There is probably hardly a woman who has never been affected by unpleasant menstrual cramps during her period. If you also suffer from period pains again and again, this may be due to certain habits. We'll explain what they are and why they can make your period pain worse.
Junk food
If you have frequent cravings during your period, you may find yourself reaching for junk food like chips, burgers and fries. Unfortunately, this doesn't just make your cravings worse. The high fat and salt content can also have a negative impact on your menstrual cramps.
Apart from that, if you keep eating unhealthy fattening foods, you will gain weight sooner or later. If you eat a more balanced diet in the future, you will benefit in more ways than one.
Caffeine
Caffeine causes the blood vessels to constrict. This reduces blood flow, which can lead to abdominal cramps during your period.
If you don't want to increase your period pain unnecessarily, it's best to avoid coffee and other caffeinated drinks, or at least reduce their consumption significantly. Instead, try a hot herbal tea. This is good for you and helps you relax during your period.
Stress
Stress is a constant companion for most of us in everyday life. Not only does it take a lot of energy, but it can also make menstrual pain worse for women. Sometimes stress can also delay your period.
If you are constantly rushing from one appointment to the next and often don't know where your head is, you should definitely change something. After all, avoiding unnecessary stress will not only reduce your menstrual cramps, but also improve your general well-being.
Lack of exercise
When you're on your period and you're having period pains again, you probably want to retreat to the couch or bed. This is understandable. However, lack of exercise can actually make your period pain worse.
So even if it's hard for you, it's a good idea to be active despite your period pain. For example, go for a walk or try yoga. This will do you good and help you to counteract the discomfort during your period.
Alcohol consumption
Excessive consumption of alcohol is known to be unhealthy and can sometimes cause a very unpleasant hangover. In addition, alcohol can make period pains worse for us women.
If you like to have a few drinks with your friends, this can be one of the reasons for your menstrual cramps. So how about abstaining from alcohol at least during your period?
Sugar
Our daily diet usually contains far too much sugar. This causes fluctuations in blood sugar levels that make us feel tired and exhausted. In addition, a diet high in sugar can promote the development of inflammation in our body. 
This in turn leads to increased period pains and cramps during your period. Reducing sugar in your daily diet can help you counteract this.
Dairy products
Dairy products are not fundamentally a bad thing. After all, foods like milk and yoghurt provide us with important nutrients like protein and calcium. However, too many dairy products can lead to inflammation.
If you are already suffering from severe period pains, it may be a good idea to cut dairy products out of your diet, or at least cut down on them considerably.
Too little sleep
Sleep is important for our bodies to recover. If we don't get enough, we feel tired during the day. Concentration suffers and we are particularly susceptible to stress. In the long run, lack of sleep can even have serious consequences for our health.
It also affects hormonal balance. So if you have severe menstrual pain, it may well be related to too little sleep. Make sure you get at least seven to eight hours of sleep every night.
Do you go to the gynaecologist with severe period pains?
Sometimes severe period pains can have a serious cause. For example, it can indicate endometriosis. In women with endometriosis, tissue has formed outside the uterus that is similar to the lining of the uterus.
This often causes a lot of pain during the period. Other disease-related causes of severe period pain include polyps, fibroids and uterine infections. If you suspect that your menstrual pain is caused by a disease, it is important to see your gynaecologist as soon as possible.
Severe menstrual pain due to bad habits: our conclusion
As you can see, your habits have a significant impact on the severity of your period pain. By changing certain behaviours, such as avoiding excessive stress and lack of sleep, you can make a big difference in reducing the severity of your period pain in the future.
If this doesn't help, don't hesitate to contact your gynaecologist. Not only will she be able to give you more tips, but she can also rule out health problems such as endometriosis as the cause of your severe period pains.
