Period flu is very similar to common flu in terms of its symptoms, the reason why it gets its name. It occurs around 10 to 16 days before you’re expecting your menses. The influenza virus, which leads to the development of contagious respiratory illnesses, does not cause period flu. In fact, it is not considered to be a real health condition. It is not a severe symptom and there’s no cure for it. However, it can be treated and kept under control through some preventive tips.
Period Flu Vs PMS: How Are They Different?
- Period flu is a symptom of PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome).
- The symptoms of period flu are similar to that of PMS, although the signs of the latter are more severe.
- It is not a health condition, unlike PMS.
- Since period flu is a symptom of PMS, the former’s symptoms are very similar to that of the latter.
- It strikes around the same time of your menstrual cycle, that is, after your ovulation and before your next period.
- Period flu is not a cause for concern and it cannot be treated, although it can be kept under control with a few preventive measures and home remedies.
- Hormone therapy, lifestyle changes, and painkillers that reduce the severity of PMS can also prevent the symptoms of period flu.
9 Possible Period Flu Symptoms
The symptoms of period flu are very similar to that of PMS, which varies among people. The possible period flu symptoms are:
- Mild pain (see a doctor if the pain is severe and lasts for more than 3 days)
- Cramps
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Backache and body ache before period
- Bloating
- Constipation or diarrhoea
3 Possible Period Flu Causes
Changes in the levels of certain chemicals before or during the period are associated with PMS symptoms like period flu. Some of the probable symptom are as below:
- Prostaglandins mimic hormones that serve as chemical messengers in the body. For instance, if you’re feverish, it implies that your body is fighting against a viral, fungal, or bacterial infection. Your immune system activates antibodies and certain other chemicals like prostaglandin to destroy the infection. And this makes your body temperature rise. This hormone is present along the uterine lining, among the other parts of the body, causing low-grade fever when the PMS symptoms set in.
- Can also fall or change rapidly about 10 to 16 days before you get your periods. This results in cramps, fatigue, and mood swing.
- Ovulation can also raise your core body temperature for a few days.
2 Period Flu Treatment Options
1. OTC Painkiller
Over-the-counter (OTC) pain anti-inflammatory medication may help relieve headache, breast pain, and cramps, and body ache during period. It is likely to ease body aches after period too. Popping one of these drugs before your period starts may help in keeping period flu and pain under control.
2. Anti-Diarrhoeal Drug
You can take OTC drugs for treating diarrhoea, if you experience the same before and during your periods. Apart from diarrhoea, these medications are also effective in treating nausea.
6 Home Remedies & Preventive Tips For Period Flu
The following tips will not only bring you relief from period flu and other PMS symptoms but prevent such symptoms altogether, provided you make them a habit. These tips are as below:
1. Keep A Heating Pad Handy
A heating pad works wonders in relieving muscle ache and cramp. Place one over your lower abdomen for 15 minutes at a time at regular intervals through the day to make the pain bearable for you.
2. Hydrate Yourself At Regular Intervals
One of the most effective ways to keep period flu and other period symptoms under control is to replenish your body with water at frequent intervals. More so, when you give in to your hunger pangs for fried and salty food, which dehydrates you, thus making the PMS symptoms like headaches and period flu more severe. Drinking water also makes you feel full, reducing your obsession for piling on those unhealthy foods.
3. Maintain A Healthy Sleeping Cycle
Sleeping for at least 7 hours, especially when you’re on your period, is essential for reducing PMS symptoms like cramps and period flu. It gives you body the rest that it needs during your menstrual cycle.
4. Control What You Eat
Eat small meals at regular intervals throughout the day to maintain the right blood sugar levels. Incorporate whole grain foods like brown rice, whole grain bread, and beans and calcium-rich foods like green leafy vegetables and yoghurt is necessary to keep pain and flu away. That apart, including sources rich in polyunsaturated fats like flaxseeds, nuts, and fish are important too. You need to cut down your intake of salty, sugary, and fatty foods, and avoid caffeine, alcohol, and smoking to relieve yourself from severe PMS symptoms.
5. Try Alternate Treatments
It is believed that alternate medications like evening primrose oil or chasteberry might assist in relieving PMS symptoms. However, avoid using chasteberry if you have prescribed hormonal medications.
6. Follow A Fitness Routine
Practice a healthy lifestyle by doing yoga, deep breathing, and meditation. Also, include a massage session to relieve PMS symptoms. A fitness routine that incorporates all this will not only have a positive outcome in relieving these symptoms, but have wonderful results in boosting your mental health as well.
5 Preventive Tips For Period Flu
1. Eat Calcium-Rich Foods
Include foods in your diet that are enriched with calcium and Vitamin B6. This nutrient reduces the severity of PMS symptoms. You can have a calcium-rich diet everyday or supplement your diet with foods with calcium supplements, as per the recommendation of your doctor.
2. Include Vitamin B6-Rich Foods
On the other hand, vitamin B-rich foods like fish, poultry, potatoes, and fruits reduce certain PMS symptoms like irritability, bloating, and mood swings.
3. Avoid Unhealthy Foods
Keep a tab on what you’re eating (and drinking) and maintain a lifestyle that brings relief to the symptoms of PMS. Avoid fried, salty, and excessively sweet as they tend to aggregate PMS symptoms.
4. Cut Down On Alcohol & Quit Smoking
Cut down on your alcohol intake so as not to aggravate PMS symptoms like period flu, cramps, headache, and body ache during period. Also quit smoking because it is closely associated with irregular periods and early menopause.
5. Keep Yourself Fit
A regular fitness routine is of utmost importance to regularize your periods and also ease the PMS symptoms that you generally experience. In sharp contrast to popular beliefs that you should stop exercising while you’re having your periods, you can follow a fitness regime during those days of the month as well, provided you reduce its intensity. Opt for light exercises to maintain the right weight and also relieve the signs of PMS at the same time. Even body ache before period.
Keeping your period flu and the other possible symptoms of PMS isn’t such a rocket science. Follow the above preventive tips and home remedies to treat and prevent period flu, and your menses wouldn’t feel like a nightmare anymore. If the severity still continues, consult a doctor immediately.
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