How To Stop Period Cramps at School FAST [Try These Tips!]

You’re sitting in class, you’re being a good student, you’re going everything you need to do but all of a sudden you’re hit with that familiar pain.

Period cramps at school can completely distract you from your studies, so here are some tips on how to stop period cramps at school whether they’ve already started, or to try to reduce them before they strike.

Food For Thought (and Reducing Camps at School)

According to the website KnixTeen, there are a bunch of foods that you can also incorporate into your diet to help reduce period cramping, but this is the type of thing you would need to do ahead of time, it’s not something that’s going to give you quick relief, it’s a lifestyle type of change.

Still, here’s the list of foods that can help with period cramps and a quick explanation of why they’re believed to help. It’s believed that your diet and overall health can have an impact on how your body responds to your period, for example if you’re losing a lot of iron through blood, foods with more iron could be helpful to make up for what you’re losing.

“If women have a few months where their diet is really bad, that can alter menstrual flow,” says Alyssa Dweck, M.D, who is an assistant clinical professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive science at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, so she really knows her stuff.

With that in mind, here are some period-friendly foods that might help tame things a bit for you.

Salmon for Period Cramps

Salmon are packed with omega-3 fatty acids which can help reduce inflammation, and this was demonstrated in a small trial specifically for reducing period pains. It’s generally a good, healthy source of protein with various nutrients,

Steak for Period Cramps

Does steak help period cramps? Absolutely, it sure can! Steak is filled with iron, and if you didn’t know, you lose a lot of iron when you bleed. So, it stands to reason that having a good source of iron in your diet can help replenish some of the iron you’re losing during your period, and that can help things go a little more smoothly – it’s worth a try, right?

If you don’t really like eating meat or steak in particular, you can find iron in cashews, tofu, dark leafy veggies, fortified breakfast cereals, and more.

Bananas for Period Cramps

Have you ever tried eating bananas for period cramps?

Bananas are loaded with potassium, and a lack of potassium can cause cramps at the best of times so why wouldn’t you buffer your potassium levels a bit if it can potentially help ease things?

Ginger for Period Cramps

Ginger can help with inflammation which can also help with pain, and it’s also known to help alleviate nausea so this is a perfect combination for someone who wants to help reduce their period cramps at school.

Dark Chocolate for Period Cramps

Do you ever crave chocolate when you’re on your period? The darker the better, because the sugar in milk chocolate can be bad for cramps, but the magnesium and the satisfaction from a piece of very dark chocolate is just what the doc ordered!

How To Stop Period Cramps at School: 5 More Tips

Alright, if you’re dealing with these cramps like – right now – it’s too late to start adjusting your diet, you can worry about that later, right now we’re looking to deal with these period cramps, right? So here are some things you can do to help alleviate the pain in the moment.

5. A Heating Pad for Period Cramps

There are all sorts of heating pads you can use. Ideally, hopping into a warm bath is the best way to soothe yourself with warmth, but a heating pad is a little more practical, and you can even be discreet about it at school.

There are warm compresses that you fill with hot water, or even just running an old t-shirt or towel under hot water can help. You can pop it in the microwave if you have a microwavable heating pad, or you might even have one that you can plug in.

The classic red rubber thing you fill up with hot water works great, but there are a lot of different types of them these days, including electric heating pads.

A little warmth can go a long way in helping your period pains so this is a great way to help period pains at school.

4. Move Around

If you’re in class, sometimes going for a quick walk can help, so see if you can leave the class to go to the washroom or something and just take a stroll down the walls for a few minutes, this may help alleviate the pain a bit.

3. Yoga for Period Cramps

If you have the space to stretch out about (like not the middle of your class), try laying down on your back and lifting your feet into the air. This can help relax and calm you and get the blood flowing a bit (no pun intended).

2. Ibuprofen

A simple pain killer can help, just make sure you haven’t had any issues with it in the past and follow the instructions on the bottle – absolutely don’t take more than is recommended. Things like Tylenol and Advil can help with the pain, and there are some other options that are geared more specifically towards period pains and cramps, too.

1. Don’t Be Ashamed

Periods are common! They happen to the vast majority of women! They’re nothing to be embarrassed about!

Granted, this doesn’t mean you necessarily want to stand up on your chair and announce to the whole class that your period has started, but if you’re having trouble focusing on class and you know that taking some time to do some of the above exercises or strategies could help, then it’s worth talking to your teacher – they’ll probably excuse you from class for a few moments so you can do what you need to do, and return to your desk with a new focus and comfort.

Things That Make Period Cramps Worse

It’s not just about taking steps to make your period pains feel better, it’s also about cutting out some of the things that can make them worse, if you can.

Smoking can make your period cramps and pains worse, and so can alcohol, caffeine, and fatty unhealthy foods. Some people are also sensitive to daily, but this is mostly a problem in higher quantities.

Finally, stress.

Ever notice that just about every problem your body or mind can have, is made worse by stress? That’s because stress is bad, bad, bad. If you’re feeling super stressed out, consider learning relaxation techniques for teenagers to help reduce your stress – your body will thank you!

Final Thoughts on How To Stop Period Cramps at School

Nobody wants to start getting period pains at school and period cramps at school, but it’ll happen to most girls eventually.

Being ready for it, and knowing some ways to alleviate the pain can be the difference between a devastatingly uncomfortable day where you can’t focus at all, or just a slight discomfort. A lot of these tips will help, even if it’s just a tiny bit, but sometimes that tiny bit is enough when you can stop period cramps at school, or at least make them hurt a bit less.

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Sara Dylan

Author Information

Sara Dylan is passionate about researching and writing interesting articles to help people. Sara is a prolific writer at TeenWire.org, and enjoys a nice cup of tea as much as the next person.