This article is part of a partnership.
Women might have been meeting menstruation every month, but they haven’t yet befriended it. And why would they? Your period can bring pimples, mood swings, tender breasts, bloating, irritability, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and dreadful period cramps.
However, some remedies can help in managing these awful period symptoms and will make women feel at ease.
If you struggle with one or more of these period symptoms every month, these remedies might help you. Take a look below.
Drink More Water
For most women, periods are always associated with bloating, which exacerbates the symptoms. The easiest way to help with bloating is by increasing your water intake. Drink more than eight glasses of water every day, especially during your period.
Staying hydrated during your period is even more crucial if you experience diarrhea or vomiting along with menstrual cramps.
Apply Heat
Heat helps in alleviating period pain. Use a heat wrap, heating pad, or hot water bottle and apply it to your abdomen to relieve menstrual cramps.
It will relax the muscles of the uterus that lead to cramps. Plus, it also boosts blood circulation in the abdomen and reduces pain.
Utilize Natural And Organic Solutions
Heating pads and hot bottles may feel nice in the wintertime. What about in the summer when it is already hot and sweaty? We’re seeing more and more new-gen solutions on the market to help alleviate the pain, like these organic cotton pads that have embedded technology to relieve period pain and cramping.
Drink Chamomile Tea
The cells of the endometrium of your uterus release prostaglandins. These prostaglandins cause the muscles in the uterus to contract, causing pain and cramps. Moreover, prostaglandins present in the bloodstream can cause headaches, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting during periods.
Chamomile tea contains anti-inflammatory agents that impede prostaglandins, thereby reducing cramps. They also enhance menstrual flow to prevent period symptoms.
Get Your Dose of Sunshine
Vitamin D directly affects dysmenorrhea or period cramps. A study carried out on young women revealed that women with low vitamin D levels experience severe dysmenorrhea. After taking vitamin D supplements, the intensity of their cramps decreased manifolds.
As mentioned above, prostaglandins produced in the endometrium cause period pain. Just like chamomile, vitamin D also inhibits the production of prostaglandins.
Furthermore, get your vitamin D levels measured through a blood test and take supplements if required.
Say No to Caffeine
If you can’t let go of your love for caffeine, you might have to deal with period cramps. Coffee, tea, energy drinks, and soda contribute to period cramps. Hence, eliminating caffeine can help in reducing pain.
Switch out your daily dose of caffeine with healthier options like smoothies.
Get Moving
Your period pain might not allow you to move away from the bed, but moving your body will help in relieving period pain.
Exercise facilitates the release of endorphins, which are feel-good chemicals. These brain chemicals help in relieving period pain.
Swimming, running, walking, and even lifting light weights are safe activities. Indulge in them during your periods and after that. You can also try tai chi, yoga, or any other form of physical activity to combat period pain.
Tame Your Sleep Cycle
Your sleep cycle affects how you feel during your periods. According to a study, women with insomnia experience severe dysmenorrhea that interferes with their daily activities as compared to women that practice good sleep hygiene and do not have insomnia.
Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. Taming your sleep cycle will help you have happy and comfortable periods. Moreover, it will positively affect your overall health and well-being.
The Bottom Line
That time of the month doesn’t necessarily need to be painful and gloomy. With these remedies, you can eliminate every trace of discomfort from your period and feel like those damsels in TV commercials who hop and jump merrily in their all-white attires on the first day of their periods.
So, follow these remedies and have happy periods!