9 Surprising Habits Making Your Period Worse

Do you dread that time of the month? Well, you’re not alone. Periods can be a real pain, literally and figuratively. Many of us experience discomfort, ranging from mild cramps to debilitating pain to mood swings. But what if some habits or choices might be making things worse? While we often chalk it up to normalcy, it’s crucial to understand the factors that might be making your period a lot worse. Plus, there are natural solutions to help ease these symptoms and improve your overall menstrual health. Let’s explore how some lifestyle choices and emotional factors come into play, and what you can do to find relief.

Common Period Symptoms

Before we dive into the top habits that are making your period worse, let’s take a look at the most common symptoms that are experienced.

Menstrual cramps (dysmenorrhea)
Mood swings
Fatigue
Headaches
Nausea
Bloating
Tender breasts
Fluid retention
Muscle aches
Joint pain
Headaches
Acne
Diarrhea or constipation

In the next section, you’ll discover the hidden culprits and natural solutions that can ease your monthly discomfort. Whether it’s simple dietary tweaks or better stress management, there’s a strategy for everyone. So, let’s take control and make your period a bit more manageable.

Factors Worsen Period Symptoms

The way you live your life can significantly impact your period experience. Everyday choices such as diet, physical activity, and sleep play crucial roles. What you eat can dramatically affect how you feel before and during your period. Your diet is like a mirror to your body’s overall health, as what you eat can significantly impact how you feel. Let’s dive into the 8 common habits that make your period symptoms worse.

1. Sugar

The most common but overlooked culprit to increased discomfort is consuming high amounts of sugar. The reason being that sugar leads to rapid fluctuations in blood sugar levels, causing inflammation, increased mood swings and fatigue. In particular, inflammation heightens cramps and fatigue so reducing sugar will reduce these symptoms.

2. Processed Foods

A very popular go-to for many people is processed foods. Yes, we know life can get busy and we don’t always have the time to cook from scratch, but it’s extremely important to do this before and during your period. Why might you ask? Processed foods worsen period symptoms because they contain high levels of salt and trans fat, which cause bloating and inflammation leading to aggravated symptoms.

3. Diary

Diary is often riddled with hormones and fats that often disrupt the natural hormones in the body, causing a hormonal imbalance and inflammation. Both of which contribute to worsening of menstrual symptoms. Sources include cheese, whole milk, and ice cream. Limit these to maintain hormonal balance.

4. Caffeine

Though a quick pick-me-up, caffeine can cause dehydration and make muscles tense, intensifying period cramps. Aswell as coffee other sources that contain caffeine are tea and energy drinks (sometimes even the sugar-free natural ones!).

5. Alcohol

Similarly to caffeine, it’s no surprise that alcohol also tops our list of common culprits. Alcohol increases the amount of free radicals in the body, causing oxidative stress on cells and inflammation. As a result of this, exacerbated period symptoms.

6. Lack of Exercise

When Netflix and chill turns into an entire lifestyle, it can worsen your period cramps. Research suggests that regular moderate exercise releases endorphins, which act as natural painkillers.¹ Why is that? Because physical activity provides the following benefits:

Improved Circulation: Regular exercise improves blood flow, which can help reduce the severity of cramps and bloating.
Hormonal Balance: Physical activity helps regulate hormones and increase endorphins, those “feel-good” chemicals that can naturally alleviate pain.

7. Not Enough Sleep

Ever noticed how everything feels worse after a restless night? Lack of sleep ight be making those period pains sharper. Sleep is your body’s natural reset button and not getting enough can contribute to more severe period symptoms. How exactly does this affect your period? Sleep deprivation impacts your hormonal balance, increases stress levels, and increases pain sensitivity. Tiredness makes the body more sensitive to pain, meaning cramps can feel more intense. Prioritise getting 7-9 hours of sleep per night to keep both your hormones and symptoms in check.

8. Poor Stress Management

Underestimating stress’s role in menstrual health is easy. Did you know that stress can have a tangible impact on your period? When you’re stressed, your body goes into fight-or-flight mode, releasing hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. While these hormones are great for helping you survive immediate threats, they aren’t so helpful for menstrual health.

High levels of cortisol, alter progesterone levels which causes hormonal imbalances. This hormonal disturbance doesn’t just affect the mind; it worsens cramps and can create cycle changes making periods more frequent or irregular.²

9. Lack of B-Vitamins

Maintaining adequate levels of b-vitamins is key to supporting overall energy, mood, and well-being during menstruation. In particular, low levels of B12 (and B9 (folate) can make menstrual symptoms like fatigue, mood swings, and cramps more intense.

B12 is crucial for nerve function and oxygen transport, and a deficiency can lead to fatigue and irritability, which can worsen period-related tiredness and brain fog. Found primarily in animal products, so vegan or vegetarian diets might be lacking this.

Similarly, folate aids cell division and serotonin production, impacting mood stability and tissue growth needed during menstruation. Folate-rich foods include leafy greens, and legumes.

So What Should I Be Doing?

Improve your diet/nutrition

A clean diet ideally throughout the month, but particularly the lead up to and a week before your period will help to relieve symptoms. Reduce the sugar, dairy and processed foods, and focus your intake on antioxidant, omega-3 fatty acids, whole grains, vegetables and fruit especially those that have anti-inflammatory properties³ these include; berries, leafy greens and oily fish.

Anti-inflammatory herbs & dupplements

Increase your intake of anti-inflammatory herbs and supplements that have been tried and tested in reducing inflammation. These include:

Turmeric: a great remedy for period pains and can be taken in the form of tea, or capsule supplements. It’s a fat soluble so best taken with good fats. Remember to also take turmeric with black pepper as this helps it’s absoprtion.
Nettle Tea: rich in antioxidants, vitamins K, C and D as well as minerals such as iron, magnesium, selenium and zinc. Need we say more? Nettle tea will help with tackling period fatigue and inflammation.
Magnesium: a key mineral as it’s responsible for over 300+ biological processes in the body, as well as energy production and muscle relaxation making it extremely important during menstruation.

Improve your sleep routine

Sleep is vital for overall health and especially crucial during menstruation. Poor sleep quality can disturb hormonal balances that regulate the menstrual cycle, potentially exacerbating symptoms like cramps and mood swings. Aim for 7-9 hours of restful sleep each night to support hormone regulation. Establishing a consistent sleep routine can help your body align with its natural rhythms, making it easier to achieve the restorative sleep needed for menstrual well-being.

Regular exercise

Gentle activities like yoga or a brisk walk can significantly reduce period pain and boost mood. Staying active doesn’t require intense workouts—moderate exercises, such as walking or yoga, work wonders for easing cramps and improving overall well-being. These light exercises promote blood flow and release endorphins, which help alleviate discomfort and lift your mood during menstruation.

Better stress management

As already mentioned, chronic stress can lead to high cortisol which wreaks havoc on hormone levels in the body, and inflammation. Introducing stress management techniques such as deep breathing exercises, yoga, meditation and mindfulness can help lower stress levels. Acupuncture is also a technique that may help to reduce stress.

Improve your hydration

Staying hydrated can be a simple yet powerful way to ease period discomfort. Dehydration reduces blood volume, meaning your organs—especially the uterus—receive less oxygen and nutrients, which can lead to stronger cramps and bloating. Drinking water helps boost circulation and muscle relaxation, reducing spasms that contribute to period pain. To help ease symptoms, aim to sip water regularly throughout the day, especially during your period. As a rule of thumb, you should be aiming for 8 glasses of water a day. It may also be worth adding electrolytes to one or two of those glasses for optimum hydration.

Each of these lifestyle factors—diet, activity level, and sleep—directly plays a role in how your body handles your menstrual cycle. By tweaking these aspects, you have the power to lessen those undesirable period symptoms and take control of your health.

Final Thoughts…

Facing period woes is tough, but understanding what amplifies them is empowering. Avoiding excessive caffeine, managing stress, and paying attention to your diet can make your cycle more manageable. Opting for natural solutions like herbal teas or increased water intake may also improve your menstrual health.

Taking control of your habits shows the power of simple changes. Adopt these insights and share your journey with others. What new habits will you try first?

Remember, your experience is valuable, so pass these tips along. Let’s change the narrative around periods together!

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