Drinking ample water and water-rich fruits and vegetables is healthy no matter period or not. However, menstruation can cause dehydration, headaches, and discomfort. You can try to pick healthier foods, like curbing sugar cravings by indulging in fresh fruits instead of eating a cake or pastry.
If your hormone levels aren't balanced, your body can make the lining too thick, which leads to heavy bleeding when you shed the thicker lining. If you don't ovulate (release an egg from an ovary), this can throw off the hormone balance in your body, too, leading to a thicker lining and a heavier period.
A good warm shower, however, definitely helps with period cramps and helps you relax during menstruation. And it is perfectly safe to wash your hair on any day during your period cycle. Through 'Debunking Myths', we acknowledge period myths and expose them with verified facts.
Dark chocolate appears to live up to the hype when it comes to relieving period cramps. Studies suggest that eating between 40–120 grams of dark chocolate daily during your period may help reduce pain. This is probably because dark chocolate is rich in magnesium, which can relax muscles and ease aches.
Having a lot of dairy products is not the best idea, as it can cause cramping. Dairy products like milk, cheese, and ice cream contain arachidonic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid), which can increase inflammation and can intensify your period pain.
Foods to avoid
In addition, coffee was found to increase cramps. “Refined sugar, common cooking oils, trans fats, dairy products, processed and red meat, refined grains, and alcohol are considered highly inflammatory foods. It is thought that these 'inflammatory foods' cause an increased release of prostaglandins.
This might surprise you, but dairy products like milk, cream, and cheese are some of the foods to avoid during periods. They are high in arachidonic acid which can act as a trigger for menstrual cramps.
Usually, menstrual bleeding lasts about 4 to 5 days and the amount of blood lost is small (2 to 3 tablespoons). However, women who have menorrhagia usually bleed for more than 7 days and lose twice as much blood.
What happens to your skin. As estrogen levels rise, you may notice a glow by the ninth day of the menstrual cycle. Between the tenth and thirteenth day of the menstrual cycle, estrogen will peak. This is also when testosterone levels will begin to rise.
Improper positioning of your pad is the number one cause of your period leaking to the back. Placing your pad with the wings too far back or too far forward is a sure-fire way to ruin your favorite pair of underwear. A crookedly installed pad will also deliver on the promise of leakage.
You'll find vitamin B6 in foods like eggs, fish and poultry, but you can take supplements too. There are also some herbal remedies that, although aren't proven, have shown some promise in reducing the length of your period, such as fennel, ginger and raspberry leaf.
Drinking chamomile, fennel or ginger tea is an easy, natural way to relieve menstrual cramps. Plus, these herbal teas can have other benefits, like stress relief and helping with insomnia.
"When estrogen peaks during the days right after a woman's period, and leading up to ovulation, the cells in the skin are stimulated to make more of these elements, resulting in a clear, glowing complexion. During this week, estrogen not only stimulates a glow but also keeps testosterone in check by shrinking pores.
Take a hot shower or bath – include aromatherapy with a shower tablet or bath bomb to create a relaxing and restful environment. Drink a warm beverage – a big cup of tea or hot water are a quick way to warm up and some herbal teas might support menstruation symptom relief.
You may have some pimples due to the hormonal changes you experienced in the week leading up to your period. Fortunately, once you start your period, your progesterone levels go down, which means your skin should start to clear up, according to Garshick.
Changing your pad every 3 or 4 hours (more if your period is heavy) is good hygiene and helps prevent bad odors. This is especially true if you'll be playing sports or rushing around from class to class. Changing pads often also helps prevent accidental leaks.
Polyps and Fibroids
Uterine polyps that grow on the cervix or in the lining of the uterus can also be a factor in heavy clotting. If you're experiencing heavy bleeding, large blood clots during your period or lower back pain, it could be a uterine obstruction like a fibroid.
Periods last around 2 to 7 days, and women lose about 20 to 90ml (about 1 to 5 tablespoons) of blood in a period. Some women bleed more heavily than this, but help is available if heavy periods are a problem.
Carbonated drinks, caffeine, and aerated drinks should also be avoided during menstrual days because they have high levels of sugar in them, which can cause inflammation and make the cramps more severe.
It is important for you to know which food aggravates the cramps and which doesn't. It is a myth that you cannot have eggs during your periods. It is packed with vitamins like B6, D, and E, which all work together for PMS. It is a rich source of protein and yes, would keep you full for a long time.