If you’re a girl, you know how horrible period cramps can make you feel. It comes with a host of issues including mood swings, headache, heavy bleeding, cramps, etc. And the most uncomfortable thing to deal with is a lack of sleep during your period.
Sleeping, especially on your period cramps can be tough. But there are some tips and hacks that will help you sleep better during menstrual cramps. Let's check out and prepare for better sleep!
What do periods have to do with sleep?
The menstrual cycle is full of hormonal changes and that can badly affect your sleep cycle in the first couple of days. Hormonal changes during your period can cause a rise in core body temperature. So if the temperature is too high you can struggle to fall asleep.
Women who most likely to experience period pain
- Those who are younger than 20 years of age.
- Begin puberty at 11 years or younger.
- Women who experience menorrhagia, or heavy bleeding during periods
- Never having given birth.
Why Is It Difficult To Sleep During Your Menstrual Cramps?
- Mood swings are common during your period, but at this moment you may feel irritable, anxious and find it hard to fall asleep at night.
- In order to fall asleep quickly and stay asleep, your body needs to be at a lower temperature while on periods. During this time it rises by about half a degree and this can make it harder to sleep.
- Muscle contractions and cramps are other common issues during the period. This mainly occurs because of chemicals called prostaglandins that form in the lining of the uterus. And it is usually concentrated in the lower abdomen and lower back.
The actual flow of your period doesn’t feel like much what it’s happening and sometimes you won’t even feel it coming out. You may feel some dampness in your private area and this may be caused by a few spots of blood on your underwear. That’s why most women tend to find tampons more comfortable to wear than sanitary pads. Once you get the hang of using tampons, you will find it difficult to go back to using pads. If you want to know more about tampons and how to insert a tampon with minimal discomfort, then check out the article in Soul Factors.
Tips To Help You Sleep Better During Your Period
Here are some tips and hacks that will help you sleep better amidst menstrual cramps.
Take a warm water bottle or heat wrap for relief. All you have to do is fill your bottle up with hot water and wrap it in something to make sure you don’t burn yourself, and place it right on the painful spot.
Heat works well if applied directly to the affected muscle, but your body will have a much easier time falling asleep in a cool environment. So try to keep your bedroom between 60-68 degrees for a cool sleeping climate.
Doing some light exercise on your periods can help lower stress levels and fatigued muscles. And at the same time, it’s easier to relax once you’re in bed.
- Avoid Sugary Snacks and Caffeine
It's best to avoid overly sugary things during this time because the intake of sugar and caffeine can spikes insulin levels, which can trigger cortisol productions.
SoulFactors is a
beauty blog that deals with women’s lifestyle, beauty, makeup hacks, and health. Once you check into it, you can go through articles that provide you information to reduce menstrual cramps and menstrual bleeding.
Best Sleeping Positions To Get Relief
Sleeping in certain positions can deal with relief from menstrual cramps. Here are the positions to sleep in to get relief from period cramps.
Fetal position is just like the fetus in the womb, it takes all pressure off the muscles that are cramping and reduces tension which in turn minimizes cramps. As your legs are squeezed together, it helps to reduce the chances of leakage even if you are having a heavy flow.
- Sleeping with a pillow under your knees
Take a pillow, keep this pillow under your knees and lie down on your back. Try to keep your legs straight and not higher or lower in height because this can affect the blood flow. By doing this it will help relax your muscles and bring you at ease.
Child pose is basically a yoga pose, but this pose will provide you with immense relief. It is similar to the fetal position, but this pose can also help soothe frequent headaches that women get with period cramps. And moreover, this pose also helps you sleep as it relaxes your mind.
Before you get into bed, taking a bath or working out can both ease period cramps.
Natural Remedies To Period Pain
Here are some effective home remedies to ease period pain and even prevent menstrual cramps. Let's check out.
Fennel seeds help to relieve cramps and discomfort related to premenstrual syndrome and menstruation. Also, it is a natural diuretic and digestive aid which helps reduce water retention and bloating.
Ginger-honey or chamomile will soothe nausea and bloating.
Drink lots of water it makes a big difference in keeping bloating to a minimum. And make sure to add high water-content foods in your diet like cucumber, watermelon, tomatoes, and asparagus.
Hopefully, you've got some new ideas on how to reduce pain when sleeping with menstrual cramps. Most of these tips and tricks are super simple to implement and the best part is that if you start doing them now, you can save yourself from pain later on.
