Menstrual cramps can be debilitating or just annoying. If you’re like me, cramps can stop you from doing your regular daily activities. I used to experience the most painful cramps every time I had a period. They were so bad that I threw up because of the pain. If yours are that bad, I’d recommend going to your doctor to see what you can do about it. He or she will likely recommend a type of birth control or pain reliever. The thing that ended up reducing my pain dramatically was having a baby, but until you want a baby or if you don’t want a baby, try these other methods that can help reduce your pain. It is important to try your best to take care of yourself by doing your best to relieve your period pain. Thankfully there are a lot of things you can do to relieve the pain before, after, and during your period. Here are just a few things that work for me:
Utilize your tools like the Chirp Wheel. The Chirp Wheel is a back roller that is designed to fit perfectly between your shoulder blades, targeting the muscles that go up and down your spine. It can work wonders for that lower back period pain and for rolling out leg cramps or other period pains. Check out this blog post to learn how to use the Chirp Wheel to reduce period pain.
Try hot & cold therapy. Heat therapy is usually recommended for reducing pain from menstrual cramps because it helps increase blood flow and has many relaxing agents. Some people, however, also like to use cold therapy to numb the pain. Try both and see what works for you. Use this Hot & Cold Wrap for either cold therapy or heat therapy where you experience pain.
Exercise. Exercising can help reduce your menstrual pain dramatically. Although exercising might not be the thing you want to do while you’re on your period, try it and see if it works for you because you might be glad you did. Pick an exercise that you love. Whether that is swimming, running, walking, rolling on the Chirp Wheel, or yoga, getting your body moving can help relieve your menstrual cramps faster.
Try dietary supplements. Vitamin B1, fish oil, fenugreek, ginger, valerian, zataria, or zinc sulfate might help reduce your pain. Check with your doctor before trying anything new, but you might be experiencing pain because your body is lacking the proper nutrients.
Reduce stress. Reducing stress can actually help relieve period pain. Use this Cold Therapy Eye Mask to relieve headache pain during your period and reduce stress. (Yes, your period can cause headaches too.) Go to a secluded spot and lie back with your mask and relax. Try meditation or clearing your mind of all thoughts and stress until the pain melts away. If you have a specific thing bothering you, try and push that from your mind for a moment or talk to someone about it until you can deal with it without your pain.
Rest. Try and get some sleep. If you can sleep through the pain, when you wake up it is likely that the pain will be over. This method used to work well for me. Rest also helps your body heal and focus on what it needs to do during this time.
Take a hot bath. Taking a hot bath will help reduce your pain. You can also add some aromatherapy to your bath water with bath salts and bath bombs to help you relax and reduce the amount of stress you have. Heat therapy and aromatherapy combined can do wonders for how you feel.
Eat healthy. Eating greens, veggies, whole grains, and yogurt will help to give you the nutrients you need to get through the pain. Avoid fats, sugar, caffeine, and alcohol because they might not actually help reduce the pain like you might think.
Take OTC pain medication. I always suggest over-the-counter pain medication last because there are a lot of other natural things you can do first to help reduce the pain. But everyone is different! If the above list didn’t work for you, try this and hopefully it helps.
References
Kassel, G. (2018, January 12). This is how gynecologists soothe their own period cramps. Retrieved from https://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/a19993738/period-cramps/
Mayo Clinic. (2020). Menstrual cramps. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menstrual-cramps/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20374944
Planned Parenthood. (2020). What can I do about cramps and PMS? Retrieved from https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/health-and-wellness/menstruation/what-can-i-do-about-cramps-and-pms
