“I wouldn’t wish PMDD on anybody, but I’m profoundly thankful for my journey.” ~Rachel den Otter, founder of 5th Vital Nutrition
In Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), disruptions of circadian rhythms are known in recent literature1.
But most practitioners don’t make the connection between the menstrual symptoms their clients report and the circadian disruption in their lives from artificial light at night, mistimed eating, and lack of daylight and darkness.
Thankfully, we have a growing field of new practitioners, like Rachel den Otter, who are integrating circadian rhythm wisdom into the powerful work they do.
Rachel is a certified health coach, Board Certified Holistic Nutrition (candidate), with a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition, who also understands the science of circadian biology and how it plays out in disrupted menstrual cycles.
Not only does she have a strong health and wellness background, but direct personal experience with how horrible life can be with a dysfunctional menstrual cycle.
By making a few changes to her routine, she reversed her PMDD!
This was after a) her progesterone treatment had backfired in a shocking way, and b) she had done intensive nutritional healing that was helpful, but didn’t fully resolve her symptoms.
Living with PMS or PMDD is a huge challenge, and one she hopes other women will likewise discover a way out of.
Since healing, Rachel actually enjoys being a woman—a gift we hope this story imparts to women of any age who are still navigating complicated menstrual cycle problems, whether PMS, PMDD, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)2, endometriosis3, or infertility4.
All of these conditions are correlated with poor circadian health.
Here’s a quick description of how it works:
The circadian rhythm is programed by light/dark cycles, feed/fast cycles, and connection to the earth via grounding and regulates the endocrine system
The endocrine system controls the hormonal surges that lead to the full completion of the menstrual rhythm each cycle
Flattened or weak circadian rhythms, which often result from lack of amplitude in the day/night cycle (ie, dim days and bright nights), makes it so the endocrine system doesn’t know when to surge which hormones
Disrupted circadian rhythms = disrupted endocrine rhythms = metabolic and reproductive challenges
Restoring circadian health is a quick way to stabilize and strengthen these rhythms, especially for women who are doing everything else “right” with regard to nutrition and exercise but who still suffer from painful or irregular periods
But there’s much more to be said about this topic (and especially for what the specific day-to-day changes are that help balance infradian and circadian rhythms for women).
In this episode of the Brighter Days, Darker Nights live podcast you’ll hear about:
how morning light and grounding was the key that put Rachel on a healing path
the devastating side effects of the progesterone treatment she was prescribed for her PMDD
the nutrition and exercise decisions that eased her symptoms (though not fully healing them)
the mistakes made along the way—and importantly, how she corrected course
Rachel’s mission to help other women also have easy periods like she now enjoys
Connect with Rachel on her website for her 6 week program, and on IG for occasional free information about how she regulates her cycle and the changes you can make to improve your nutrition and daily rhythms.
Thank you to everyone who tuned in live with us!
Upcoming events with Nikko:
Join my next live video with Sarah Kleiner on December 29th, 2025 at 12 PM PT / 3 PM ET to learn even more about circadian rhythms, hormones and metabolism.
If you are exploring the possibility of becoming a circadian- and quantum-informed practitioner or in conducting circadian/quantum research and case studies under my mentorship (alongside other expert faculty, including Leland Stillman, MD, Dr Sara Pugh, and Sarah Kleiner) at the Institute of Applied Quantum Biology, we are hosting an info session on December 17th, 2025 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. RSVP for the free AQB community event here.
Related → You may also be interested on these past articles about circadian health for women:
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Nexha, A., Caropreso, L., De Azevedo Cardoso, T., Suh, J. S., Tonon, A. C., & Frey, B. N. (2024). Biological rhythms in premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder: a systematic review. BMC Women’s Health, 24(1), 551. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-024-03395-3
Mojaverrostami, S., Asghari, N., Khamisabadi, M., & Heidari Khoei, H. (2019). The role of melatonin in polycystic ovary syndrome: A review. International Journal of Reproductive Biomedicine, 17(12), 865–882. https://doi.org/10.18502/ijrm.v17i12.5789
Parua, S., Choudhury, G. R., Bhattacharya, S., Hazra, A., Dutta, S., Sengupta, P., & Bhattacharya, K. (2024). Melatonin in Female Fertility: Multifaceted Role From Reproductive Physiology to Therapeutic Potential in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Endometriosis, and Ovarian Failure. Chronobiology in Medicine, 6(4), 145–162. https://doi.org/10.33069/cim.2024.0022
Sciarra, F., Franceschini, E., Campolo, F., Gianfrilli, D., Pallotti, F., Paoli, D., Isidori, A. M., & Venneri, M. A. (2020). Disruption of Circadian Rhythms: A Crucial Factor in the Etiology of Infertility. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 21(11), 3943. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21113943
