How To Fix The Worst Of Your Period Problems
Don’t worry; we are here to save that day... And keep temptations at bay.
1. Mood Swings
When that time of the month starts, it is accompanied with a rapid drop in the estrogen levels in the body. This is your body’s way of telling you that you just lost another one of the precious eggs that make you, you. Thus your body takes a temporary command on your moods, telling you what you should feel and when. And oh boy, it is worst than it sounds because you end up taking turns becoming the she-hulk or the girl who has just blown through a box full of Kleenex and chocolate after watching The Notebook and The Fault in Our Stars five times in a row.
What to do: There is not much you can do about it other than keeping calm or mediating. Just try not to eat your partner’s head off... Or you could snack on protein based foods to avoid blood sugar fluctuations which may make the condition worst.
2. Cravings
Craving and PMS are like the Bonnie and Clyde of the monthly menstrual cycle. Why? Well, because it leaves you wanting carby, sugary, salty and fatty comfort food which are a big no-no considering the state you are in at that moment. This is all the fault of increase in the stress causing hormone called “Cortisol” and reduction in the amount of “Serotonin”, the hormone that induces calm.
What to do: Curb your cravings halfway. Like,
- Have baked sweet potato wedges when you are craving chilli fries. That way, the potassium from potato will control water retention while the Vitamin C it provides is very good for the skin.
- For your Chinese food cravings, have some brown rice and broccoli (without the sauce). The fibre in here keeps you regular and laying off the sodium keeps you from bloating.
3. Weight Gain
Once again, if those pesky little hormones that make your body work start retaining water, You may just end up gaining weight.
What to do: Here, caffeinated drinks might just turn out to be a huge help as they are a natural diuretic. Also, exercising or doing yoga might also help you shed off the water weight that you have gained. It also helps with the PMS.
4. Gut Trouble
When you are going through your monthly cycle, the uterus contracts to get rid of unfertilized egg as well as the endometrial lining that has formed over it. Now the same hormone that is responsible for the contraction of uterus, contacts the digestive tract as well. This may result is icky symptoms like constipation, bloating, nausea and diarrhea.
What to do: As always, the first line of defence should be cutting down on the salty and sugary junk food, as it will help keep the bloating from getting worst. Also, if you can hold it, take ibuprofen or hormonal birth control pills (Pills that come with a low dose of estrogen may be good for sensitive stomachs).
5. Fatigue
Fatigue is the most common symptom, along with back pains, that makes its way into the life of women right around the time of their monthly cycle. The cause behind it might be the decline in hormonal levels that occur before the period starts.
What to do: Get proper seven to eight hours of sleep at night, followed by a 30 minutes moderate cardio in the morning. This will definitely help beat the fatigue.
6. Lower-Back Pain
Lower-Back Pains... Or what we’d like to call cramps in disguise in another common problem you have to deal with right around that time of the month. Since uterus tilt towards the back during menses, it might occur because of that.
What to do: A weekly session of yoga, along with heating pads can really help get rid of the pain.
7. Headaches and Migraines
Whenever it is that time of the month and your head is giving you shit because of it, the decrease in estrogen production in your body might be the fault. Decrease in the amount of estrogen hinders the activity of a number of key neurotransmitters, which results in headaches and in extreme conditions, migranes.
What to do: Start taking NSAIDs a couple of days before you think that your period related headaches make your life a living hell. In case of migraines Magnesium Oxide (an OTC Supplement) may help. If the problem persists, you better talk to your doctor.
8. Acne
Increase in the oil-glad production due to high progesterone levels (even if the testosterone levels stay steady) might be the culprit behind breakout of acne.
What to do: Use gentle cleansers on your skin to get rid of all the oils that are causing acne. Prescription medication as well as BC pills with drospirenone can also help in treating acne.
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