It is normally seen that women who have menstruation, complain of pain due to period cramps every month for a day or two. Though these cramps are not a sign of some kind of serious health issue they can make you very uncomfortable.
Here is a list of 10 things you can do to help you with this pain. Just in case you feel that the cramps are quiet severe and you are not getting any relief from the given options you might want to consult your doctor.
-
Improve Your Diet
Your monthly cramps can be relieved by addition of vegetables in your diet and reducing the intake of fat. Reducing fat in your diet decreases the level of inflammation overall in your body. A diet low in fat and high in vegetables not only helps your health in general but also has effect on your menstrual cramps. If you are on your way to a healthy diet you may start with swapping the unhealthy saturated fats which are found in animal products with the healthy unsaturated ones found in olive oil. If you eat dairy products then choose low fat or fat free dairy products.
You should try to get 25 to 35 percent of your daily calories from healthy fats that can be found in nuts, vegetable oils and fish. And the key is to find a balanced diet. Balanced diet is a diet in which all the nutrients are included that your body requires to function properly. The core foods of a balanced diet are ones which are low in unnecessary sugars and fats and at the same time are high in minerals, vitamins and other important nutrients such as
- fruits
- vegetables especially dark, leafy, green ones
- grains
- proteins which can be found in low fat meats, beans, lentils and nuts
- dairy products
-
Painkiller
A lot of women are not very fond of medicines when it comes to soothing period cramps. But using a non-steroidal anti inflammatory medicine in a moderate manner can help you with the pain. When a substance known as prostaglandins is released the menstrual cramps occur and the painkillers help to lower the production and decrease of prostagladins and the overall pain and inflammation. But you should consult your doctor before taking a painkiller especially if you have kidney issues or history of bleeding. And make sure you read the dosage so you do not take too many.
3.Tea Can Help With Menstral Cramps
Although it is not supported by research, but traditionally teas have been used and they do help. Certain teas help to relieve the pain such as cinnamon tea which contains antispasmodic and anti inflammatory properties which help in relieving pain and chamomile tea which also has anti inflammatory properties that help to reduce the prostagladin and hence ease the menstrual cramps. There are few herbs that can act as estrogens so consult your doctor before using any especially if you are on blood thinning drugs or have a history of hormone related cancer.
A herbal tea used by people to ease the menstrual discomfort is the cramp bark. You can make it by boiling two teaspoons of the bark in one cup water, simmer it for 15 minutes and drink this tea 3 times a day. But make sure you get the go ahead for drinking this tea from your doctor first especially if you are on diuretics. Peppermint is well known in relieving menstrual cramps as it is a natural muscle relaxant. You can use peppermint leaves to make tea or put some peppermint oil in your tea.
-
Fish Oil And Vitamin B1
Fish oil supplements and vitamin B are also natural remedies for period cramps. A research was conducted in 2014, in this research 240 teenage girls with menstrual cramps were given vitamin B1 and fish oil, only vitamin B1, only fish oil or a placebo by the scientists. The girls took 100 mg of B1 and 500 mg of fish oil supplements daily. The group that was taking either fish oil, vitamin B1 or both had significantly less pain during menstruation than the placebo group. It was also seen that the pain did not last long if they took vitamin B1 or fish oil.
- Acupuncture
Acupuncture helps relieving menstrual cramps, as it relaxes the nervous system and as a result the blood flows robustly to the internal organs. Acupuncture is also thought to have anti inflammatory effect. In a review the experts took a look at six different studies that studied the effects of acupuncture on menstrual cramps. In these studies they compared the effects of acupuncture and they found that acupuncture and acupressure does reduce pain but they also concluded that it needed to be evaluated more.
- Massage With Essential Oils
Menstrual cramps can also be relieved by massaging with certain aromatic essential oils. It was investigated on 48 women who had menstrual cramps the effects of these oils. They massaged essential oils or synthetic fragrance on lower abdomen. From the end of one period till the beginning of the next one they used a mixture of diluted essential oils. They used Lavender, Clary sage and marjoram in the ratio of 2-1-1 and the essential oils were diluted to 3% concentration in an unscented cream. The women in both the groups reported to have less pain, but the group that used essential oils did better than the synthetic fragrance. Based on the reports the researchers found out that by doing self massage the duration of the pain lessened from 2.4 days to 1.8.
- Use A Heating Pad
It has been observed that topically applied heat is more affective for period cramps than painkillers. In a study the researchers made four groups of women 84 women. One group was given a combination of painkiller and a heated patch to use, the second group was given an unheated patch (placebo) and painkiller, the third was given a heated patch and a placebo pill and the fourth group of women were given a placebo pill and an unheated patch.
In a two day study the women who were using heat and pill, only pill and only heat reported to have greater pain relief than the women who were on placebo. Women who used pill and heat did not report difference in the pain relief than the ones who used only pill but with the heat they said that the relief from the pain was faster, around 90 minutes later whereas the ones who took just the pill felt relief three hours later. More of the women who used both the pill and heat reported to have complete relief from the pain.
- Endorphins
Endorphins do not only relieve your pain but also boost your mood. When you have an orgasm endorphins are released as well as when you do a workout. Although exercise might be the last thing you want to do when you are having cramps but this can boost endorphins and thus help in relieving the pain. In March 2015 a report was published in the Journal of Family Reproductive Health that showed that for the 105 students who were in the study, stretching and aerobic exercise both helped in soothing the period cramps.
- MAGNESIUM IN DIET
Adding more magnesium in your diet can help in easing the pain. Magnesium can be found in plenty of foods and you can always get it in a supplement if you are unable to get from your diet. Magnesium is a mineral that helps to regulate the function of muscles and nerves among the many other important tasks. Researchers claim it to be a promising treatment for period cramps but the recommended dose is not clear. The recommended daily amount for women who are in their childbearing age is 320 mg. One ounce of dry almonds or half cup boiled spinach both contain 80 mg of magnesium each. The amount of magnesium you need may depend upon the severity of your cramps so it is best to consult your doctor and get a prescription that best suits you.
- CONTRACEPTIVES
Birth control pills can help in relieving the painful cramps. There was no difference found by the experts between the low or medium dose of estrogen contraceptives in the relieving of the pain. But oral contraceptives do have their side effects for some people which can vary from spotting, nausea, tender breast and low sex drive and also increase the risk of blood clots.
