Did you know that the traditional 8-to-5 workday schedule was designed to accommodate men’s testosterone levels? Men are on a 24-hour hormone cycle while women are on a 28-day hormone cycle. That’s half of the population conformed to a schedule working against them. 

Some women thrive in a 8-to-5 workday, and there is nothing to be but happy for them. However, some women find themselves burnt out, exhausted and miserable in the work schedule, and it is time to analyze why.  

In the 24-hour testosterone cycle, the morning hours when men wake up have a spike of testosterone and cortisol. This causes an increase in energy, focus, productivity and communication. In the afternoon, testosterone levels drop. This puts men in the mood to socialize and connect with people. In the evening, testosterone levels diminish and estrogen levels are more prominent. This causes the desire to relax, lay down and quiet the mind. The 8-to-5 work grind fits these needs and feelings because it was designed for men. 

Women are in a 28-day cycle of hormones. Women’s energy isn’t a static day-to-day thing, it could be completely different depending on where the woman is in her cycle. Each phase of the cycle brings different skills and moods. The menstrual phase brings rest, reflection and decision-making. The follicular phase brings new beginnings, planning ahead and new ideas. The ovulatory phase brings energy and socializing. The luteal phase brings focus, productivity, organization, “wrapping up” and solitude. No two days during the cycle are the same. Women get one spike in testosterone during the ovulation phase, compared to men getting a spike every morning. That’s why women are most social and energized during ovulation. 

It’s no wonder that many women feel so burnt out. They are working against their own bodies. They are forcing their bodies to work on a schedule built for the opposite gender. 

“Women’s 28-day cycles bear no resemblance to this 24-hour schedule. But we have been forced to live in accordance with the male hormone rhythm for so long, we don’t even question it. We’re overlooking a crucial component that governs the moods and emotions of half the population,” Alissa Vitti from The FLO said. 

Women are perfectly capable of working the typical 8-to-5 workday, and it is just disheartening to know that half of the population is working against their own physiology. There probably won’t be any changes to the work schedule, as said before, because women forced themselves to get used to it. 

However, it is what it is. Many things were designed, not taking women into account, and women rose above it all the same. It is best to learn to live and love the cycle, instead of ignoring and fighting with it. As Annika Nicole, an instagram influencer, said, being a woman is not better or worse; it is just different.