Many women notice certain symptoms right before their periods, such as sensitive breasts, nagging headaches and mood swings. Aside from the fact that this is of course incredibly annoying, these symptoms are not a standard part of the menstrual cycle. Often women with PMS feel unheard of, and hormone-related symptoms such as mood swings are laughed at, or stomach cramps are underestimated.
Yet premenstrual syndrome often dominates daily life for at least one week a month, and the symptoms are sometimes to such an intense degree that the woman in question cannot leave the house. So PMS is a syndrome that we may take seriously and pay attention to. In this article you will read about various physical and mental symptoms associated with PMS and 7 possible solutions.
PMS symptoms
PMS stands for premenstrual syndrome and is a collective term for a number of physical and psychological symptoms that occur prior to menstruation.
Physical PMS symptoms
- Bloating
- Painful and tense breasts
- Increased abdominal girth
- Sleeping problems
- Headache
- Fluid retention, such as in your hands or feet
Mental PMS symptoms
- Irritability
- Mood swings
- Binge Eating
- Fatigue
- Lack of energy
7 possible solutions for PMS
Understanding your own cycle
Step 1 is actually learning to understand your own body, your cycle and symptoms. Understanding your own body can give you so much peace of mind! And when you start applying all the tips below, you will notice that while monitoring your cycle and symptoms, your symptoms will diminish or even disappear.
You can track your cycle in an app, your calendar or a journal, for example.
Nutrition
What do you eat and drink in a day? And how often do you eat? The frequency and composition of your meals is of great importance for your hormones and therefore for your PMS symptoms. For a good hormone balance, it is advisable to avoid coffee, alcohol, sugars and processed foods as much as possible.
So what do you eat? Especially healthy fats and proteins are important because your hormones are built from these. You might think about the Mediterranean diet. This Mediterranean cuisine is known for pure ingredients, nuts, lots of fruits and vegetables, seafood and healthy fats.
Motion
In addition to good nutrition, exercise is also an essential pillar in addressing PMS symptoms. This is because when you exercise, various hormones are activated such as endorphins, dopamine and serotonin - all hormones that make you feel good.
Does this mean you have to use dumbells every day from now on? No. Walking, swimming, yoga and cycling are also fine forms of exercise to regulate your hormone balance and relieve PMS symptoms.
Sleep
Too little sleep or poor quality sleep affects your hormone balance and thus premenstrual syndrome. A good night's sleep is therefore essential.
Get plenty of rest and relaxation before you go to sleep; this will improve your sleep quality. Try to reduce screen use after 8 p.m. or use blue-filter glasses. Also try to avoid eating and drinking after this time, except for water and herbal tea. A nice meditation or some journaling can also help you switch off and go into the night stress-free. When you experience stress your body produces the stress hormone cortisol, which interferes with the production of the sleep hormone melatonin and does not help your hormone balance.
Read here some tips for falling asleep relaxed.
Intoxications
There are several things that can aggravate PMS symptoms. These include smoking and drug use, as well as drinking alcohol and coffee. There are also less obvious habits and products that can cause hormone disruption, such as toxins and parabens from cosmetics and detergents.
Stress and relaxation
Already stated above, stress is toxic and disastrous for your hormone balance. So try to reduce or even avoid it as much as possible.
As humans, we are built to manage an average of 20 minutes of intense stress. Long enough to escape most life-threatening situations or bring them to a successful conclusion. However, we do need at least 5 minutes of rest after that. Our parasympathetic nervous system then reduces the production of the stress hormone cortisol and restores balance to our body. After this, we are recharged for any next phase of stress.
However, our stress moments nowadays often last much longer and we hardly give our bodies time to recover. As a result, our parasympathetic nervous system remains activated almost continuously, leaving us exhausted and experiencing many complaints, including stress-related complaints.
So stress is really not a bad thing, but put more than enough relaxation in return to quell PMS-related symptoms. Read here how to break your stress cycle!
Gratitude
And finally, not to be underestimated, gratitude. Gratitude and meaning are an incredibly important factor when it comes to your hormones. What do you get out of bed every day for? What makes you happy? Which people give you energy?
When you are not happy your hormone balance changes and your PMS symptoms will increase. Doing a gratitude exercise daily will create a fine energy and flow for yourself, which will boost your health!