Shark week, having the painters in, Auntie Flo coming to visit, surfing the crimson wave… Whatever you call your Period, no one enjoys getting it.

Periods always seem to come at a difficult time, too; when you’re super busy at work, running a marathon, or have a beach holiday organized. Periods ruin plans: fact.

But it doesn’t have to be this way! There are plenty of things you can do that will make shark week more manageable. By now, you’ve probably come up with your tactics for coping with your period, but there’s always room for a few more handy tips and tricks.

In the post below, we’ve come up with our top pieces of period advice to make for a more comfortable, more pleasant period experience.

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate

Your mother’s always telling you to drink more water, and we hate to nag you too, but she’s right.

Water is ridiculously good for your health: drinking enough of it will increase your cognitive power, improve your physical performance, and give you happy, healthy skin.

If that’s not enough to convince you, then how about this: staying hydrated during shark week can help to alleviate menstrual cramps, bloating and tiredness.

When you’re on your period, it can feel like your whole body is sore and aching. Everything hurts, and it feels like your ovaries about to fall out. Not fun.

Drinking enough water is such a simple coping tactic, but it’s one that works. Try to drink eight cups of water a day. You’ll soon notice your cramps becoming less severe, your bloating reduced, and spotty skin clearing up as the water helps your body to flush away any nasty toxins.

Ah, we feel more refreshed already.

Stay away from sugar

Sometimes when you get your period, it’s all too easy to revert to your teenage self. No matter how old you are, you’ll find yourself curling up in bed with a cheesy rom-com, a tub of ice-cream and a bar of chocolate the size of a small child.

Unfortunately, we’re going to be the bearers of bad news in this situation; binging on sweet snacks is not good for you (duh). But in particular, it’s not good for you if you’re on your period: sugary food can make menstrual symptoms such as cramping more intense.

High-sugar foods can also make your PMS way worse. During shark week, your blood sugar is already all over the place. Eating sweet snacks like donuts and ice-cream only disrupts this further, causing you to experience huge sugar highs and crashes. In turn, this makes you tired, makes mood swings even more dramatic, and causes you to be irritable. Ouch.

We’re not monsters, so we’re not going to ban all of the tasty treats. If you’re craving some chocolatey goodness, try a bar of high-percentage dark chocolate. The magnesium it contains will regulate your serotonin levels, ease muscle tension and reduce bloating.

Invest in a hot water bottle or heat pack

This is something we wish we’d discovered much earlier. Hot water bottles feel like something that’s stuck way back in your childhood, and we tend to forget about them as we get older (until we start to have children of our own, eek). But hot water bottles or heating packs can be total lifesavers if you’re having the worst period cramps you’ve ever encountered.

It’s not just a placebo effect, or the warmth making you feel more comfortable; heat is scientifically proven to help ease period pain.

• Applying heat doesn’t just relax achy and sore muscles  — it also triggers heat receptors in your body, which block pain messages to the brain. This means that hot water bottles work in a similar way to actual pain-killers. Not bad, eh?
• Hot water bottles or heat pads are easy to buy and cheap too — giving you an instant hack to make periods more manageable. So buy that hot water bottle, get some soothing essential oils diffusing, and relax.

Stay prepared with period panties

It may sound obvious, but just being prepared for shark week makes it easier to cope with.

There are a few ways you can do this. Investing in a pair of period panties is a simple way to keep you covered, and feeling confident. Give Knixteen period panties a try — they’re specifically designed to look and feel like normal underwear while being super absorbent and leak-proof so that you’re protected from your period at a moment’s notice.

Period proof panties look and feel like normal underwear, so you can wear them whenever you like — they’re also moisture-wicking and anti-odor, which makes them perfect for exercising too.

You can also prep by creating your mini period kit. Fill it with tampons or pads (or whichever other period products you use) and stash it somewhere accessible. Periods are worst when they catch you unawares, so beat them with your organizational skills!

Making your period more manageable is simply about the preparation. If you follow these simple shark week tactics, you’ll feel more comfortable and confident next time your period strikes.

Related Articles:

• PERIOD PROBLEMS: HOW TO KNOW WHAT’S “NORMAL” AND WHAT’S NOT
• PERIOD PROBLEMS: HOW TO KNOW WHAT’S “NORMAL” AND WHAT’S NOT
• HOW TO MAKE YOUR PERIOD SUCK LESS
• PERIOD PRODUCTS: PADS, TAMPONS, AND CUPS…OH MY!

The post How To Make Your Period More Manageable During Shark Week appeared first on Miss Millennia Magazine - Big Sister Advice for Millennials.