- The best home remedies for menstrual cramps are trying to reduce stress, exercise, use heat, and avoid unhealthy foods.
- Salty, high-fat, and high-carbohydrate foods can cause gas and inflammation, which often make cramps worse.
- Stress can also make menstrual cramps worse, so stress-relieving exercises like meditation or yoga can help relieve menstrual bleeding.
- This post has been medically checked by G. Thomas Ruiz, MD, Gynecologist at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California.
- Check out Insider’s Insider Reference Library for more advice.
over 80% of women in the US there will be convulsions at some point in their life, and for 5 to 10%, The pain is bad enough to affect her daily life. Pain reliever medications can help treat cramps, but many women find that certain natural remedies can also help relieve period pain.
Here are four home treatments that can help you relieve menstrual cramps and have a less painful period.
1. Apply heat
During your period, your uterus loosens its lining and expels it from your body. To aid this process, your body releases chemicals that cause the muscles in your uterus to contract and help push the food out. These contractions can cause a painful feeling of cramping in the lower abdomen or lower back.
“Heat seems to relax the muscle wall, and improved blood flow reduces cramps,” he says JoAnn V. Pinkerton, MD, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Virginia.
ON Review of six studies The study, published in 2018, found that women who placed a heating pad on their lower abdomen for several hours during seizures reported lower pain scores than women who did not have heat treatment. Two studies in the review found that using a heating pad actually helped more than taking a pain reliever like ibuprofen.
To apply heat, you can use household items such as a towel soaked in hot water, or purchase a hot water bottle, heat-generating patch, or electric heating pad from your local pharmacy. For best results, the heat should be in between 104 and 113 degrees and should be used for at least four hours.
2nd exercise
How to get rid of cramps with exercise, ibuprofen, and more
Exercise can also help relieve painful periods. “Exercise increases blood flow that helps cramps go away“Says Pinkerton. This is because excess blood can build up in your uterine veins if the blood doesn’t circulate normally through your uterus swell and become painful.
“The types of exercise that are most likely to help include gentle, low-impact aerobic exercise, such as: Walk or Swimming. yoga can be helpful too, “says Pinkerton.
Stronger exercise like To run can also help as it causes your body to release endorphins, which lower your perception of pain. But many people may not feel comfortable with this type of exercise during a painful time.
It is best to exercise 30 minutes a day to relieve cramps Start a few days before your period and continue through the first few days of bleeding.
3. Reduce stress
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“Many women report that psychological stress makes menstrual cramps worse,” says Pinkerton. This may be because when you are very worried or stressed out, your body is releasing a hormone called cortisol that can Increase the muscle contractions in your uterus.
There are no research studies of which stress reduction techniques are best for relieving menstrual cramps. However, there are several different methods that you can try at home has been shown to lower cortisol, such as:
For this method to work best, you should try to relieve stress during the first half of your menstrual cycle before ovulation and not just during your period. This may be because your Cortisol levels rise more rapidly in response to stress if your sex hormone levels are lower at the beginning of your cycle.
4. Avoid unhealthy foods
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Certain foods can make cramps worse while others can relieve pain. “Avoid salty, high-fat, or high-carb foods,” advises Pinkerton. This Food can cause gas and gas and inflammation that can Make period cramps more painful.
It can also help limit your caffeine intake, as it can make cramps worse, Pinkerton says. This is due to caffeine makes your blood vessels narrower, Restriction of blood flow to your uterus and increase in menstrual cramps.
Foods with important vitamins and minerals can have the opposite effect and help relieve period pain. “Include adequate nutrients Vitamins E., B1, and B6 as well as magnesium, zinc, and Omega-3 fatty acids Reduce muscle tension or inflammation, “says Pinkerton.
You can get these nutrients through food leafy green vegetables, nuts, and oily fish like tuna and salmon.
The final result
Period cramps are a common problem, but in some cases they may be related to an underlying medical problem such as Endometriosis or uterine fibroids. If you’ve had cramps that don’t get better with treatment or come back after years without cramps, see your doctor to see if there are any medical concerns, Pinkerton says.
