Period cramps will happen to most women that have to go through their period every month, however, some women will get them a lot worse. No matter if they are excruciating or just annoying, there are some simple ways to try to help yourself through that tough week of the month.
There can be a lot of ways during and even before your period to try to help your body through them. Home remedies can be a great way to help soothe yourself, while also paying attention to your body’s needs and keeping yourself active and healthy.
1. Apply Heat
Whenever the word cramp comes out of our mouth, a heating pad will be the solution we are told. However, in the end, it actually will give relief. A heating pad has been found to work just as great as Ibuprofen for some women.
You can use things such as a simple electronic heating pad, heated blanket, or if you don’t have one you can make one pretty easily as well.
You can fill a sock or old pillowcase with uncooked rice and then sew up the hole. Then, place that in the microwave for a minute or so and heat it up and you have your own handmade heating pad! You can even add a few drops of essential oil, lavender is always soothing, and you can make it even more calming.
2. Yoga
Now, moving and stretching may be the last thing you want to do while on your period, however, there are some great positions that can really help you out.
It is nothing too strenuous, poses like the child pose with your knees together and your body laid over your legs can help. Also poses like the bound angle pose (butterfly pose) with your feet together and knees out can be helpful as well. There are quite a few that can help you through your period cramps.
3. Your Diet
While your diet can have a lot to do with your physical health, to begin with, there are also some foods that can make your period cramps even worse during that week. Avoiding fatty foods, caffeine, and even salty foods can help your cramps not be so severe.
There are also foods you can add that can help against bloating and cramping. Adding things like fiber, plants, and even water can help fight against those things. Foods like peanut butter, avocados, prunes, and bananas are high in boron which is amazing to help reduce period cramps. Water, berries, watermelon, and lettuce can also help reduce any bloating that might occur as well.
You can always take over-the-counter medicine as well to try to help with cramps. Ibuprofen, Advil, and Aleve have been known to help as well.
In general, there are a lot of ways that a period can be helped. Going through cramps and bloating may seem normal, but there are ways to help avoid or at least lessen the effects that a period may give you. It may take some trial and error to see what works best for you, but in the end, it could be worth it.