Dealing with Menstrual Pain

I don't know of anyone who enjoys dealing with menstrual pain. Aaaaaaaaargh! It saddens me though, that the first solution most of the ladies around me turn to is pain killers (Panadol, Ibuprufen etc) so i decided to share some of my 'natural' remedies and hope we can all take a more 'natural' perspective towards dealing with the pain.

What actually causes this pain?

The uterus contracting to enable the lining to be released since there was no fertilisation. When the uterus contracts too strongly, it can press against nearby blood vessels, reducing oxygen supply to the muscle tissues and causing pain.

For most of us menstrual pain is still manageable however if you have excessive pain please visit a doctor to get checked as this could indicate endometriosis. How do you know its excessive? If it hinders you from carrying out your daily activities in a major way.

Below are 4 things that can help you make that time of the month more bearable:

1) Exercise

Sounds ridiculous right? I have personally tried this and it does work! You don't have to spend an hour on a treadmill but something as simple as talking a walk helps your body pump more blood resulting in endorphons being released and reducing the pain. I have made it a habit to exercise at least twice a week to keep myself active, Oh and i walk to work, 10 minutes going and 10 minutes coming back home = 20 minutes of walking daily. Yay! 

2) Heat

Heat relaxes the contracting muscles and so i usually take my water bottle fill it up with hot water and keep it on my stomach. So whilst drafting this i actually realised i can purchase a hot water bottle/ bag heat online, so i just paused and got one on Lazada =) Super excited to try that out once it has been delivered but Ya applying heat really helps relieve the pain.

3) Grow in love with Tea

Ginger is known to relieve cramps and i believe actually helped make my irregular period regular.

Mint & cinnamon are also known to relieve cramps but i am yet to try them out.

4) Don't neglect your diet

I found that my menstrual pain reduced towards the end of last year till a few months ago because i had changed my diet to include more green leafy vegetables and high fibre foods and had completely cut out fast food, meat and other foods high in trans fat. Then when i recently started my bad eating habits my cramps became slightly bad. So now i know the importance of eating well! Sugar and diary are a No No (also because this has done wonders for my skin) so if you take a lot of milk, sugar etc and have really bad menstrual cramps consider reducing your diary intake. 

Thank you for reading and remember pain killers are not always the answer.

Love X Blessings,

Nyasha Nicole.