Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) overtakes women every month, and it seems, there’s no way to avoid it. Headache, irritability, swellings and permanent food cravings – every woman suffers from these symptoms monthly in a varying degree. PMS is a whole range of physical, psychological and emotional symptoms. Although they vanish after the menstruation starts, they often create a lot of problems for both women and people around them. How to help yourself to outlive these terrible days?
Symptoms of Premenstrual Syndrome
Premenstrual syndrome occurs due to the increase in the concentration of female sex hormones in woman’s body before menstruation. Symptoms of PMS are the following:
- headache,
- breast tenderness and swelling,
- abdominal cramps,
- insomnia,
- tearfulness,
- aggression,
- fatigue,
- increased appetite.
PMS Statistics
Psychologically PMS becomes apparent as irritability and anger against a background of oblivion and depression. Most often the symptoms of PMS are shown to the utmost at the age of 25-26 and especially strongly they occur at 30-40. Every month more than two thirds of women feel all the gamut of symptoms, one third – only some of them.
Woman’s Desires during Premenstrual Syndrome
If you forbid yourself to eat up a bit of chocolate or lie down for a while on the sofa instead of clearing up the flat, it would irritate you even more. It is not easy for your body anyway, so don’t be so exacting to it. Listen to what it wants and, finally, spare yourself! But you shouldn’t go too far in pandering to your weaknesses. Three pies per day would most likely lead to stomach disorders, but not rid you of PMS symptoms.
Diet Rids You of Irritability and Swellings during PMS
In order to rid yourself of irritability and improve your mood, drink mint and chamomile tea. If nerves are quite “at the breaking point”, motherwort or valerian tincture may be helpful. Try to reduce the intake of coffee, strong tea and coke, as these drinks contain caffeine, which makes you sprightly, while you need to calm down. Eat less salty and spicy products. They make you thirsty, so that you drink much more water than your body needs, which may lead to swellings. Cranberry juice is a natural diuretic and would reduce swellings and abdominal cramps. It’s better to give preference to cereals, bread, rice, potatoes, various kinds of pasta, seafood, seasonal fruits and vegetables. As for meat and dairy products, it’s better to go easy on them.
How to Ease Abdominal Cramps during Premenstrual Syndrome
If you’re suffering from abdominal cramps, warm bath may help you. It’s also useful to add the same mint and chamomile tea into the water, instead of foam bath. But during PMS and menstruation it’s not recommended to visit sauna. Full-fledged rest and sleep can really help prevent PMS. Have a walk in the fresh air and provide yourself with 8 hours of sleep in a well-ventilated room.
Premenstrual Diary
If you feel, that every month PMS changes your life dramatically, if it’s impossible to suppress irritability and anger, if food cravings don’t leave you even for a minute – you need to consult a specialist, as all this can be symptoms of endocrine system dysfunction. Keep a diary, where you note all symptoms of PMS and then show them to your doctor. This would provide a faster and better treatment of premenstrual syndrome.
