5 Natural Remedies for Period Cramps

Last week, I wrote a short intro about estrogen and progesterone and why it’s important to know about them.

Here’s a quick recap:

In short, they work together perfectly: estrogen is active in the first half of your cycle, making sure your body creates the egg follicle(s) that you ovulate around halfway through your cycle.

Once the ovulation takes place, progesterone takes over and takes care of your uterus, preparing it for pregnancy by thickening its walls.

Scenario 1: you get pregnant when the egg follicle created by estrogen will be fertilised by sperm and then slowly transform into a baby, in the uterus that’s been nicely prepped by progesterone.

Scenario 2: you don’t get pregnant and you will have your period, during which your body will get rid of both the egg and the thickened part of the uterine wall created by estrogen and progesterone.

Do you struggle with painful period cramps? If the answer is yes, then you should know that the above mentioned estrogen and progesterone play a key role in causing these cramps. When these hormones are not in balance, it can lead to strong period pain. In this post, we’ll explore 5 natural ways to alleviate cramps and get some relief.

What can you do to ease those period cramps?

Here are 6 things that help me and I hope they will help you as well!

1. Drink ginger tea. It helps with cramps and is natural! Ginger has natural anti-inflammatory properties that can help reduce period cramps.
2. Place a hot water bottle on your tummy. Applying heat to the abdomen can help relax muscles and reduce cramping.
3. Take it easy: try to work from home, do less, read and do things that are usually calming.
4. Take a warm bath.
5. Take magnesium or apply magnesium spray on your skin (disclaimer: magnesium spray can be a bit stingy for some people when using it for the first time). Magnesium helps to relax muscles and can be effective in reducing cramps.
6. Sleep or at least allow yourself to be a couch potato without feeling guilty.

Here is my favourite ginger tea recipe, in case you wanna try it (makes 1 cup of tea):

^{Photo by Nataliya Vaitkevich on Pexels.com}

You will need 1 inch (or 2.5 cm) of fresh ginger to make one cup of tea.

How do you measure 1 inch? It’s the distance from the fingertip to the first knuckle of your index finger.

1. Cut around 1 inch of fresh ginger.
2. Wash it well (you don’t need to peel it off if you don’t want to).
3. Thinly slice the ginger.
4. Place your fresh ginger slices together with the equivalent of one cup of fresh water in a saucepan.
5. Simmer for around 5 minutes (you can even do 10 or 20 minutes if you don’t mind your tea being extra strong and fiery).
6. Pour the tea through a sieve in order to catch the ginger and enjoy with a bit of honey and lemon (the honey and lemon are optional).
7. ENJOY!

Period cramps can be a real nuisance, but with the right natural remedies, you can find relief. Whether it’s drinking ginger tea, using a hot water bottle, or getting some rest, the above mentioned tips can help you get through your period with less discomfort. Try them out and see which ones work best for you!

What do you usually do when you have your period? Does it hurt? Do you have any secret anti-cramp recipe? What do you do to ease the pain?

Feel free to comment if you feel like sharing!