Thriving with PCOS: Lifestyle Hacks to Ease Symptoms and Boost Your Health
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder affecting women of reproductive age (1) with symptoms typically starting during your late teens or beginning of your 20’s (2). Common symptoms of PCOS include irregular periods, high levels of testosterone and problems getting pregnant.
While PCOS can be managed with medical treatment, lifestyle changes play a crucial role in alleviating symptoms and improving overall well-being. By making mindful adjustments to diet, exercise, stress management, and sleep habits, people with PCOS can significantly improve their quality of life.
In this blog post, we'll explore practical and sustainable lifestyle tips to help manage PCOS symptoms and support long-term health.
Diet
Managing the symptoms of PCOS can feel overwhelming, but one of the most effective ways to improve these symptoms is through diet.
The right nutrition can help regulate hormones, improve insulin sensitivity, reduce inflammation, and support overall reproductive health. By focusing on a balanced, whole-foods-based approach, those with PCOS can manage symptoms like weight gain, acne, and irregular periods more effectively.
Here are some recommendations to get you started:
Low GI Foods: Incorporate carbohydrates with a low glycaemic index eg beans, lentils, wholewheat pasta, brown rice, wholegrain bread, fruit and vegetables
Protein: Eat a variety of protein foods including plant based proteins such as soy, tofu, lentils, beans
Omega 3 Fats: Include healthy omega-3 fats such as mackerel, salmon, walnuts and chia seeds
Fruit and Vegetables: Eat plenty of and a variety of fruit and vegetables; think the colours of the rainbow!
Alcohol: Limit alcohol intake
Polyphenols: Consider foods with polyphenols such as berries, peppers, flax seeds, green tea and coffee
Herbs & Spices: Try different herbs and spices that may further help PCOS symptoms such as cinnamon, turmeric & ashwagandha
Sleep
Getting quality sleep can often be a challenge for people with PCOS as many women with PCOS experience disruptions in their sleep patterns. Prioritising good sleep is a powerful tool in managing PCOS symptoms, as rest plays a critical role in balancing hormones, reducing inflammation, and improving overall health.
Follow these effective sleep tips to help you better manage PCOS and wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day!
Maintain a Consistent Sleep Schedule: Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day helps regulate your body's internal clock, making it easier to fall asleep and wake up refreshed.
Create a Relaxing Bedtime Routine: Develop calming habits before bed, such as reading, taking a warm bath, or practicing relaxation techniques like deep breathing or meditation. These activities signal your body that it’s time to wind down.
Limit Screen Time Before Bed: The blue light emitted from phones, tablets, and computers can interfere with the production of melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate sleep. Try to avoid screens at least an hour before bedtime.
Watch Your Diet: Eating too close to bedtime can cause indigestion and disrupt sleep. Avoid heavy meals, caffeine, and alcohol late in the evening, as these can interfere with both sleep quality and hormone regulation.
Create a Comfortable Sleep Environment: Make sure your bedroom is conducive to sleep by keeping it cool, dark, and quiet. Consider investing in a good-quality mattress and pillows to ensure proper support.
Manage Stress and Anxiety: Stress and anxiety can significantly impact your sleep. Practice relaxation techniques such as journaling, mindfulness, or gentle yoga to reduce stress before bed.
Exercise Regularly: Regular physical activity can promote better sleep, but try to avoid vigorous exercise right before bedtime as it can be stimulating. Aim for morning or early afternoon workouts for the best results.
Avoid smoking: nicotine decreases total sleep time and causes early morning awakenings.
Exercise
Exercise is an effective tool for managing PCOS symptoms. Regular physical activity can help balance hormones, improve insulin resistance, reduce anxiety, and reduce lipids and testosterone levels.
There’s no one-size-fits-all “perfect” exercise for PCOS – the key is finding the right movement, frequency, and intensity that works for you! In fact, a review of 8 different studies revealed that when it comes to PCOS, the type, duration, and frequency of exercise don’t actually make a huge difference (3).
What truly leads to clinical benefits is sticking with sustainable, low to moderate-intensity workouts.
These suggestions below are aimed to help you get more active and move your body more:
Start Slow and Build Gradually: Begin with light exercises, like walking or yoga, and gradually increase intensity as your body adapts. This helps avoid burnout and keeps you motivated.
Find an Activity You Enjoy: Whether it's dancing, swimming, cycling, or strength training, finding something fun makes it easier to stay consistent and committed to your routine.
Mix It Up: Combining different types of exercise, such as cardio, strength training, and flexibility exercises, can help prevent boredom and engage different muscle groups.
Aim for Consistency, Not Perfection: Focus on creating a routine you can stick with, even if it's just 20-30 minutes most days. Consistency is key for managing PCOS symptoms over time.
Incorporate Strength Training: Strength training can help improve insulin sensitivity and build muscle, which boosts metabolism and supports long-term weight management.
Prioritize Low-Impact Workouts: Activities like walking, cycling, and swimming are gentle on the joints while still providing excellent cardiovascular benefits and helping to manage PCOS symptoms.
Listen to Your Body: Pay attention to how your body feels during and after exercise. If you're tired or in pain, take a break or reduce intensity. Rest is just as important as the workouts.
Set Realistic Goals and Celebrate Progress: Set small, achievable fitness goals and celebrate your progress, whether it's walking an extra mile or lifting heavier weights. Each step forward is a victory!
Stress
Stress describes a normal physical or emotional feeling individuals can get when feeling under pressure or threatened (4). It has been suggested PCOS is associated with an increased production of cortisol (the stress hormone), which causes levels in the body to be dysregulated (5). Therefore, when individuals with PCOS become stressed, their levels of cortisol in the body are even higher (6). And it is these high levels of cortisol which can increase testosterone levels, which leads to worsening symptoms of PCOS.
It is important to alleviate long term periods of stress from our lives so focusing on small changes to eliminate and combat stress each day will help. And always make sure you do what feels right for you and don’t be afraid to ask for help!
Here are some ideas to help you on your way to a stress free life:
Get Organised: The feeling of being in control, especially with your time can reduce feelings of stress. Identify your best time of the day and use this to complete your most important tasks and make a prioritised to do list with your most important thing you need to do at the top.
Try Relaxation Techniques: These can help reduce tension and combat the effects stress can have on the body. Try some mindfulness meditation, guided breathing (for example, inhale for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 7 seconds and exhale for 8 seconds), and make sure you take time for yourself to do something you enjoy everyday.
Daily Movement: This can take any form from walking to vigorous aerobic exercise, resistance/strength training and yoga which can help improve insulin levels and androgen levels, respectively (7).
Talk it through: – ‘a problem shared is a problem halved’. Chat to a friend, family member or someone you feel comfortable with.
Listen to music: This can help create a calming atmosphere and can be your reminder to take a break between playlists or songs.
Avoid refined sugar, caffeine, alcohol and nicotine products: These are stimulants which can increase your feelings of stress.
Goal setting: Setting yourself goals, big or small can help to demonstrate control and provides a sense of accomplishment and achievement when these are completed (8).
Get enough sleep. Aim to achieve 7-9 hours of sleep each night (9) which can help improve concentration, memory and attention (10).
Get further support: The Stress Management Society can be a helpful resource. They even have a 30 Day Challenge that is a great way to get you started on your journey to managing your stress levels.
Lifestyle changes, such as adopting a balanced diet, increasing physical activity, getting quality sleep and managing stress, can play a crucial role in managing PCOS symptoms. By making thoughtful lifestyle adjustments, women with PCOS can significantly improve their symptoms and overall health. A balanced diet tailored to the unique needs of those with PCOS can be an empowering step toward managing the condition effectively when combined with stress management, regular movement and optimising sleep.
For more information on diet and the best foods to eat with PCOS, download our free resource and take the first step toward feeling better today!