Why do I feel hot before my period?
Feeling hot before your period is common. After ovulation, progesterone raises your resting body temperature by about 0.5 to 1°F (0.3 to 0.5°C), and it stays up until just before your period. Falling estrogen in the last days can also affect your brain's thermostat, causing flushes or night sweats. You may also sleep warmer and sweat more. It eases once your period starts.
Why your temperature rises
Progesterone, made after ovulation, acts on the hypothalamus, the brain's temperature control center, and nudges your set point up slightly. This is the basis of basal body temperature tracking: a sustained rise shows ovulation has probably happened. It's also what Apple Watch wrist temperature picks up.
Hot flashes and night sweats before your period
In the last few days before bleeding, estrogen drops. Estrogen helps keep the thermostat steady, so the dip can cause sudden waves of heat or night sweats, a bit like a mini menopause. This is more common in your late 30s and 40s, when hormone swings get bigger. Read more in hot flashes before your period.
Other things that add heat
- Faster metabolism: your body uses a little more energy in the luteal phase.
- Poor sleep: a warmer body makes it harder to fall and stay asleep. See luteal phase insomnia.
- Anxiety and irritability: a racing heart and stress can feel like heat.
- Alcohol, spicy food and caffeine: all widen blood vessels and add to the flush.
- Perimenopause: hot flashes that appear or worsen in your 40s. See first signs of perimenopause.
How to cool down
- Keep your bedroom cool and use lighter bedding in the week before your period.
- Wear breathable layers you can take off.
- Drink water and keep a cold drink by the bed.
- Cut back on alcohol and late caffeine in the luteal phase.
- Try a cool shower before bed.
- Gentle exercise helps sleep and stress, but avoid hard workouts right before bed.
Being hot and sleeping badly makes anyone short-tempered. If your irritability before your period comes with feeling overheated, sorting the heat and sleep can take the edge off your mood too.
See a doctor if you have a fever (100.4°F or 38°C or higher), drenching night sweats that happen all month, unexplained weight loss, a racing heart, or hot flashes that disrupt your life. Fever with rash and dizziness while using a tampon or cup needs urgent care.
Frequently asked questions
Is it normal to feel feverish before your period?
Feeling warm is normal. An actual fever over 100.4°F (38°C) isn't caused by your cycle and is worth checking.
Why do I sweat at night before my period?
Falling estrogen and higher body temperature from progesterone can both trigger night sweats in the days before bleeding.
Does feeling hot mean I ovulated?
A sustained rise in resting temperature suggests ovulation probably happened, but feeling warm alone isn't proof.
Sources
This page is for information only and isn’t medical advice. If something worries you, please talk to a doctor.
Keep reading
Hot flashes before your period: why they happen and what helpsHot flashes or night sweats before your period? How falling estrogen and higher luteal temperature cause them, the perimenopause link, and what helps.
Does your temperature rise before your period?Your temperature before your period is usually a little higher, thanks to progesterone, then drops as bleeding starts. What's normal and what it tells you.What is basal body temperature, and what can it tell you?Basal body temperature is your resting temperature on waking. It rises slightly after ovulation. How to measure it, read a BBT chart, and its limits.How does Apple Watch wrist temperature work for cycles?Apple Watch wrist temperature tracks nightly changes from your baseline. How it relates to your cycle, how to read the chart, and what affects it.
Luteal phase insomnia: why you can't sleep before your periodWhy sleep gets worse in the luteal phase: higher body temperature, less REM, falling hormones and PMS. What helps luteal phase insomnia and when to get help.
What phase of my cycle am I in? Free phase finderWhat phase of my cycle am I in? Enter your last period to see your cycle day, today's phase and how people often feel in it. Private and instant.