Many women notice certain symptoms just before their period, such as tender breasts, nagging headaches, and mood swings. Besides the fact that this is incredibly annoying, these symptoms are not a standard part of the menstrual cycle. Women with PMS often feel unheard, and hormone-related complaints like mood swings are laughed off, or abdominal cramps are underestimated.
However, premenstrual syndrome often dominates daily life for at least one week a month, and the symptoms can sometimes be so severe that the woman in question cannot leave the house. PMS is therefore a syndrome that we should take seriously and pay attention to. In this article, you will read about various physical and mental symptoms associated with PMS, as well as 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 before menstruation.
Physical PMS symptoms
- Bloating
- Painful and tense breasts
- Increased abdominal circumference
- Sleep problems
- Headache
- Fluid retention, for example in your hands or feet
Mental PMS symptoms
- Irritability
- Mood swings
- Binge eating
- Fatigue
- Lack of energy
7 possible solutions for PMS
Insight into your own cycle
Step 1 is actually learning to understand your own body, your cycle, and your complaints. Insight into your own body can bring so much peace! And when you start applying all the tips below, you will also notice that your complaints diminish or even disappear while monitoring your cycle and symptoms.
You can track your cycle in an app, your agenda, or for example, a journal.
Nutrition
What do you eat and drink in a day? And how often do you eat? The frequency and composition of your meals are of great importance to your hormones and, consequently, to your PMS symptoms. For a good hormone balance, it is advisable to avoid coffee, alcohol, sugars, and processed foods as much as possible.
What should you eat then? Especially healthy fats and proteins are important, as your hormones are built from them. You could consider the Mediterranean diet. This Mediterranean cuisine is known for pure ingredients, nuts, plenty of vegetables and fruits, seafood, and healthy fats.
Exercise
Besides good nutrition, exercise is also an essential pillar for addressing PMS symptoms. When you exercise, various hormones are activated, such as endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin - all hormones that provide a pleasant feeling.
Does this mean you now have to work out with dumbbells daily? No. Walking, swimming, yoga, and cycling are also excellent forms of exercise to regulate your hormone balance and alleviate PMS symptoms.
Sleep
Too little sleep or poor quality sleep affects your hormone balance and, consequently, premenstrual syndrome. A good night's sleep is therefore essential.
Ensure sufficient rest and relaxation before going to sleep; this promotes your sleep quality. Try to reduce screen use after 8 PM or use blue light blocking glasses. Also, try not to eat or drink anything after this time, except for water and herbal tea. A pleasant meditation or journaling can also help you unwind and go into the night without stress. When you experience stress, your body produces the stress hormone cortisol, which hinders the production of the sleep hormone melatonin and does not benefit your hormone balance.
Read here some tips for falling asleep relaxed.
Intoxications
There are various things that can worsen PMS symptoms. These include smoking and drug use, as well as consuming alcohol and coffee. Furthermore, there are also less obvious habits and products that can cause hormonal imbalance, such as toxic substances and parabens from cosmetics and, for example, cleaning products.
Stress and relaxation
As mentioned above, stress is toxic and detrimental to your hormone balance. Therefore, 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 good conclusion. However, we then need at least 5 minutes of rest. Our parasympathetic nervous system then reduces the production of the stress hormone cortisol and restores balance in our body. After this, we are recharged for a possible 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 almost continuously activated, leading to exhaustion and many complaints, including stress-related ones.
So, stress is not really bad, but counterbalance it with more than enough relaxation to nip PMS-related complaints in the bud. Break your stress cycle now.
Gratitude
And finally, not to be underestimated, gratitude. Gratitude and purpose are an incredibly important factor when it comes to your hormones. What do you get out of bed for every day? What makes you happy? Which people give you energy?
When you are not happy, your hormone balance changes, and your PMS symptoms will increase. By practicing a daily gratitude exercise, you create a pleasant energy and flow for yourself, which will boost your health!
