Period pain is common and felt by most women at some point in their lives. It’s usually felt as painful muscle cramps in your stomach and can even spread to the back and thighs. There are known steps you can take to relieve pain, though. Continue reading this helpful guide to find out how to reduce period pain naturally.
Causes of period pain
Period pain occurs when the muscular wall of the womb contracts. Mild contractions continually occur in your womb, but are usually so mild that most women don’t feel them. As part of your period, the wall of your womb starts to contract more to help the womb lining shed.
When the wall of the womb contracts, it compresses the blood vessels lining your womb. This temporarily cuts off blood and oxygen supply to the womb. Without this oxygen the tissues in your womb release chemicals that trigger pain.
While your body is releasing these chemicals from the womb, it is also creating other chemicals called prostaglandins. These encourage the womb muscles to contract even more, producing even more pain.
It’s not known why some women feel more pain than others. It could even be that those women produce more prostaglandins in comparison to others.
Other causes of period pain
There are other causes of period pain, though less common, and they include:
- Endometriosis – cells that normally line the womb grow in other places, like in the fallopian tubes and ovaries. These cells cause a lot of pain when they shed.
- Fibroids – non-cancerous tumours that grow in or around the womb, which make periods heavy and painful.
- Pelvic inflammatory disease – bacteria infects the womb, fallopian tubes and ovaries, causing them to become inflamed.
- Adenomyosis – the tissue that lines the womb starts to grow within the muscular womb wall, adding to the pain.
How to reduce period pain naturally
Of course, there are medicinal ways to try and reduce the pain you’re feeling from your period, like pain killer tablets. However, there are much more natural ways to alleviate the pain and reduce the discomfort.
Applying heat
By applying heat to the affected area of pain, you can dramatically reduce the discomfort you’re experiencing. Using a heat pad or a hot water bottle (wrapped in a towel) on your stomach can help to make you feel better.
Equally, having a hot bath can have the same effect on your body. The heat from the water helps to circulate blood, oxygen and nutrients to the area of pain, which helps to reduce the symptoms. Furthermore, a bath can help you to relax too, loosening any stiff muscles you may have because of the discomfort experienced.
Stop smoking
It has been discovered that smokers may actually feel more pain during their periods than non-smokers. Because of this, it makes sense to reduce the number of cigarettes you may be smoking.
As an added bonus, stopping smoking will drastically improve your overall health and increase your chances of a longer life.
Exercise
Because of the pain you’re feeling during your period, you may not feel like getting up and moving around. However, it has been proven that gentle exercise can help to reduce pain, including for periods.
Getting the body moving, even just for a simple outdoor walk, can increase blood circulation and release endorphins. Both of which are great natural pain relievers. If you feel up to it, you could even go for a swim or head out on your bike.
Relaxation techniques
Finding ways to relax are a great natural pain reliever too. Meditation at home, where you concentrate on your breathing, and slowing down your whole body, can help with the pain.
If that isn’t working, try to do some yoga or pilates. Not only are they great for the body, but they also help to relax you.
How to reduce period pain with Paingone
Using transcutaneous electronic nerve stimulation (TENS) at the source of pain can greatly reduce the discomfort you’re experiencing. A wireless TENS machine for period pain, like Paingone Easy, is suited for use all over the body – particularly shoulders, arms, legs and your back – and is ideal for reducing nagging, aching pains.
Paingone Easy is compact and lightweight, and can be worn under clothing, which makes it a good choice to discreetly apply to your skin, providing pain relief throughout your day. There are no complicated settings, wires or gels and its automatic treatment programme takes just 15 minutes.
If you require any further information on how to reduce period pain, or would like to know more about our drug-free pain relief, contact Paingone today.