Periods- The bane of every woman?s existence. You should never be ashamed of getting your period, but let?s be real: that doesn?t mean it doesn?t suck.
With a gush of blood comes severe back pain, cramps, lethargy, bloating, headache and a steady diet of chocolate bars. I guess that you could just suck it up and deal with it for a few days, laying in bed and waiting for it to pass. Or you could take a look at these tips and tricks that will probably make the whole experience a lot easier. Did you know that there are certain foods you can eat and hacks that will help ease your cramping pain and your PMS?
1.?Track your period
The best thing to use to track your period is an app. You keep it on your phone and it aggregates all the information pertaining to your cycle. These apps will remind you when your period is about to start so you?re prepared. There are so many apps available in Apple store and Android like Maya, Period tracker and My calendar.
2. Hydrate yourself
Drink water. Drink a lot. It’s easy to get really dehydrated when you’re losing that much fluid, and chugging water will help ease the most common symptoms, such as bloating and fatigue. Resist the urge to purchase the sugary energy drinks you see in the stores, as they will only make you feel worse.
3. Prepare your own pad
There are so many pads available in so many sizes. But, you should have an extra large pad for heavy flow nights. My personal favourite is Whisper and Lady Anion sanitary napkins. Sometimes, we can?t afford to buy pads in all the sizes so prepare your own extra large pad. You just need a regular pad and a panty liner. Use panty liners to extend your short pads.
4. Say NO to Dark Colour Panties & Right Panties
You heard it right. People tend to say yes to dark colours, but no! Sometimes you stain your panty,?and when the colour of your panty is dark,?you cannot see the stain. ?If you can, try to keep a?separate set of undies for those days and the panty should be full coverage. If you feel uncomfortable in your normal panties or if it is difficult to remove stains then use a bikini panty since it is waterproof.
5. Right Clothes
Wear dark clothes during those days. If you stain, it will not show. Wear long tops so that it covers your back pants. And to prevent your clothes from staining use tight shorts beneath your pants.
Don?t use hot water to remove or wash your stained panties. Instead, use cold water to wash your panties. Using cold water will remove the stain completely and will not leave a stain after washing it.
6. Emergency pad?
Toilet paper is your saviour when you are out of pads during emergency situations. I know this sounds gross, but I save money when I’m on my period by making pads out of toilet paper. Get the strong toilet paper.
7. Don’t Stain your bed
Keep an old towel or a?soft sheet under your bed and pull it out during that time of month and never stain your sheets again?
8. Heal your cramps using a hot water bag
Everyone knows about using a hot water bag on their stomach to relive cramps. But the water bag sometimes gets too hot. A cool way to use the hot water bag is to lay on your back and put the hot water bag on your lower back. It works better than putting it directly on your stomach. And there is no need to take it off.
9.Try a yoga pose for fast cramp relief
This yoga pose called the ?downward facing dog? is great for providing fast relief from period cramps.
10 . Say No to Caffeine
Sorry to my coffee lovers, but reaching frantically for the coffee isn’t going to help you out in the long run. Caffeine is known to make your PMS symptoms even worse, and it’s linked to elevating the levels of estrogen in the body. Instead, sip warm water infused with green tea ?and lemon throughout the?day. Get green tea here!
11. Say No to Salt
Salt make you retain too much water, which leads to uncomfortable bloating. Make an effort to eat less salty foods; say no to those crispy French fries and instead buy raw, unsalted almonds. Use less sodium even when you are cooking.
12. Avoid these foods during PMS
- Caffeine and Foods containing caffeine like caffeinated soda, tea, and coffee
- Fried and Fatty foods
- Salty and sour foods that contain high amounts of sodium like pickles, canned foods, chips, snacks, salted popcorn.
- Sugary foods like candy.
- Dairy products like milk and cheese.
- Meat.
13. Right foods
During Periods take foods that are rich in Calcium, Iron and Vitamins. Dark chocolates and Banana will be your best friend during periods. Foods like spinach, boiled potatoes, wheat bread and green tea are very good too during periods. Keep some dark chocolates in your handbag during periods to keep munching on it.
14. Bluff it/ an emergency period kit
You don?t know where you?d be when your period starts. So, always keep a small supply of pads, tampons, vaginal cleaning wipes, hand sanitizer and baby diaper rash cream(rash cream will save you from summer itchiness during your period) in your favourite makeup pouch so you?re not caught unawares. If you get your period, you’ll need to take your pad out in front of everyone. The makeup pouch trick will save you from a lot of embarrassment. Get a pretty little makeup/utility pouch here!
Get Vwash wipes at a special price!
15. Sleep more
It’s been proven that it’s normal for our sleep cycle to get a little messed up before and during our periods. The National Sleep Foundation says that 30 percent of women report a lack of rest and sleep while they’re menstruating. This makes us cranky and less likely to make healthy choices during the day. So grab your eye mask and curl up in bed.
16. Subscribe to a period pamper box
Pamper yourself with some good facial or else subscribe to a period pamper box. They will send you handpicked health care or skin care products with which you can pamper yourself. One of my trusted Period Pamper Box is ?Violet Box?. You can also try “Being Juliet” and “My gift Box“.