Six Ways To Deal With The PMS “Hungries”

Many women experience PMS 1-12 days before their periods begin. The severity level ranges from person to person. One of the most common symptoms of PMS  has to do with our appetite.

A lot of us experience an increase in hunger and/or cravings for certain things leading up to when we start to bleed. It can be hard to control and distracting. Fortunately, there are ways to deal with the “hungries” and this post will show some of them.

First, what makes it even happen?

The short and obvious answer is hormones. They change, fluctuate, surge, drop etc. throughout our cycles prompting symptoms to occur. Estrogen and progesterone in particular are the hormones that are responsible for the “hungries.”

Estrogen is said to control our hunger when it is at a certain level in our bodies. When it drops, it is not controlling our hunger as well anymore. Progesterone is high in the second half of our cycles and is responsible for appetite increases.

Our serotonin levels (neurotransmitters that control our mood) also dip before our periods. This can make us crave certain things that will bring the level back up so that we feel better.

How to deal with the “hungries”

Being really hungry and/or craving specific things during PMS can be irritating (as if you weren’t already irritated enough!). Here are some things you can do to make life better:

1. Allow some flexibility during this time- If you are into keeping your calories at a certain amount, consider adding some extra calories in during the days where your appetite is extra crazy.
2. Know what food to not have around during this time- If you really get out of control when a certain food is around before your period, make sure to just not have it in your house.
3. Get emotional support if needed- If you eat a lot due to your mood being low, consider seeking out some emotional help during this time. This may include meditation, watching inspirational videos, talking to a good friend, seeing a counselor online etc.
4. Eat a higher fat, lower carb diet- Eating a low carb diet tends to keep many people fuller and it can also help balance hormones. Both of those things can help with the “hungries.”
5. Magnesium and vitamin B6- Supplementing with these two things is said to help with cravings as well as other PMS symptoms. Make sure to not go above 100 mg of B6 due to the risk of nerve damage among other things.
6. Have a “give in” day- You could have one day of the month where you just give in. Not necessarily binge but just let loose more than usual. One day of doing this is not going to make you fat. Having around a box of healthier snacks to reach for may be a good idea.

Here are a few things that you should not do:

1. Abuse appetite suppressants- Using things that will reduce your appetite is probably not a good idea.  They may make any irritation you have because of PMS, worse.
2. Binge- If you feel the need to binge a lot, you should think about seeking help for it. You may have something called PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder) which is a more severe form of PMS.  
3. Trying to completely ignore your increased appetite- Doing this may make your mental state even worse during this time.

Hormone fluctuations can suck

Our hormones can rule us and make us feel different types of ways that are not always good. If you find yourself with a bottomless pit a few days before you start bleeding, you are totally normal!

Try healthy ways to make your belly more comfortable during the second half of your cycle.

Do you get the PMS “hungries?” How do you deal with it?

Thanks for reading!

#pms  #periodproblems  #hungry  #womenshealth  #hormones