Life

How To Make Your Period Easier To Deal With

Bustle

I appreciate that some people consider menstruation to be a wonderful, magical part of the human experience. However, I am not one of those people myself — which is why I consider it a godsend that the second episode of Bustle’s Adulting series arms us all with myriad lessons in how to make your period easier to deal with. Now, just to be clear, I don't think there's anything to be embarrassed about with regards to menstruation — period stigma has got to go, y'all —but honestly... well, think of it like this: When your body is, as comedian Cameron Esposito once memorably put it, “smashing your body, out of your body, using your body,” anything that makes the whole experience a little less painful is definitely welcome.

There’s a lot of information and advice floating around out there that purports to ease your menstruation-based pain, but it’s not always easy to figure out which ones will actually work versus which ones are nothing but myths or old wives’ tales. The truth is that not nearly enough research has been done on issues like period cramps — and a lot of us routinely suffer because of it. The good news, though, is that there are a number of period hacks that have actually been backed by science. From what to nosh on to how to spend your time (spoiler: Eat chocolate! Have sex! Both wonderful things!), these tips and tricks might offer a much-appreciated respite from the cramps and uncomfortableness that can often accompany your period.