About 80% of women experience some sort of discomfort during their period, but only a small percentage may experience discomfort severe enough to interfere with their basic and daily functions. Unfortunately, I know women who are part of this small percentage and relate to it myself. And in the two years since I’ve had my period, I’ve found techniques that have helped me with the unbearable pain that comes with it, that might help you too!
Aspirin
My number one when I have my period is aspirin. Just put one in your mouth, wait about half an hour for it to kick in, and for the next few hours the pain is greatly reduced. It might not go away completely or last forever, but for those next few hours you can finish your homework or at least survive half a day of school! To be honest though, none of these techniques completely get rid of the pain, they just make it bearable enough to do most things!
A good brand I would suggest is Advil, but if you don’t live in Canada, just use the most popular brand of aspirin in your country. The more popular they are, the more likely they are to work. Personally, aspirin would most definitely be the first thought in my head when I feel my period coming. If you know your period well and know when you’re most likely to have it, take an aspirin a few hours before because day one cramps are the worst.
Some people don’t like aspirin when they have their period, they prefer a more natural way to relieve pain. Remember that this is only an option and not necessary.
hot water bottle
It’s probably not called “hot water bottle”, but I’ve called it that for as long as I can remember. It doesn’t even have to be a hot or hot water bottle at all. It can also be very cold, depending on your preference. Just a source of extreme heat or freezing cold pressed against your thighs and/or belly will do. It is not fast and lasts a maximum of one hour, but also depends on the duration of use. As long as you have it pressed against your stomach, it will be the best no matter how long you feel all day.
The position I suggest during this treatment is on your stomach so you can get the full effect. You will feel slightly suffocated, but placing your legs in an odd position while you do this will help. Turn on some Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime (as applicable) and relax. You might feel unproductive, but you will feel relaxed. And in the long run, I find that the feeling of relaxation would make productivity beat in the blink of an eye.
Go for a walk
If you’re on your bed dying of cramps and reading this article, it might seem like a ridiculous idea. It might even make you laugh. But believe me, I felt exactly that once, until I had to try it this way.
It was the first day of my period and I was literally dying. My parents had started this ritual every morning where we had to take a walk around our neighborhood because we were in quarantine and the sport we usually practiced had been canceled for the moment. I begged and begged not to go but my mum insisted, claiming I couldn’t suffer so much. At first when we were walking I would bend over, the music ringing in my ears trying to ignore it. I even stopped at one point to sit on the sidewalk. But after ten minutes of walking, I had completely forgotten the pain and I had no more pain! I ran, jumped, galloped, I was so happy! When we got home and I went back to my desk to finish some homework, and within ten minutes the pain was back. But for 15 minutes, the pain had faded! All thanks to exercise!
Yoga
I’ve never tried this, but I’ve heard it works, so instead of explaining and telling, I’m just going to link some YouTube videos that I think are the best for pain relief:
Please let me know if any of them work!
Take a bath
The baths are simply amazing. Add bath bombs, relaxing music, close the door, grab a rubber duck and voila! Won’t rid you of the pain but will relieve it and I’m 100% sure you’ll feel much, much better.
Healthy eating in general
If you’re one of those people whose cramps last for days, one way to ease the pain or end it faster would be to eat a healthy diet. Eat an apple, an orange, a banana instead of a bowl of crackers or cookies. Go to bed earlier and drink milk! Eat oatmeal in the morning instead of nothing. Little things like this in general will make you healthy and help reduce the pain you feel from those cramps.
I hope that these mostly natural methods will allow you to feel less pain during your period and I wish you good luck! I would suggest writing down these strategies so that when you have your period, you have plenty of resources at your fingertips!
