5 Simple Ways To Not Be A Complete B*tch When You PMS
It’s no secret by now that Eve took a bite of that diseased-encrypted fruit that makes all women lose their minds. Damn you, Eve! But ladies, let’s start controlling our PMS symptoms before they start controlling us. (In this article you will feel emotions of relief, and hope).
1. Diet and exercise reduce symptoms
I know, I know, nobody wants to hear how they’re diet and exercise can reduce their PMS symptoms especially when we are inclined to pop a pill to feel better within 30 minutes. But, it’s true! The trick is to avoid medicine. If you maintain a healthy diet and sweat it out you will feel great all month long, even on those bitchy days. According to Dr. Mark Hyman, the cause of PMS is all about your hormones. “The real cause for PMS is simply this: Your hormones become unbalanced, your estrogen levels increase and progesterone levels decrease, either relatively or absolutely”. While exercising, you release “feel-good” endorphins that actually make you feel better and happier. People pay big bucks on drugs to feel good and happy when all you need is to work out three to five times a week. It’s much cheaper and healthier than drugs. Your body needs exercise to help balance your hormones. Always wanted to try that Zumba class? Or a nice relaxing Yoga class? Do it! Now you have a reason to try. Can’t get motivated to work out? Take a listen to motivational speaker and fitness celebrity Chalene Johnson podcast for FREE. For diet, skip caffeine, alcohol, and refined sugar. (Don’t worry though ladies, you can still eat chocolate because it contains cacao, which is packed with healthy chemicals like flavonoids and theobromine that helps fight off diseases).
2. Vitamins will be your BFF
Exercise can help to release hormones and endorphins to make you feel bouncier instead of bitchier. Taking the right supplements will aid in reducing mood swings, headaches, and low energy levels. A daily multivitamin should already be apart of your daily diet as it contains vitamins A and C, which boots your immune system to fight off the common cold. Multivitamins have been scientifically tested to discover which vitamins are the best to take. According to Every Day Health, adding extra Calcium to your diet can reduce mood swings. A clinical trial of college women experiencing PMS found those who supplemented their diet with 500 milligrams of calcium twice daily had “significantly less depression and fatigue than those who didn’t”. Go ladies-find which supplements will be best for you.
3. Crying is okay
With all the hormone changes going on in our bodies it is okay to cry. Stress management can contribute to severe PMS symptoms and often make it worse. Pop in The Notebook, grab your tissues and prepare to cry it out, girl. Crying actually removes toxins from our body that build up due to stress. So crying is like a natural form of therapy or a nice message, but costs a lot less. Crying also lowers a person’s manganese level, which is responsible for transporting small toxic molecules. Crying literally makes you a healthier person.
4. Warn those around you
Most women keep their period business to themselves however; an open line of communication can make all the difference. Give your boyfriend, parents, friends, and siblings a heads up that your monthly gift is around the corner. Usually, when your support system knows what is going on, they become more sensitive and understanding of your feelings. And, all the really good boyfriends will try to help in anyway they can (buying chocolate, back rubs, and much-needed laughter). If you’re not comfortable discussing it, purchase a small calendar and mark your PMS days with smiley faces. Sooner or later, they will figure out what you mean ☺
5.Yaaas, Girl, SLEEP
Don’t worry your pretty little heart darling-sleep it off. Surprisingly, many women experience insomnia while they PMS. According to a 2007 National Sleep Foundation poll, 33% of women say their sleep is disturbed during their menstrual cycles. Exercise helps to achieve deep-sleep stages that your body and mind needs to recuperate. Keep track of days you have difficulty falling asleep as part of a Sleep-Diary to record a correlation between sleepless nights and PMS. Sleeping can actually help to make you live longer. In a 2010 study of women ages 50 to 79, more deaths occurred in women who got less than five hours or more than six and a half hours of sleep per night. Surprising, right? Sleep more, ladies and be less of a bitch on period day.