PMS and Sensory Overload: A Wake-Up Call to Lighten the Load.
Have you ever felt completely overwhelmed in the days before your period?
Suddenly, everything is too much: too loud, too bright, too… too.
The things you usually handle with ease — partner forgets to unload the dishwasher, leaving it to you; dog barks because a person deigns to walk past your house; coffee spills because you looked up while walking — feel unbearable.
You might think (or be conditioned to say and believe) that you’re irrational or overreacting, but the truth is far simpler: your body is responding exactly as it’s designed to during this phase of your cycle. The world isn’t any noisier or brighter; your ability to filter and tolerate it has simply shifted.
And while, based on the world we live in, that doesn’t feel ok, our bodies are still ok for doing it. I promise. Even though the world doesn’t have space for it, even though women are derided and chastised and any emotion is chalked up to PMS with a big eye roll, here’s my take on why feeling those things can actually help you move through the uncomfortable feelings, come out the other side, and better your world and the world around you because of it.
Why Everything Feels Like “Too Much” During PMS
In the luteal phase of your menstrual cycle (the days between ovulation and your period) your estrogen and progesterone levels drop. These hormonal shifts impact key neurotransmitters in the brain, such as serotonin and GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), which regulate mood, stress, and sensory input.
Estrogen and Serotonin
Estrogen enhances serotonin production and receptor sensitivity. When estrogen levels decline, serotonin availability decreases, leading to heightened emotional sensitivity and lower tolerance for stress.
Progesterone and GABA
Progesterone metabolizes into compounds that increase GABA activity — GABA, which calms the nervous system. As progesterone drops, GABA activity declines, contributing to irritability, anxiety, and an increased sensitivity to sensory stimuli.
the barrier thins
These shifts effectively thin the barrier between your nervous system and the world, making everyday sensory experiences feel more: more intense, more raw, more overwhelming.
It’s not that things like noise or stressors didn’t exist before; they’re simply hitting you harder now because your nervous system is more exposed.
But this also means you’re more observant: when you take more in, you can’t help but to digest it more (even if it gives you metaphorical or even literal indigestion). You notice more and more of what you notice annoys the shit out of you. This is not a you problem. You’re more effective at seeing everyday injustices, perpetrated both against you and the world (who else is offended by some of the driving out there, that doesn’t even have a direct effect on you?!)
How PMS Mirrors Neurodivergence
This heightened sensitivity isn’t exclusive to PMS; it’s an everyday reality for many neurodivergent individuals. For those with autism and/or ADHD, the veil between their inner world and external stimuli is often thinner, as their default setting.
Sensory input feels magnified: background noise, bright lights, or scratchy fabrics can feel like an assault; neurochemically, neurodivergent individuals often have lower baseline levels of GABA and differences in dopamine and serotonin, making sensory regulation more challenging; and the constant need to process heightened sensory input leads to a cumulative exhaustion that can make daily life feel utterly tiresome, much like the cumulative stress experienced during PMS.
The world is just so extra when you can’t properly tune it out.
And all of this isn’t just the ranting of a neurodivergent period-getter: research indicates that heightened sensitivity during PMS is linked to the above hormonal fluctuations, which result in real, felt neurochemical changes.
Studies have shown that women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) are extra sensitive to normal changes in sex hormones, even though their hormone levels are typical.
What I find interesting is that with hormonal changes, mood disturbances range from mild to extreme, based on what’s happening outside the person’s body. So there’s the internal shift, and if the internal is doing a lot of modulating to make up for external imbalances, then it seems like someone experiencing PMDD is going f*cking nuts: when reality, their threshold for bullshit has significantly decreased.
I’m not saying PMS and PMDD aren’t a you problem, because they are. You’re the one experiencing it and I want you to feel better and more regulated. But if your environment was more equitable, the ways in which you feel things like rage and frustration would be significantly decreased because the rightful triggers for that just wouldn’t be there (and hopefully there wouldn’t be such a backlog of those feelings to begin with).
This increased sensitivity can lead to significant mood shifts, heightened emotional responses, and a lowered threshold for stressors.
And what’s especially noteworthy (but not surprising) is that neurodivergent individuals appear to have a greater likelihood of experiencing PMDD.
Emerging research suggests a strong correlation between neurodivergence (particularly autism and ADHD) and an increased risk for PMDD. This is largely due to an already heightened baseline sensitivity and difficulty regulating stress responses. I also believe it’s because those with autism and ADHD often have a decreased tolerance for injustices and when their already thin veil becomes translucent, righteous rage appears.
Here’s how you can harness this heightened sensitivity to lighten your load:
Acknowledge Your Feelings Without Judgment: Recognize that your heightened emotions are valid, even if the intensity to which you feel them feel preternaturally driven. (They’re not. Your biology is normal; the society we live in treats women poorly and this realization often comes crashing down on you once a month.) Instead of dismissing them as “just PMS,” see them as signals pointing to areas of your life that need attention.
Communicate Openly with Loved Ones: Use this time to have honest conversations with your partner, family, or roommates about the distribution of emotional and domestic labor. Share how you’re feeling and discuss ways to create a more equitable balance. These conversations may highlight how certain individuals are oblivious to the ways in which they benefit from the current societal structure. (Even though it’s directed towards children, I find the work of Sam Kelly helpful in changing ways I can communicate with adults as well. For equitable adult relationships, Eve Rodsky’s work through FairPlay Life can be helpful for many.)
Set Boundaries and Delegate Tasks: Don’t wait until you’re overwhelmed to ask for help. Proactively delegate tasks and set clear boundaries to protect your energy, not just during PMS but throughout the month. This can feel scary and that’s ok. If it feels like too much to do when you’re not PMSing, at least begin by journalism it all out while you are PMSing. From there, you can turn those feelings into a perfectionist’s dream: lists! Live with those lists for a little bit; look at them when you’re feeling better. Imagine a life where your requests were fulfilled. If you still want that in your everyday life, contemplating them with a level head goes a long way for being able to advocate for yourself.
Implement Self-Care Rituals: Prioritize activities that soothe your heightened senses, such as gentle exercise, meditation, or spending time in nature. These practices can help you manage sensory overload and maintain emotional equilibrium. Do this while you are PMSing but do this all month long, too. The more buoyed you are when your body isn’t under an inordinate amount of stress, the more you can translate that buffer to stressful times.
Seek Professional Support if Needed: If your sensitivity feels unmanageable, definitely consider consulting a mental healthcare professional. Therapies and treatments are available that can help you navigate hormonal fluctuations more smoothly. But even if your sensitivity feels manageable… therapy is always a good option. It can help you sort through the barriers you have in place that make it hard to advocate for yourself and women speaking up about their needs is definitely something this world needs more and more of.
Embrace Your Sensitivity as a Catalyst for Change
At 97, when my grandmother was dying, she made sure to get it across to me that my sensitivity was a strength and don’t let anyone tell me otherwise. I was 38 and have been internalizing that for the past 4 years (as of early 2025 writing this).
Whether it’s PMS, sensory overload, or the weight of emotional and domestic labor, your heightened sensitivity is not a weakness: it’s a strength. It brings to light the areas of your life that need adjustment and prompts you to make necessary changes when otherwise, you might let it slide. (And if you’re always annoyed, irritated, and bothered by the same things when you’re PMSing, it makes sense that in other times, you are letting those things slide.)
You see so much more and while that can feel like a burden, it is also a gift: and I want you to use it wisely for yourself.
So, the next time you feel overwhelmed during PMS, remember: This is your body’s way of urging you to lighten your load, speak up, and create a more balanced life. Embrace this opportunity to turn sensitivity into strength, and let it guide you toward a more equitable and fulfilling existence.
