent).
"PMS (Pre-menstrual syndrome) may well be a
biological effect for women only, but clearly a lot of men have their own
monthly ups and downs to handle too," said Chris Johnson, head of
operations at Vouchercloud.
Some experts believe that hormones can be blamed for
these periods in men, pretty much the same with women except for obviously not
having the organs that facilitate menstruation.
"It is assumed that women are hormonal and men are
moved more by logic," Jed Diamond, founder of men's health website
MenAlive, wrote in his book, The Irritable Male. "But men have a number of
hormonal cycles and these affect their level of energy, anger, sex drive and
irritability."
Calling it the Irritable Men Syndrome, it was first
observed in Scotland by the country's medical research council last 2001, while
observing the mating cycle of the Soay sheep. Based on observations, the ram's
testosterone levels would decrease after mating season, making them more
irritable.
However, the validity of the condition is still under
question alongside andropause, or the decrease in testosterone levels in men
and the counterpart to women's menopause.
Interestingly enough, more women actually believe that
men experience their own "periods", as 48 percent of the female
respondents in the survey said they believed that the men they knew do
experience these periods on a regular basis.
The online survey cannot substitute the full-featured
scientific research, but there is already the particular data available, supporting
the notion:
* Testosterone
Levels Fluctuate Every Hour
In case you forgot some lessons from sex education
classes, testosterone is the main sex hormone in men; they're also responsible
for sexual characteristics like muscles and bone mass. Apparently, testosterone
levels can wildly fluctuate every hour, which means men can be irrationally
hormonal (like women on their periods) at any given hour - literally.
* Testosterone Levels
Are Higher in the Morning
Men who feel more irritable and tired in the evening can
attribute their mood swings to decreasing testosterone levels. According to
research, men experience a "daily testosterone cycle." Thankfully,
the testosterone levels in the evening aren't low enough that they won't be
energetic or aroused enough to have sex.
* Men Have Monthly
Hormonal Cycles Too
Similar to women, men have hormonal cycles, which can
also be tracked. Unless guys would like to keep track of every changing mood
they have, they won't actually notice the changing hormone levels on a monthly
basis. Not only that, but these monthly hormonal cycles are also individual to
every guy.
* Testosterone
Levels Also Have Seasonal Peaks and Lows
Weird as it may sound, but testosterone levels also
change depending on the season. Researchers discovered that testosterone levels
are at their lowest around November, when winter is coming. On the other hand,
testosterone levels are at their highest as spring nears, specifically in
April.
* Testosterone
Levels Decline with Andropause
Men's version of menopause - andropause - are often
experienced by men between the ages of 40 and 55. During this time,
testosterone levels also decrease, just like women's hormones when they're
going through menopause!
* Environmental
Stimulants Can Change Testosterone Levels
They might seem like "mundane environmental
stimuli," but they can actually affect men's testosterone levels. Studies
have shown that watching action movies, smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol,
and playing video games can all trigger an increase in testosterone levels.
The men periods reality theory, however, is not a totally
new theory for the scientific community. In 1972, Estelle Ramey wrote about the
data from a 16-year study done in Denmark tracking the daily testosterone
fluctuations. The study did show cyclical patterns within each 30-day period.
In the absence of any data on how this affected the men, Ramey combined this
information with another study tracking the changes in men’s moods and energy
levels over the course of a month—without any hormonal data.
Put the two together and you have something the Internet
loves: a loose, unsubstantiated correlation promoted as fact.
The reality is, we do not really know why men’s hormones
fluctuate. Traditional Chinese Medicine partially attributes the fluctuations
in male energies to too much sexual activity (or more specifically—too much
ejaculation) and depletion of jing through unhealthy habits. Ayurveda also
looks at the male moon cycle as being affected by sexual activity, and equates
seminal fluid as having the same energetic effect as women’s uterine blood; the
belief is that ejaculation leaves men with the need to rest rebuild those
energies. Western medicine? We still don’t know. The data doesn’t support the
idea that too much sex messes with your testosterone levels on a long-range
basis. We do know that when the highs and lows are too far out of the normal
range, it has an adverse effect on men’s physical and emotional health.
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