New study says women perform better and have faster response times when they are menstruating
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Archive image of female soccer players.
Women are better athletes when they are menstruating, showing sharper response times and better cognitive function.
“Women who menstruate regularly performed better during menstruation compared to any other phase, with faster reaction times (and) fewer errors,” the study, published in the journal neuropsychology, says.
The study specifically looked at both male and female soccer players and found that “performance on cognitive tasks, especially spatial time anticipation, was best during the menstrual phase and worst during the luteal phase,” which is the time just before menstruation begins. , explains the Cleveland Clinic.
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Stock image of menstrual products.
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“What is surprising is that the participants performed better when they were on their period, which challenges what women, and perhaps society in general, assume about their abilities at this particular time of the month,” Dr. Flaminia said. Ronca, lead author of the study, from the Division of Surgery and Interventional Sciences at UCL and ISEH, said, according to The Guardian.
For one of the tests, study participants were shown a series of smiling or winking faces, and were asked to press the space bar every time they saw a smiling face, a test intended to measure skills such as attention. , reaction time and accuracy.
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During menstruation, they press the space bar at the wrong time 25% less, explains a statement from University College London.
And as for how they performed just before menstruation, Dr Megan Lowery, author of the study from UCL Surgery and Interventional Science and ISEH, said: “There is a lot of anecdotal evidence from women that they may feel clumsy just before ovulation , for example, which is supported by our findings here.”
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Archive image of female soccer players.
In fact, the study was inspired by female soccer players who reported injuries during specific times in their cycle, as one study found that “injury risk was significantly elevated during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle… among female professional soccer players.” elite”.
However, while women may report not feeling well when they have their period, the soccer players in the study performed better during menstruation.
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As the study says, “Women reported lower well-being scores during menstruation, where they also perceived their cognitive performance to be negatively affected. In contrast to this, performance on cognitive tasks, most notably for spatial-time anticipation , it was better during the menstrual phase and worse during the luteal phase.”
“I hope this serves as a foundation for positive conversations between coaches and athletes about perceptions and performance,” Ronca said. “What we feel does not always reflect how we perform.”
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