If you’ve noticed that your tics get worse right before or during your period, you’re not imagining it—and you’re definitely not alone.
Many teen girls and adult women with tic disorders report this pattern: tics increase in the days leading up to menstruation and sometimes during it.
Sometimes it feels like there’s nothing you can do, but there are actually practical, realistic ways to reduce how intense these flare-ups feel.
Let’s break down what’s going on—and what you can do about it.
Why Do Tics Get Worse Before a Period?
This isn’t caused by just one thing. It’s a combination of changes happening in your brain and body at the same time.
1. Hormone Changes Affect Brain Control
Right before your period, estrogen and progesterone drop quickly.
Estrogen helps regulate dopamine, which plays a big role in tic disorders. When estrogen drops, your brain has less control over motor signals, making tics more likely to show up.
Less regulation = more vulnerability to tics
2. Anxiety and Emotions Are More Intense
This phase of your cycle can come with:
- More anxiety
- Irritability
- Feeling overwhelmed more easily
Since tics are very sensitive to stress, this emotional shift can directly increase tic frequency and intensity.
3. Sensory Sensitivity Is Higher
You might notice:
- Sounds feel louder
- People feel more overwhelming
- You get overstimulated faster
That increased sensory load builds internal tension, which often leads to more tic urges.
4. You’re More Tired (and That Matters)
Lower energy, worse sleep, or just feeling off physically can reduce your ability to manage or suppress tics.
Even if you’re usually good at handling them, this is the time when:
- urges feel stronger
- control feels harder
5. The “It’s Going to Be Bad” Effect
If you’ve experienced this before, it’s easy to start thinking:
“My tics are always terrible during my period”
That thought can actually make things worse by:
- increasing anxiety
- making you hyper-aware of your body
- amplifying urges
It becomes a loop:
expectation → anxiety → more tics → reinforces the expectation
What Actually Helps Reduce Tics During This Time
You don’t need to completely stop tics (that’s not realistic). The goal is to make them less intense, shorter-lasting, and easier to manage.
1. Plan Ahead (This Is Huge)
Instead of getting caught off guard, treat this as a predictable pattern.
That might look like:
- giving yourself more downtime
- avoiding overpacking your schedule
- planning breaks during long or stressful events
This isn’t “giving in”—it’s being strategic.
2. Focus on Lowering Anxiety
Trying to force tics away usually backfires. Instead, lower the anxiety that’s fueling them.
Helpful shifts:
- “This might be uncomfortable, but I can handle it”
- “I’ve gotten through this before”
- Don’t automatically believe the worst-case thoughts
3. Regulate Your Body Daily
Your nervous system is more sensitive during this time, so it needs more support—not just in stressful moments, but throughout the day.
Try:
- slow breathing (focus on long exhales)
- walking or light movement
- squeezing a stress ball or using resistance
This helps bring your system back down.
4. Use Your Tic Strategies Consistently
If you’ve learned CBIT strategies:
- try to catch the first urge and use the competing response, not after the first one has already come and gone
- use your competing responses consistently
- add in breathing strategies for nervous system regulation
Food Matters More Than Usual During This Time
What you eat won’t fix everything—but during this phase, your body is more sensitive, so it matters more.
Try to Limit:
- Caffeine (can increase anxiety and tics)
- Sugar spikes (lead to crashes and irritability)
- Highly processed foods
Focus On:
- Protein at every meal (helps stabilize mood and energy)
- Magnesium-rich foods (nuts, seeds, leafy greens)
- Omega-3s (fish, walnuts, flax)
- Complex carbs (oats, rice, potatoes)
- Staying hydrated
The goal is stability.
Supplements That Can Help
Supplements won’t eliminate tics, but they can make your system less reactive, which makes everything else easier.
Most Helpful Options
Magnesium (best place to start)
- Calms the nervous system
- Helps with anxiety and sleep
- Can reduce muscle tension
My favorite is the Magnesium Breakthrough from BIOptimizers. You can can get it here.
Omega-3s
- Support brain function and mood
- Help with emotional regulation
The quality of Nordic Naturals is amazing and there’s a wide variety of options. I personally like this one.
Vitamin B6
- Helps your brain make key neurotransmitters
- Often used with magnesium
Additional Options
- L-theanine → helps with anxiety
- Vitamin D → helpful if levels are even slightly low
- NAC → useful if you also deal with strong urges or OCD-type symptoms
Start simple—don’t take everything at once. Not medical advice, consult your doctor or functional medicine provider before taking anything.
The Long Game
If your tics get worse around your period, it’s not random—and it’s not something you’re doing wrong. It’s a combination of hormone shifts, increased anxiety, sensory overload, and lower energy. You can’t always stop the spike—but you can make it easier to handle.
If you want the complete roadmap — covering gut health, nutrition, supplements, lab testing, sleep, movement, sensory strategies, and daily routines — the Empower Your Brain and Body Workbook brings all of it together in one place.
68 pages. Evidence-informed. Written by me, Emily Reid OT and CBIT specialist. Instant download for just $57.
Get the Empower Your Brain and Body Workbook — $57 →
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