Ugh! Is it that time of the month yet? Many women dread getting their periods due to painful cramps. However menstrual cramps are inevitable during periods. Some women may experience cramping a lot more than others who might have just mild symptoms.
Before you decide to pop pills to manage your pain, why not try natural remedies to overcome menstrual cramps. After all, you deserve effective pain relief without the risk of any side-effects. Read on to know the natural ways of overcoming menstrual cramps.
Causes of Menstrual Pain
Menstrual pain generally occurs due to overproduction of inflammatory chemicals called prostaglandins which in turn causes your uterus to causes spasms and cramps. Unfortunately, women fail to understand the root cause. They continue consuming too much-processed food, added sugar, poor-quality oils, artificial sweeteners, endocrine-disrupting chemicals and more that directly contribute excess inflammation in your body.
Other causes can include:
- Endometriosis
- Uterine Fibroids
- Bacterial infection
- Adenomyosis or when the tissue lining the uterus begins to grow into the uterine walls
Here are some natural ways to overcoming menstrual cramps and pain:
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Natural Herbs
A 2012 study found that fennel seed was more effective than a placebo for controlling severe menstrual pain. In addition, it also relieves nausea and fatigue associated with menstrual bleeding in some women. Other natural ingredients you can add to your food is cinnamon, turmeric, and ginger root to relieve PMS symptoms. Other potent herbs include corydalis, frankincense, and myrrh.
2. Healthy Diet
Incorporate few dietary tricks to overcome menstrual pain. An anti-inflammatory diet rich in healthy fats, leafy green vegetables, nuts, and seeds will help a great deal. Also include foods rich in Magnesium such as spinach, almond, cashews, and organic soybeans. Magnesium helps to relax the uterine muscles that cause cramping. In addition, you should also add all B vitamins and Vitamin E from natural sources to help balance your hormones and menstrual flow.
3. Exercise
Gotta move your body ladies! Refrain from a sedentary lifestyle and get moderate, regular exercises to ease the pain. You don’t need to do high-intensity exercises. Yoga and walking can be effective to get your blood pumping enough to reduce cramping.
Especially the knees to chest move helps to relieve those craps. You can do this by hugging your knees to the chest and then release. You can also try out yoga poses to relieve pain.
4. Drink Plenty of Water and Sip Warm Herbal Tea
Keep yourself hydrated with plenty of water. Try raspberry leaf tea as it is considered to be an effective uterine tonic. Chamomile tea, ginger tea with lemon are also good. Avoid too much caffeine, carbonated drinks, alcohol during your periods as these can cause bloating.
5. Sleep More, Stress Less
Insomnia and an irregular sleep routine can disrupt your body’s circadian rhythm and aggravate inflammation. Similarly, stress can also have a negative impact on your hormone levels and cortisol levels. Help and support your body and mind to reduce inflammation.
Essential oils like lavender, clary sage and rose have shown to improve period pain when used as aromatherapy to deal with stress and better sleep quality.
6. Tend to Your Gut
The poor gut microbiome can also be the cause of inflammation in the body. Therefore support your gut to strengthen its natural estrogen detoxification by supplementing with a good probiotic and gut-friendly foods.
7. Use Chemical-Free Cosmetics
Go clean and green with your cosmetic products as most tend to have harmful chemicals that can cause an imbalance in hormones. Invest in natural products with chemical-free ingredients for a healthy beauty routine.
8. Try Acupuncture and Acupressure
You can use a heating pad or hot water bottle to reduce muscle spasms. Also, certain acupuncture points are effective to regulate blood flow during periods and help alleviate muscular contractions. Get in touch with a certified acupuncture /acupressure specialist.
Period pain is common, but it doesn’t mean you have to settle with that pain for a long time. Try out these natural remedies to ease the condition and have a pain-free menstrual cycle.
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