7 Natural Ways to Reduce or Relieve Menstrual Cramps

When it's that time of the month that you feel like your uterus is conspiring to kill, ladies what do you do? Every month, women who are post-puberty and pre-menopause have one thing in common - menstrual periods.  We all know that menstrual cramps often accompany the monthly flow also. In fact, a recent Quartz magazine article describes them as “almost as bad as a heart attack.” So what can you do to ease the pain naturally? Try these remedies:

Try herbal tea

Herbal tea can help relieve menstrual cramps. It keeps you hydrated and eases the pain by loosening up the cramps. Some of the herbal tea to try include raspberry leaf tea, ginger tea, tea with peppermint oil and cramp bark tea among others.

Use Essential Oils

Do you love essential oils? Mix a few drops of peppermint oil or lavender essential oil with water and rub on your abdomen.  It can be as effective as using a painkiller, but without harmful side effects.

Hydrate

Drinking as much water as possible before and during your period can greatly help with your menstrual cramps. Water helps increase blood flow to your womb, relaxing your cramping muscles in the process. Avoid any drink or food that are high in caffeine or sodium because they dehydrate you causing cramping of the muscles.

Exercise

For it to be effective, exercise before your period onset and not strenuously during this stressful time. It goes a long way to make sure you have a breeze period and also you can rest during your week-long cycle knowing that you put in a good, solid effort pre-period week.

Use a heating pad

A heating pad or hot water bottle should always be in every woman’s household. During your periods, filll the bottle with hot water and curl up. NCBI shows, ”Applying heat by using hot water bottles or heating pads, taking a warm bath or going to the sauna” can help treat “dysmenorrhea.”, painful periods.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture has anti-inflammatory effects on the body, but it is also known to help ease menstrual cramps. NCBI also supports the idea of using acupuncture as a natural method of relieving cramps.

Improve your diet

Diet has a lasting effect on our health, but improves it and adding supplements like magnesium can help your nerve and muscle functions. Magnesium is found in foods like avocado, cashews, kidney beans, peanut butter, black beans, almonds, oatmeal, and brown rice among others.