Disclosure: some of the links below are affiliate links. If you purchase a linked item, I will make a commission, at no extra charge to you. Updated February, 2021
I wanted to write this article after years of suffering and researching what can ease the dreaded PMS symptoms (mainly cramps). I am an individual that can endure pain, but the amount of physical and emotional pain I go through every cycle is just ridiculous. I have been poked, prodded, injected, drugged, and so much more to learn more about what happens to my body during “that time”. I take the pill and that has lightened the load physically and emotionally for the most part, but the time before my period starts is so painful, mostly in the way of body cramps. I have changed habits, cancelled plans, and taken supplements in order to get by a little less painful and here’s what works for me – most of the time.Â
Yoga light stretching – even though fetal position feels the best. Yoga fixes so much. Poses that can help ease PMS symptoms:  apanasana pose – lay on your back and hug your knees then go into happy baby pose by grabbing your feet, reclined bound angle pose, child’s pose, and legs up the wall pose.  The legs up the wall pose is good for almost everything, and it will help you feel relaxed as it eases anxiety too! Having a panic attack? Do you have a wall? Well put your legs up on that wall and BOOM – panic attack gone.Â
Working Out lightly – I avoid direct ab workouts like crunches, but core is okay, just don’t overdo it. If I workout too much, I’ll get stinging cramps that make me double over and go fetal again.Â
Tea!! I am a coffee addict so I allow myself my cup of black in the morning, but I switch to decaf green tea at about 8 or 9am as caffeine is known to prolong cramps and other symptoms and wreak terrible other symptoms on your endocrine system which we are trying to avoid. Switch to chugging water the rest of the day until bedtime, and then it’s a small cup of chamomile tea 1 hour before bed. Reminder that your body is literally detoxifying itself from something that it doesn’t need so treat it like a detox. Stay hydrated and things will go smoother for you.
Diet – I try to eat extra clean and include more fish this week with smaller meals throughout the day. Red meat is known to make the GI stuff worse through PMS so I avoid it and eat more healthy fats like fish and avocado. I eat raw nuts and berries to stabilize blood sugar and offset the low estrogen. Throw in chickpeas, lentils, and spinach to help with the low iron in your body.
Vitamins – I take a women’s daily multi-vitamin and I include evening primrose oil all month – I have found that when I take this regularly, I experience lighter cramps and I am able to function through them in my daily life.Â
Sleep – I love sleep and hold it high regard all the time, but especially at this time. My best advice is to get the sleep your body tells you it needs.
Dark chocolate – just because mood swings.
Shower or bath – I take hot showers before bed to raise my body temperature to allow me to get to sleep faster/deeper (not too hot though because that will cause more cramps and dry skin) and in the morning I shower to feel fresh for the day. I wash my hair in the morning because I don’t really like to sleep with wet hair (and it’ll look weird the next day if I sleep on wet hair, and I want to feel good about myself, not worse)
What are some other thing that you’ve found that ease your PMS symptoms?Â
What symptoms did I forget about? How could I forget them??
