Menstruation Uncomfortable Symptoms & How To Deal With Them
Menstruation, also known as a period, is a natural biological process in females. It is the shedding of the uterine lining in the form of blood. It is very uncomfortable during the months. Here are the most common symptoms that are uncomfortable during menstruation and how to manage them
- Lower stomach ache: Prostaglandins are released during menstruation, which causes the uterus to contract and produce menstrual blood from the endometrium that has shed. Prostaglandins are released during menstruation, which causes the uterus to contract and release the endometrium, allowing the blood to flow freely and be expelled from the body. The uterus contracts harder and the discomfort usually gets worse when this chemical is secreted in large quantities. In addition, coldness can cause stagnation of blood in the pelvis, and stress can worsen blood circulation, which can also cause pain.
- Lower back pain: When your period starts, your pelvis expands up to facilitate easier menstrual blood flow. Lower back pain & discomfort are believed to be caused by the release of relaxin, an ovarian hormone that affects the muscles around the pelvis and lower back. Lower back discomfort can also result from reduced blood flow in the pelvis brought on by cold, stress, hormone imbalances, and excessive prostaglandin production.
How To Deal: Don't let your body get cold anyway. Try using a warmer or a blanket to warm your lower back and tummy. Some also use a hot bottle to provide warmth to the stomach and back. Moderate exercise or a foot bath with your favourite aromatic essential oil are other good ways to de-stress. If you spend a lot of time at your desk or stay in the same position for a long time, consider stretching and bending when you take a break from your work.
- Nausea & Sweating: Prostaglandins not only affect the uterus but also the stomach and intestines, so if they are secreted in big amounts, you might feel sick to your stomach or uneasy or nauseated. Menstrual pain-induced hunger loss is another factor, as it throws off the regularity of eating and strains the intestines and stomach.
How To Deal: It is also necessary to rely on medicine without giving up. If your nausea prevents you from going about your everyday business, do not hesitate to take medications that inhibit prostaglandin secretion. It's best to see a gynaecologist because over-the-counter drugs might not work. If you're experiencing mild nausea, try eating foods that suppress nausea. It is reported that ginger and mint work well to reduce nausea. You can sip on beverages like ginger or mint tea if you're not hungry. You tend to feel more nauseous when you're hungry, so it's important to eat without leaving your stomach empty. Choose foods that are easy to digest and absorb, and are easy to digest and absorb.
- Diarrhoea: When your menstrual cycle ends, progesterone, which inhibits uterine contractions, is released before and after ovulation. Additionally, progesterone inhibits intestinal contractions, increasing the likelihood of constipation during this time. When menstruation begins, progesterone levels decrease, which improves constipation symptoms, but instead, the intestines contract due to the secretion of prostaglandins, making diarrhoea more likely.
How To Deal: When dealing with menstrual-cycle-related diarrhoea, it's crucial to avoid cooling the body down. Please remember to dress warmly, especially in the area surrounding your tummy. Be careful not to eat too much because the sugars in fruits and beans have the effect of retaining water in the intestines, which can cause diarrhoea. Foods that aggravate the digestive tract, such as coffee, spicy foods, and cold beverages, should also be avoided. If you are worried about diarrhoea when you go out, it is a good idea to carry a type of antidiarrheal medicine that you can drink without water.
- Irritability and Depression: Follicle hormones and progesterone have an impact on the mind with the body. Moreover, changes in the body that are unique to menstruation, such as menstrual pain and discomfort in sensitive areas, can also make you feel depressed. You feel depressed at every stage.
- After ovulation - As the secretion of the follicular hormone, which maintains the balance between the progesterone and the autonomic nervous system, rapidly increases, the hypothalamus, which controls emotions, loses control and becomes easily irritated.
- Before Menstruation- Progesterone is known to produce mood changes, including anger and depression, and its increasing release tends to make you feel depressed.
How To Deal: Try to live a stress-free life without overdoing it. Please take good care of your body by maintaining a well-balanced diet, and getting plenty of sleep to avoid upsetting your hormonal balance and try not to get cold anyways. Aim to avoid regularly accumulating stress. We also suggest listening to your favourite music, sipping herbal tea, and heading to karaoke to let your hair down by singing along. The secret is to unwind occasionally to prevent stress and recover from physical and mental exhaustion and fatigue.
- Headache: During menstruation, there are two different kinds of headaches: tension-type headaches, which are brought on by stress in the shoulders and neck muscles, and second is migraines, which induce throbbing pain on one or sometimes both sides of the head. Many people get headaches during the ovulation period or before menstruation, and migraines are thought to be closely associated with menstruation. On the other side, the stress and exhaustion of menstrual discomfort might cause "tension-type headaches" during menstruation.
How To Deal: Depending on the type of headache, it is crucial to take the right action.
- For migraine- As dilated blood vessels in the brain are the source of discomfort, apply ice to the affected area or apply pressure to your points to stop blood flow. The pain may be exacerbated by light and noise, so try to lie down with your eyes closed in a dark and quiet room.
- For tension-type headaches- Unlike migraines, tension-type headaches can be treated by increasing blood flow and relaxing your muscles. We also advise putting your arms around your neck and arms for a gentle stretch or warming the painful areas with a steaming cloth, such as the back of your head, neck, and shoulders.
- Anaemia: A low concentration of haemoglobin in red blood cells in the blood is known as anaemia. Because haemoglobin is essential for distributing oxygen throughout the body, a deficiency will result in a variety of uncomfortable symptoms. When blood that would typically travel to the brain accumulates in the uterus during menstruation, less blood is given to the brain, which lowers the amount of haemoglobin, which delivers oxygen throughout the body and causes anaemia. Lack of iron, which is necessary for the synthesis of haemoglobin, causes iron deficiency anaemia, a disorder that is more common in women. Although a healthy woman loses roughly 20 mg of iron during a typical menstrual cycle, adult women still need 10 to 12 mg of iron per day.
How To Deal: Aim to consume more iron than normal. Iron mostly comes in two varieties: Heme iron has a fast absorption rate and is found in large amounts in animal proteins such as liver, cattle, pork, and fish. Non-heme iron is found in high concentrations in plant foods like tofu and natto, dairy products, and eggs, but it is not absorbed quickly.
Taking non-heme iron alongside vitamin C, which aids in absorption, maybe a good idea because non-heme iron has a low rate of absorption in the body. Green tea inhibits the absorption of iron. So, it should not be consumed with foods high in iron.
- Swelling: Progesterone secretion is highest during the time between ovulation and menstruation. To prepare the body for pregnancy, progesterone can store water, which results in bodily swelling.
How To Deal: Try to remove too much water from the body. If you're worried about swelling, try increasing your body's metabolism with a well-balanced diet, enough water, and massages instead of cutting back on food and liquids. If you want to stay hydrated, we recommend oolong tea or pearl barley tea, which have diuretic properties. To lessen swelling, gently massage the affected area.
- Rough & Hard Skin: Progesterone, which is secreted in large quantities before menstruation, has the effect of promoting sebum secretion. As a result, acne and pimples are more likely to appear. Acne and pimples are more prone to occur. In addition, your skin is more sensitive and less able to function as a barrier at this time, making it more prone to roughness than usual.
How To Deal: Keep your skin clean and avoid excessive care. To keep your skin clean, eliminate waste materials and dirt in addition to the extra sebum released. Excessive care with lotions and serums that are rich in oil and other ingredients may cause further skin irritation, so it is important to wash your face and moisturise properly. Eating a diet heavy in veggies and low in oil may be enough to decrease rough skin. As you are more vulnerable to the effects of UV radiation during your menstrual cycle, you must take appropriate precautions against UV radiation. You might wish to switch to a less irritating product if the sunscreen or makeup you typically use irritates you.
- Drowsiness- It is said that before your period, you tend to feel sleepy even during the day. It has a lot to do with changes in body temperature during the menstrual cycle. Follicle hormone secretion and a decrease in body temperature occur during the time between your menstrual cycle and the subsequent ovulation. On the other hand, progesterone is released during the high body temperature phase that occurs between ovulation and menstruation. The human body is adapted to detect changes in body temperature; it sleeps when the temperature decreases and wakes up when it increases. However, the body finds it difficult to cool down during the high-temperature period leading up to menstruation, especially during the night. This makes it challenging to get a good night's sleep and makes it easier to become sleepy during the day.
How To Deal: Let's try to get some good quality sleep. Aim to avoid staying up late by trying to go to bed at the same time every day. About three hours before going to bed, work out or take a soothing bath. Avoiding using computers, cell phones, and TVs right before bed is also crucial. But, please visit a hospital if your excessive tiredness interferes with your everyday activities as there can be other reasons.
- Sluggishness: You might feel sluggishness before or during your period because of swelling, a cold body, and poor blood flow. Feeling sluggish is hypothesised to be caused by a decrease in serotonin secretion, which has a soothing effect, as progesterone secretion increases before menstruation.
How To Deal: Reducing swelling and increasing blood flow may make you feel less exhausted. Aim to keep your lower body cool. Try stretching and doing some mild movement. Take care not to overindulge in salt as this may facilitate water retention in the body, leading to swelling and sluggishness. Consuming potassium-rich foods, such as bananas, spinach, and natto, will aid in the body's removal of salt and encourage the metabolism of water.