What Exactly is Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) and How to Prevent it?

To understand PMS, you have to know that 90% of women experience some form of premenstrual syndrome. 

PMS (also known as Premenstrual Syndrome) is a group of changes that can affect you on all kinds of different levels. These changes can be emotional, physical, and/or behavioral and they come one to two weeks before your period. For most women, these mood changes go away once their period starts, although for others they can continue throughout menstruation.

PMS generally happens to each woman every month, as seen above, affecting 90% of women. But the odd thing is that it affects each woman differently.

Some women may have severe emotional stresses or anxieties during that time of the month, while others might just experience a craving for sugar. Women might experience physical pressures or cramps or feel more bloated.  If these symptoms mess with your daily life, then it’s considered a premenstrual syndrome.

PMS can also change as you get older. The symptoms can shift as your body continues to change. One way to look at it is to ask if these changes cause problems with work or your family once a month and if they affect you in the week before your period. Then, it’s PMS.

There are all kinds of emotional signs for PMS:

• feeling gloomy
• crying
• mood swings
• anger
• stressed out
• feeling out of control
• not wanting to be around friends or family
• trouble sleeping
• anxiety
• irritability

 So What Can You Do to Feel Better?

• Get Exercising! Aerobic activity can help stave off fatigue, keep you energized, and it can help with concentration – all symptoms that can occur during PMS.

• Make sure you’re sleeping right!  Sleep can be your best friend during this time.  You want to make sure you’re trying to get your eight hours.  Lack of sleep can make you feel awful and end up making PMS symptoms feel worse – think about how your anxiety levels spike when you don’t get enough sleep.  Maybe try practicing yoga or getting in some meditation time.  Also be sure to not have sugar, caffeine, or alcohol right before you go to bed, as all of these interrupt your sleeping cycle.

• Try to eat healthy foods.  You want to stay away from sugar and salt as much as possible during this time of the month, as they can keep you from sleeping and make you feel bloated and lethargic.  You also want to eat plenty of those “super” foods, with all kinds of vitamins and minerals, so you feel “super” too!

There are some awesome foods you want to keep in mind when you’re PMS-ing.  Try a handful of blackberries when you want to amp up that Vitamin K – research shows that they help with cramps during PMS.  Or why not try some blueberries?  They have so many antioxidants and they’re believed to help with low estrogen levels, so they can help you sleep better during your period.  Or how about some pineapple chunks?  Pineapple seems to be the fruit of the year! I’ve seen printed pineapples on cups, on shirts, and on jewelry, but did you know it’s also a super fruit for that time of the month?  The tropical fruit is high in manganese and with its antioxidants, it can help reduce inflammation and ease those cramps you experience during PMS.  Pumpkin Seeds are also extremely high in magnesium,  and they can help reduce cramps during PMS; so maybe we should be eating these like popcorn?  PUT CHIA SEEDS ON EVERYTHING.  I’m completely serious.  Chia seeds are not only a good source of fiber (good for your poop) but they’re also packed with omega-3s, which make them anti-inflammatory, so they help you with cramps!  Chia seeds for the win!

• Find ways to cope with stress.  If you find yourself stressed out during your period, try meditating: there is a great meditation series for PMS just for you from a therapist, find it here!  Another idea to find new ways of helping your anxiety is journaling or doing some yoga.

When you journal, you can start to see patterns in how you are feeling, so you can take those patterns, use them to better understand your emotions, and figure out how to help yourself.  You’ll know when exactly you’ll start to feel a little PMS-y and then take that information and run with it.

• Limit your caffeine & alcohol intake.  You want to be careful during your PMS time with the amount of caffeine and alcohol you consume.  They keep you up at night and don’t allow you to “reset” your internal clock, which you really need during that time of the month.

• Try Jubilance for PMS.  It’s the only clinically proven supplement on the market that helps to relieve the emotional sides of PMS including stress, anxiety, irritability, and gloominess.  Find out more about how this supplement can help you fight off the emotional side of PMS so you can be you every day of the month.  It helps 80% of women feel so much better during that time of the month!  And, with only two ingredients, Vitamin C & Oxaloacetate (found in the Krebs Cycle), you know exactly what is going in your body.

This supplement is produced by a women-run company and is the ONLY clinically tried supplement on the market for the emotional side of PMS. Just imagine if you could stop all that stress and those anxieties that accompany PMS! It’s totally possible with a supplement you take once a day.  Find out more at www.jubilance.com. 

All of these are tools for you to use to prevent your PMS.  Try what feels right for you and consult with your doctor about your period and menstrual cycle. With PMS affecting almost all menstruating women, there are now ways to better understand your body and make changes so that you can feel better during that time of the month.