During critical days, women's health status is somewhat unstable. Therefore, it is better to avoid certain foods and drinks. Let's find out in more detail - is it possible to drink coffee during menstruation.
During critical days, girls often feel discomfort and painful health. Despite the fact that menstruation cannot be called a disease. This condition depresses all women; it is impossible to get used to it, although it recurs periodically. These days bring a lot of unpleasant moments, so nutritionists recommend giving up junk food and strong drinks during your period. According to experts, it is also better to exclude espresso from the diet along with alcohol and black tea.
Is it possible to drink coffee during menstruation?
The answer to this question is not as clear-cut as it might seem. More precisely, there is no single correct answer. It all depends solely on your well-being and pressure. If your blood pressure is low, a cup of coffee will definitely help and you will feel better. And with high blood pressure and migraines, coffee will only make things worse, and you should avoid it. How to determine whether you can drink coffee during your period if you don’t have a tonometer at hand?
- If you feel dizzy , have nausea, or general weakness, your blood pressure is low, you can confidently drink a cup of strong coffee.
- If your temples are throbbing , your head hurts, bright light is annoying - most likely you have a migraine and your blood pressure is high, it is better to drink tea and water, and if you cannot concentrate without coffee, brew chicory.
How to replace strong coffee on critical days
It is not necessary to darken an already difficult stage of life with gastronomic deprivations. A reasonable and balanced approach is the key to a good mood, regardless of the phase of the cycle. Coffee owes its wonderful properties to caffeine; accordingly, the less it is, the less harm the drink will do for a menstruating woman.
First, let's look at the basic classification of coffee:
- soluble;
- ground;
- coffee substitutes.
Doctors of various specialties never tire of talking about the dangers of instant coffee. Although experts claim that this invention of mankind was never in the state of coffee beans, but is a mixture of flavoring and aromatic chemical additives, it is possible that it still contains caffeine. You should stop using it altogether, and not just during your period.
Various types of natural ground coffee can be used to prepare an invigorating drink. Specialized departments of supermarkets are full of packaging. The sophisticated buyer is offered grains and powder brought from various countries. The advertisement encourages you to drink a cup of strong coffee to “make life better and life more fun.” It’s hard to resist temptation, and you shouldn’t deny yourself such innocent pleasure. You just need to remember that strong coffee is not recommended on critical days. Brew a drink that will be inferior in strength to the usual one, the body will thank you with excellent health.
Green coffee contains the least amount of caffeine, so it can be a worthy replacement for the classic drink during menstrual periods.
You can replace strong coffee with a chicory analogue, which does not contain caffeine at all, but is an excellent tonic.
You should not overuse black and green tea during menstruation, because these drinks are also a source of caffeine, however, their moderate content in the diet will not cause harm.
Don’t forget that the most useful liquid for any body is water, especially melt water, it perfectly quenches thirst, normalizes the water-salt balance, and helps preserve youth and beauty.
How does coffee affect the body during menstruation?
Coffee itself dehydrates the body, which does not like it, and the body tries to store more water. As a result, the body swells, and nagging pain in the lower abdomen may appear, which many girls already have. If you suffer from painful periods, it is best to keep your coffee intake to a minimum.
Coffee has a stimulating effect on the nervous system, and many women during menstruation already feel irritated, suffer from mood swings, and become conflicted. If you have similar symptoms, try to keep your coffee intake to a minimum, and definitely don't drink multiple cups throughout the day.
If you drink coffee every day, don’t stop during your period. The body is accustomed to caffeine, and sudden withdrawal may lead to headaches and general deterioration in well-being!
In order not to deprive the body of its usual caffeine, and at the same time not to subject the body to additional stress, reduce the dose of coffee, make it less concentrated, or drink just a few sips.
Doctors' opinion
The final decision regarding the advisability of drinking coffee during menstruation is made by the woman. Doctors recommend taking into account your well-being and health status, and if you have complaints, seek advice from a specialist. Aesculapians definitely recommend reducing coffee consumption to a minimum during menstruation. Taking care of the female body during menstrual periods also includes adherence to a certain nutritional culture. As for coffee, if it is on your menu, then you should adhere to several basic rules:
- The less, the better (no more than 1 cup per day, weak).
- Choose milk over heavy cream as an additive. In combination with milk, coffee exhibits its diuretic effect better, which will help get rid of edema.
- If you are afraid of extra centimeters in volume, you should avoid adding sugar to your drink.
- If your period doesn’t stop you on your way to a cup of your favorite and irreplaceable coffee, don’t forget to take vitamin complexes. Caffeine interferes with the absorption of vitamin C; to avoid vitamin C deficiency, you should additionally replenish your reserves with vitamin supplements and special foods.
- Pain in the temples (usually unilateral), photophobia, and nausea can be signs of migraine. In this condition, as well as with high blood pressure, coffee is contraindicated.
- Excessive emotional excitability during menstrual periods can be aggravated by the effects of caffeine; in order not to turn into a true fury, you should give up coffee.
- Low blood pressure can be corrected with an invigorating drink.
What kind of coffee can you drink during your period?
Experts do not recommend drinking instant coffee (it has no benefits), as well as strong ground coffee. What can you eat during this period?
- Weak natural coffee with milk. This drink is a good diuretic, and in combination with milk, caffeine will help remove excess water from the body, that is, pain in the lower abdomen will decrease.
- Green coffee is almost harmless due to its minimal caffeine content, and even strengthens the body, but you should not brew it too strong.
- Chicory (although not coffee, but similar in taste) is the best option. There is no substitute for real coffee, but you can drink a lot of it. However, it will not help with general weakness and low blood pressure.
Try not to add sugar or heavy cream to your coffee during your period. The body is weakened, and this will contribute to sudden weight gain.
How to balance calcium
To increase the absorption of calcium-containing products, it is recommended to consume them together with vitamins A, C and D, and also to introduce polyunsaturated fatty acids into the diet - Omega 3, 6 and 9. These products should be taken from days 1 to 5 and from 15 to 23. You can take a break from 6 to 14 days.
You can find out whether coffee affects your periods in the following way: skip one cycle, that is, do not drink caffeine-containing drinks, evaluate your condition and draw a conclusion about how coffee affects your periods. If there is a noticeable difference, then you need to replace the espresso with other drinks.
Coffee during menstruation: benefits and harm
Benefits : coffee accelerates blood circulation, increases blood pressure, which improves performance, oxygen supply to the brain, and increases concentration. Women who drink coffee regularly tend to experience lower levels of stress and depression, so that they feel calmer during their periods than non-coffee drinkers or occasional coffee drinkers.
Harm : the body already loses many useful substances and minerals, and coffee additionally destroys vitamin C, which reduces the resistance of the immune system. To correct the situation, it is necessary to additionally take vitamin complexes or at least vitamin C tablets during this period.
Increases premenstrual symptoms
Drinking caffeinated beverages is associated with increased premenstrual syndrome (PMS) sensitivity.
Women who consume large amounts of caffeine experience more symptoms than women who do not consume caffeine. PMS discomfort may include cramps, headaches, breast tenderness, bloating, mood swings, back pain, fatigue and irritability. All of these symptoms may become more severe with caffeine consumption. Caffeine is a stimulant that increases blood pressure and heart rate. In an attempt to overcome PMS fatigue, women may even consume more caffeine to boost their energy. Consequently, increased caffeine leads to tension, anxiety, sleep problems and increased exhaustion.
General information about menstruation
Menstruation is a natural physiological process that occurs in a woman’s body every month. It begins at 11–15 years of age and ends with menopause at 45–55 years of age. Normally, the menstrual cycle should meet the following characteristics:
- be from 20 to 35 days (we are talking about the cycle, and not about the periods themselves, that is, about the period from the first day of the onset of menstruation to the first day of the start of the next menstruation);
- the cycle must be constant (an error in one direction or another of 1–3 days is allowed);
- menstruation itself should last from 2 to 7 days;
- discharge during menstruation is scarlet-colored blood; small amounts of small blood clots may be present;
- blood loss during one menstruation should be from 50 to 150 ml;
- menstruation should not be accompanied by uncomfortable sensations for the woman in the form of pain, etc.
However, too many factors influence the course of menstruation: poor environment, lifestyle, general health, stress, physical activity, sudden climate change, unfavorable psychological atmosphere and other negative factors can lead to menstruation beginning to occur with deviations from the norm. If any of the deviations occur, you should see a gynecologist to avoid health problems in the future. Pathology is considered:
- a menstrual cycle that lasts less than 20 or more than 35 days;
- the cycle is irregular, accompanied by frequent delays, or, conversely, menstruation occurs significantly ahead of schedule;
- menstruation lasts less than 2 days or more than a week, while the bleeding either has the same intensity throughout the entire period (that is, does not decrease), or “spotting” is observed;
- the volume of discharge during menstruation is less than 50 or more than 150 ml;
- the discharge represents blood clots;
- menstruation is accompanied by severe pain, loss of strength, weakness, dizziness, etc.;
- menstruation is very scanty or, conversely, very heavy, or does not occur at all (in the absence of pregnancy and menopause).
Convulsions
Cramps are one of the most common symptoms a woman experiences before, during or after her menstrual cycle. Caffeine promotes cramps due to its diuretic nature. It increases urine production and promotes dehydration. In addition, coffee contains oils that can cause intestinal inflammation and cramps.
Fibrocystic breast syndrome is a condition that many women suffer from before or during their menstrual cycle. Non-cancerous lumps in the breast that are filled with fluid can cause pain and swelling. Caffeine consumption has a significant impact because during your menstrual cycle you are already retaining fluids and salt, so fluid is more abundant in breast lumps during your period and can worsen breast tenderness.
Increased anxiety
Women should avoid caffeine, especially during menstruation, because it restricts blood vessels and increases tension and anxiety. Caffeine increases levels of cortisol, norepinephrine and epinephrine, which are stress hormones. They are responsible for increasing blood pressure and heart rate.
When levels of these hormones increase in the body, the immune system is suppressed due to decreased oxygen supply to the brain. This restricts blood vessels and causes tension. Women are more sensitive to caffeine because the body's detoxification process takes longer in women than in men. The time it takes for the body to eliminate caffeine increases even more in women who take oral contraceptives and in pregnant women.
