The best things you can do on your period come down to managing pain, staying comfortable, eating well, and keeping your body moving. Most period symptoms respond well to a combination of simple strategies, and knowing what actually works can make the difference between powering through your day and being stuck on the couch.
Manage Cramps Early
Period cramps happen because your uterine lining produces chemicals called prostaglandins, which force the muscles and blood vessels of the uterus to contract. The more prostaglandins your body makes, the more intense the cramping. Anti-inflammatory pain relievers like ibuprofen and naproxen work by reducing prostaglandin production, which is why they’re more effective for cramps than other painkillers like acetaminophen.
The key is timing: take them at the first sign of your period or pain, not after cramps have already ramped up. You typically only need them for one or two days. If you prefer not to take medication, a heating pad or heat patch applied to your lower abdomen works surprisingly well. Heat patches that maintain a steady temperature around 39°C (about 102°F) reach maximum effectiveness at around 8 hours of wear. In clinical comparisons, topical heat performed on par with over-the-counter pain relievers.
Sleeping in the fetal position can also help. Curling up on your side relaxes the abdominal muscles, which reduces the tension that makes cramps feel worse.
Move Your Body, Even a Little
Exercise is one of the most effective things you can do on your period, even though it’s often the last thing you feel like doing. Physical activity triggers your body’s natural pain-relieving chemicals, and the research on this is consistent across multiple types of movement.
Yoga stands out as particularly effective. In studies comparing yoga to aerobic exercise, both significantly decreased pain intensity, but women in the yoga groups ended up with lower overall symptom scores. Yoga was specifically linked to reductions in abdominal cramps, bloating, breast tenderness, and cold sweats. If yoga isn’t your thing, swimming for even a few weeks has been shown to reduce anxiety, depression, headaches, fatigue, breast tenderness, and cramps compared to staying sedentary. Pilates similarly improved pain, sleep disruption, appetite changes, and mood.
For aerobic exercise, intensity matters. Women who exercised at higher intensities experienced greater symptom relief than those who worked out at moderate levels, though both groups improved significantly compared to light activity. If you can manage a brisk walk, a bike ride, or a short jog, it’s worth it. Aim for whatever level of activity feels doable rather than skipping movement altogether.
Eat to Replace What You’re Losing
Your body loses iron through menstrual bleeding, and the recommended daily iron intake for menstruating people is 18 mg per day, double the 8 mg recommended for men and postmenopausal women. If your periods are heavy (soaking through more than 80 mL per cycle), your risk of iron-deficiency anemia goes up significantly. Good sources of iron include red meat, spinach, lentils, fortified cereals, and beans.
Magnesium directly relaxes uterine muscles, which can reduce cramp intensity. Small clinical studies used daily doses between 150 and 300 milligrams, sometimes paired with vitamin B6. Starting on the lower end, around 150 milligrams, is a reasonable approach. You can get magnesium through supplements or through foods like dark chocolate, almonds, avocados, and bananas.
Omega-3 fatty acids, the kind found in salmon, sardines, and fish oil supplements, help suppress the same prostaglandins responsible for painful uterine contractions. One study used supplements containing at least 800 mg of EPA and DHA five days a week and found significant drops in inflammatory markers. If you’re not a fish person, a quality fish oil supplement can fill that gap. In general, eating anti-inflammatory foods during your period (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fatty fish) and limiting salt, sugar, and caffeine will help with bloating and energy levels.
Stay on Top of Hygiene
Change your tampon every 4 to 8 hours, and never leave one in for more than 8 hours. This isn’t just about comfort. Prolonged tampon use increases the risk of toxic shock syndrome, a rare but serious bacterial infection. The FDA recommends using the lowest absorbency tampon that handles your flow, rather than defaulting to a higher absorbency so you can change less often.
Pads, menstrual cups, discs, and period underwear are all safe alternatives. If you use a menstrual cup, empty and rinse it at least every 12 hours (most manufacturers recommend this). Period underwear should be changed as often as you’d change a pad. Whichever product you use, washing your hands before and after changing it helps prevent introducing bacteria.
Track What’s Normal for You
Periods vary widely from person to person, but there are clear signs that something needs medical attention. If you’re soaking through a pad or tampon in less than 2 hours, passing large clots, or bleeding for longer than 7 days, that crosses into heavy menstrual bleeding territory. About 10% of menstruating people experience this, and it frequently leads to iron-deficiency anemia if left unaddressed.
Tracking your cycle with an app or a simple calendar helps you spot patterns. Note the length of your period, how heavy your flow is each day, and which symptoms bother you most. This information is useful for your own planning (knowing when to pack extra supplies or schedule lighter days) and invaluable if you ever need to describe your cycle to a healthcare provider. Over time, you’ll also learn which combination of heat, movement, nutrition, and rest works best for your body on different days of your period.