10 Ways To Help Make Your Period Feel Less Painful
Your period can be painful at times and it can make you not want to go out and have fun. Having a monthly period is normal and it is something that women experience. There are times that your period may affect your body and you experience period pains. However, there are ways to help make your periods less painful, and here are 10 of them.
1. Using a hot water bottle
Hot water bottles are not solely used for when you’re feeling a bit chilly in the night. Hot water bottles are good to help relieve period pains. Studies have shown that heat pads and hot water bottles can relieve cramps quite quickly. Using a hot water bottle when experiencing period pains is also a better option than resulting to medication immediately, as it is a more natural method of pain relief.
2. Changing your diet
Adjusting your diet could help with period pains. A low-fat diet does decrease overall levels of inflammation in the body. A vegetarian diet could also help to reduce period pains because of the lower consumption of fat.
3. Drinking herbal tea
Drink warm herbal tea is also another great method for period pain relief. Scarce is a tea that researchers say is good for period pain relief. However, you should ask your doctor before trying it. Drinking any form of warm tea could also help relief pain as warm substances can be quite soothing for your stomach.
4. Massage with oils
Who doesn’t love a nice massage? Massages with certain aromatic essential oils (such as lavender essential oil and clary sage essential oil) can also relieve period pains. Self-massaging with essential oils has been proven by research to help reduce period pains.
5. Eat lots of fruit and veg
You should already be eating a lot of fruit and veg, but if you don’t you should eat them during your period. Bananas in particular are rich in vitamin B6 and potassium which similar to dark chocolate, helps to reduce period pains.
6. Eat dark chocolate
Yes, eating chocolate can help to reduce period pains. However, it has to be at least 70% cocoa kind, so it has to be dark chocolate. Dark chocolate encourages your body to release endorphins which helps to improve your mood. Dark chocolate is also high in magnesium which can help ease period pains.
7. Move your body
When experiencing period pain, you might tend to lay in bed and not move but moving your body could help ease the pain. Doing some exercises could help to sooth your stomach
8. Stop drinking alcohol
Drinking alcohol dehydrates your body which can make your period pains feel worse. I’m not saying you should cut alcohol out of your diet forever, just whilst you are on your period. Alcohol is also a depressant, so drinking it affects your feelings and emotions.
9. Consume less salty foods
salt can cause your belly to become bloated. Reducing the salty foods, you eat (crisps, chips, bacon, etc) can make your stomach flatter which will help with period pains. Drinking plenty of water to wash out the salt in your body is good too.
10. Pills & medication
You can ask your doctor what prescription tablets they would recommend for intense period pains. Doctors may suggest taking contraception or mefenamic acid for bad period pains. You could just use paracetamol or ibuprofen as a method of pain relief.
