Premenstrual syndrome, or PMS, is a combination of symptoms you may experience a week or two before your menstrual cycle. Although not all women suffer from PMS, due to hormonal changes, many women complain of PMS during the week before their period. The symptoms usually lessen within a day or two after their period starts.
PMS is challenging for women as they cope with symptoms such as mood swings, bloating, irritability, acne, food cravings, fatigue, breast soreness, cramps, and so on. How can you relieve your PMS symptoms? Try one of these five ways to lessen your symptoms.
Exercise
While suffering from PMS, the gym is probably the last place you feel like going to. But after a sweaty workout, you’ll definitely feel better. Thirty minutes of moderate-intensity exercise on most days of the week is known to improve a women’s mood and overall sense of well-being. Exercise releases mood-boosting endorphins. Whatever your preferred exercise, yoga, dance class, jogging, or simply going for a walk, do your best to get yourself there. Exercise is an easy treatment to make you feel better fast. And you’ll feel so much better relaxing on your couch after a good workout.
Clean Your Diet
What you eat affects how you feel. Clean up your diet, and you’ll feel better and lessen many PMS symptoms.
Avoid foods and drinks with salt, sugar, refined flour, and caffeine in the two weeks leading up to your period. Start the day off by eating protein-rich food such as eggs, nut butter, or a protein shake to help balance your blood sugar.
Don’t skip meals. Instead, eat small meals evenly spaced throughout the day to keep your blood sugar levels balanced.
Increase your fiber intake by eating vegetables, nuts, seeds, fruit, and whole grains. Add two tablespoons of ground flaxseed to your daily intake to balance your hormones. You can sprinkle the flaxseed over your salads or other foods.
Try to avoid environmental estrogens from pesticides by eating organic food, especially organic animal products.
Get Enough Sleep
Getting enough sleep is vital. Try to maintain regular sleeping habits by going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day. This may help lessen your mood swings and fatigue.
Learn to Relax
Finding ways to relax and reduce your stress will help you if you suffer from PMS. Relaxation may include massage, meditation, and breathing exercises.
A long, hot bath may be just the form of relaxation that you need. Heat makes everything feel better, including PMS-related cramps and tension. Add Epsom salt to your warm bath, and the magnesium in the salt will help your muscles relax.
Learn what relaxation works for you, and be sure to find “me time” to relax.
Use Birth Control
For some women, hormonal birth control helps with PMS symptoms such as cramps, bloating, headaches, or breast tenderness. Telemedicine enables you to get birth control delivered to you — hassle-free. With a company such as Nurx, simply select your desired prescription, tap into a doctor’s advice on the best method for you, answer a few health questions, enter your address information, and complete your order. It’s that simple.
Coping with PMS symptoms is trying for many women, but with a combination of therapies, you can relieve many of your symptoms.
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