9 Effective Life Hacks to Follow During Your Period

Do you remember when your last menstrual period started or for how many days it lasted? If not, start paying attention. Keeping a track of your menstrual cycle helps you to understand what is normal for you, time ovulation, and detect important changes- like a missed period or unpredictable menstrual bleeding.

While the irregularities related to the menstrual cycle are not serious, sometimes they can cause several health issues. If you want to get rid of those health issues and the uneasiness periods cause, then here are some simple life hacks that can be helpful.

What is a menstrual cycle?

The menstrual cycle is a series of changes a woman’s body undergoes. Every month, one of the ovaries releases the egg- a procedure known as ovulation. At the same time, hormonal changes prepare the uterus for conceiving. When ovulation takes place and the egg does not fertilize, a lining of the uterus sheds through the vagina, which is known as a menstrual period.

What is the normal cycle?

The menstrual cycle, which is generally from the first day of one period to the first day of the next period is not the same for every female. Menstrual flow occurs every 21 to 35 days and lasts 2 to 7 days. For the initial few years when menstruation starts, long cycles are noted. However, menstrual cycles tend to be short and become more regular with the growing age.

The menstrual cycle tends to be regular- about the same time every month- or somewhat irregular, and a period might be heavy or light, painful or painless, short or long, and would still be regarded as normal. Be cautious that using certain kinds of contraception, like birth control pills and intrauterine devices (IUDs) will bring changes in your menstrual cycle. In such situations, it is best to consult your doctor about what to expect.

While getting near to menopause, your menstrual cycle may again become irregular. However, as the risk of uterine cancer increases with age, you must discuss any kind of irregular bleeding during menopause with your doctor.

How to track the menstrual cycle?

To find out what is a normal cycle, start by keeping a track of your menstrual cycle on the calendar. At the outset, you may start by tracking your starting date every month for many months in a row to find the regularity of your periods.  It is one of the easiest life hacks to follow during your period. If you are too much concerned, then make a note of these below-mentioned following things every month:

ü  End date. Generally, how long does your menstrual period last? Is it shorter or longer than always?

ü  Record the heaviness of your flow. Is it heavier or lighter than normal? How often do you need to change your sanitary pad?

ü  Do you experience abnormal bleeding between the periods?

ü, Define any pain that is associated with your menstrual period. Does the pain feel worse than always?

ü  Other changes also need to be noted. Have you experienced any kind of changes in your behavior or mood during your menstrual cycle? Did any new things happen around the time of change during your menstrual periods?

Instability, fatigue, cramps, and mood swings are common during periods, but many of you will be surprised to know that whatever you eat can affect how you feel during this time.

Getting the right nutrition during these days helps in easing muscle pain, cramps, bloating, and headaches. Though it might seem ok to binge eat, you must take the difficult road and make the right decisions. To help you, we have created a list of foods that you must avoid during periods.

Important Life Hacks to Follow During Menstrual Period

1.       Avoid alcohol- It is one of the life hacks that many of us miss following. During your period, please keep alcoholic drinks away from you.

While alcohol may lessen cramps temporarily, there are several negative effects for you to ignore- despite the temporary relief it may offer you. It can make your period irregular and increase the estrogen level in the body, which in turn will worsen the symptoms.

2.       Avoid caffeinated drinks- Are you addicted to coffee? If so, you must keep your addiction in control during your period days. This will prove helpful because caffeine is a stimulant, which causes fluctuation in hormones, which is something to avoid during your period. It increases heart rate and blood pressure causing anxiety attacks and worsening the PMS symptoms.

3.       Avoid dairy products- This might surprise many, but dairy products like cream, cheese, and milk are some of the foods that should be avoided during periods. They contain a high amount of arachidonic acid which can trigger menstrual cramps.

Also, thanks to the presence of artificial hormones in milk, dairy products are considered as one of the major causes of hormonal adult acne in females. So, if you are suffering from conditions like endometriosis, PCOS, then it is better to discuss with your doctor.

4.       Do not eat refined grains- This is one of those simple life hacks that most of us avoid. As processed foods lose their nutritional value, the same thing happens with refined grains too.

While refining the grains, their essential vitamins and nutrients are lost, which affects your blood sugar level and increases cravings. Pizza, bread, tortillas, and cereals must be avoided as they can cause constipation and bloating.

Now, this was all about the foods that should be avoided. However, there are a few simple life hacks that can be of utmost relief during the periods.

5. Keep spare pants in a drawer at work or inside a pouch and keep them in your backpack. Leaking blood on your pants is quite predictable. If you know that it is going to happen, then why not be prepared for it. Always keep pairs of good pants inside your backpack or desk and use them whenever needed.

6. Have a heating pad with you that does not need an outlet. The heat will not only make you feel cozy and nice, but it stimulates the flow of blood and reduces pain from menstrual cramps. Most of the heating pads must be connected, but if you have a microwave in your office, you do not need an outlet to get relief from your cramps.

7. Plan your snacks ahead of time to ensure you are not feeling crazy with salt. Another important ingredient that makes your body preserve more water is salty foods, which you possibly crave during your periods. Avoiding salty foods is one of the important life hacks you must follow.

Save yourself from the irresistible cravings by giving snack prepping a try. Some of the good snacks to include during your periods are oranges, bananas, almonds, dark chocolate, etc.

8. Sleep an hour earlier than usual- This is another one in the list of simple life hacks. This is the time when your body needs rest, so make sure your body gets enough of it. Going to bed early from the usual time is the right way to combat period cramps and uneasiness.

9. Take painkillers at least two days before the period starts- Prostaglandins, the hormones that spike a few days before your menstrual period triggers your body into the menstrual cycle, so that is the reason why you possibly experience cramping. It is yet another one in the list of essential life hacks to follow. You can reduce the cramps by taking painkillers before time- no need to wait for the period to come.

Try these simple life hacks and let us know how they helped you in the comments section. If you know any other hacks that can be helpful for ladies during their periods, please share them with us.