Is Your Period Bringing You Down? Fight Back with These Steps

Once a month, our period pay us an unwelcome visit. With it, premenstrual symptoms (PMS) line up to ruin our lives for a few days. I promise this isn’t me being melodramatic, I’ve fought back at my PMS symptoms for years and in all ways possible. About 90% of women experience PMS symptoms, including headaches and bloating.

However, because we’re GR8 women, we don’t let our period bring us down. We have a world to run, right? Let’s look at some ways to fight back whenever those PMS symptoms attempt to bring us down.

1. Change Your Diet

If month over month, you continue to experience a bad period, it’s time to change your diet. A salt-heavy diet can exacerbate the bloating. Caffeine can make anxiety and irritability worse. Too much sugar can wreck your blood sugar levels. And alcohol can make any symptoms of depression worse.

Do your best to eat more fruits and veggies while on your period. Also, aim to eat at regular intervals to avoid dips and spikes in blood sugar.

2. Get Moving!

For most of us, the thought of exercising while on our periods seems like a nightmare. But if you want to fight back, you’ve got to get moving. Try core strengthening exercises like Pilates or yoga to help ease PMS symptoms. Mix vigorous aerobic activity with strength-training to fight back and feel better.

3. Check Your Vitamins

Although there’s not enough evidence to support if multi-vitamins work, it’s common for women with intense periods to experience vitamin deficiencies. Check with your doctor to test your levels of calcium, magnesium, and vitamins B6 and E. These vitamins may be related to many of the premenstrual symptoms women experience.

4. Explore Herbal Remedies

Although herbal remedies are unregulated and understudied, many women still swear by them for relieving symptoms such as cramping and mood swings. Consider asking your doctors about using chaste berry, ginger, dandelion, black cohosh, or evening primrose oil.

Also, with the surge of CBD oil, many women believe CBD can be an excellent natural remedy for their PMS symptoms. Learn more about the use of CBD for PMS symptoms.

5. Eyes on Your Stress

Yes, your period might be bringing you down, but you must care for yourself regardless. Keep an eye on your sleep patterns, and make a conscious effort to reduce your stress levels. Try different activities like meditation, yoga, walking, deep breathing, a massage, or anything else that soothes your mind.

6. Don’t Forget About Pain Relievers

While most women avoid taking over-the-counter medication every month to deal with PMS symptoms, they certainly can help. If you’re struggling with symptoms such as backaches, headaches, breast tenderness, and cramping, an OTC pain reliever like ibuprofen can be helpful.

7. Try At-Home PMS Remedies

If you’re looking for a way to fight back period symptoms fast and effectively, these at-home remedies will not let you down. While they only work for mild cases, they’re an easy way of managing symptoms. Apply a heating pad, a heat wrap, or a hot water bottle to your abdomen to relieve menstrual cramps.

A luxurious warm bubble bath is another way to help you wind down, sleep better, and melt stress away. All much needed to deal with PMS symptoms. Add a few drops of chamomile oil to the mix, and you’ll be pain-free in no time.

8. Seek Medical Guidance

Finally, don’t ignore your pain or label it normal. Next time you visit your doctor, ask for medical guidance for dealing with your symptoms. Treatment can be tailored to meet your needs. Some doctors may recommend birth control pills, others recommend hormone treatment, and some doctors even dive into anti-depressants depending on your symptoms.

Remember, next time your period tries to bring you down, fight back with these easy tips to feel and be GR8.