All of us have those important days in our lives where we want to be our absolute best, be it in terms of how we look or how we feel from the inside. But such momentous days can become a nightmare for any woman if it clashes with her period.
The monthly cycle takes away the glow, makes us weak, bloated and not to talk about the dreadful cramps and the unbearable abdominal pain. All of us in such situations wish that somehow our period got delayed naturally.
What can one possibly do when this situation arises? Let the period suck all the happiness from the occasion you were looking forward to or opt for a quick fix namely pills for delaying period.
We have a third way out and it’s all natural. Yes, you heard it right, this way out is accompanied along with the least side effects. Don’t trust me? Read on and thank me later.
What alters our menstrual cycle?
External factors such as change of place or water or weather are attributed to causing a change in our cycle. Lifestyle and stress are also known to impact how and when we get our periods.
Some foods are known to delay or trigger our periods. All of these we will be discussing at length in following sections.
Why do we want to delay our period naturally?
This is a common question which comes to our head when we look for delaying our period. Why look for a natural method when we can delay our period just by popping a pill.
First things first, pills might provide you with a quick and effective solution, but at the cost of a gamut of side effects.
Some of the side effects include getting a heavy period the next time you have your period, experiencing cramps of greater intensity causing a lot of physical and mental discomfort.
There are other side effects which vary from person to person. We suggest that unless extremely urgent, one should not go for this option.
When we talk of delaying periods naturally, all we are focusing on is reducing the aforementioned side effects. In the further sections, we will talk about how we can really delay our period the natural way.
Is it safe to delay the period?
Although it is best not to interfere with mother nature’s way but there are times when we have little option of not doing so. Imagine it’s your wedding day and you get your period. Who would want that? But the ill effect can be minimised to a great extent if we plan ahead in time to delay our period naturally.
How to Delay Periods
Browse the internet and you will find hundreds of ways to delay your cycle. Here in this section, we have explained the most effective and easy ways to achieve just that. Let’s have a look at them.
Ditch spicy food
Spicy food containing chillies, garlic, pepper, etc are known to increase the blood flow in the body which in turns triggers the menstrual cycle. If you want to delay your period, quit having spicy food altogether for a couple of days.
Avoid foods which have a heating effect on the body
Herbs such as basil, fruits such as papaya, pineapple meats, etc are known to cause periods on or even before your date. So, eliminate all such things from your diet when you are looking for delaying your period.
A small tip here, if you are not getting your period and are worried about it, try consuming these foods and you are likely to get your period soon.
Avoid stress
Taking stress can interfere with your menstrual cycle in more ways than you know. Stress plays havoc on your hormones which either causes a delayed period or an early period.
Either way, you don’t know when will you get your period. So, avoid taking stress at all costs whether or not you are looking for delaying your period.
Exercise
You might think that how can exercising delay your periods. Exercising helps release a hormone known as endorphin or the happy hormone as we call it. This hormone helps reduce stress level thereby help to delay your period. But there are of course some particular types of exercises which you need to practice in order to delay your period. They are the following:
- Vigorous exercises like cardio and aerobics for half an hour every day.
- Muscle stretching
- Weightlifting (with proper guidance of a qualified fitness trainer)
- Swimming
- Cycling
These exercises increase the hormones required for delaying periods naturally and hence, you can increase the possibilities of achieving your goals.
Try consuming lentils
Lentils are proven to delay your periods. All you need to do is consume them on a daily basis. They help reduce complications in your periods and also aid in getting a lighter period.
All you need to do is fry the lentils and then grind till it comes to a powder consistency. Now prepare a soup out of it and sip away the tension of getting a heavy period.
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate
Drinking sufficient water ensures proper functioning of the body which in turn has a positive impact on your menstrual cycle.
So, drink at least 8-10 glasses of water to avoid complications before or during your period and flush away the deadly period nightmare along with the body toxins.
Sleep well
As clichéd as it may sound, having a sound 7-8 hour sleep can have a huge impact on how and when you get your periods. Sleep helps reset the hormones and makes them function properly which in turn makes your period lighter and cramp free. So, sleep it away, girls.
Acidic all the way
Vinegar is known to help delay your period. Lemon has the same effect. These can help delay your periods for as much as 4 days.
Try consuming 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon in a glass of water twice a day, one on an empty stomach and the second one last thing at night.
Practice this for a few days every day for desired results. Doing this will not only delay your periods naturally for a few days but also detox your body and bring a glow on your face like never before.
Parsley to the rescue:
Parsley works wonders when it comes to delaying periods. In the morning, put 5-6 sprigs or parsley or coriander in the water that you drink and keep sipping it all day long.
You can alternatively grind some parsley or coriander with water and drink it twice daily. You might as well include it your diet, garnish your veggies and curries with it. Not only will it solve your purpose but will make your dish tastier.
The goodness of Raspberry leaves
We all love to drink the sweet and refreshing raspberry juice during summers. But just like this sweet little berry has health benefits, the leaves of raspberry can be a perfect remedy if you are thinking how to delay periods for few days naturally.
The best part of this remedy is that since it is completely natural, you do not have to worry about any side effects of delaying your period. All you have to do is get 5 to 6 fresh raspberry leaves and dry them completely.
Make a powder of these leaves, make a tea and drink it for a week before your expected period date. This will effectively help you achieve the delay in periods.
Go Bananas
Consume two bananas every morning during breakfast for at least 4 to 5 days before your regular period date and doing this will delay your period. Make sure you drink a cup of water after eating the bananas. With this, you can most likely delay tour period for a good two to three days easily.
Tangy tamarind pulp
Tamarinds are one of the most tempting fruits and we all love eating them and slurping their tingling taste. Tamarinds are a super food to delay your periods. All you need to do is take around 12 grams of tamarind and soak it in 250 ml water overnight.
In the morning, strain the water and separate seeds from it. Add a teaspoonful of sugar and a pinch of salt to the water. You can add a few ice cubes to this drink and consume it on an empty stomach. Make sure you drink this in the morning only. This should be done for a week, prior to your period date.
The beautifying fuller’s earth
Till now, you knew only one use of fuller’s earth. Using it as a face pack along with rose water to give your skin a glow and get rid of blemishes and dark spots or using the mixture as a substitute for soap.
But to your surprise, this wonder mixture of fuller’s earth and rose water is an ancient treatment used to delay periods. To do this, you need to soak 25 grams of Fuller’s earth in half a liter rose water or normal water for three hours and strain the mixture.
Consume in equal parts four times a day and do this for 6 to 8 days before the actual date of your period. This is a 100 percent natural treatment and hence, there are no side effects to worry about.
Consume low-temperature food
Apart from just avoiding foods which increase the heat content in your body, it is also important to be cautious about the temperature of the food. It is indeed not good to have spicy foods, but you should also focus more on eating foods which are cold.
If you have the habit of having hot vegetables and rice or soups, you need to pause this routine for a few days if you want to delay your period. You can eat the same foods but when they at a room temperature.
Some low-temperature foods are:
- Watermelon
- Papaya
- Cucumber
- Mint
- Radish
- Sesame
- Fennel seeds
- Coconut water
- Pomegranate
- Fenugreek seeds
- Milk
- Curd
The Chia Seed Effect
Chia seeds are an effective natural remedy to postpone your periods. All you need to do is soak 1 tablespoon of Chia seeds in one small cup of water overnight. Consume this on an empty stomach in the morning.
You can also add a tablespoon of sugar to make it taste better. Doing this for 4 to 5 days before the date would help you delay your periods and also control the excessive bleeding happening during menstruation.
Tablets to stop period
Well, we all know that a lot of people suggest birth control bills or other Allopathic pills and tablets to delay your periods. Though they are an easy answer on how to delay periods for a week, it is not really a good choice considering its consequences in the long run.
These pills have a lot of harmful side effects because they hinder your natural period cycle and you are doing nothing but messing up with your own body.
When you consume tablets to stop period, you can face ill effects like dizziness, headache, nausea, severe cramps during next periods, and irregularities in menstrual cycle and libido changes. Hence, it is better to focus on how to delay periods without pills.
Over to You, Ladies
There are many suggestions about how to delay period home remedies, but you should select the ones which are completely natural and safe and have no chemical and medicine consumption involved.
Most of these remedies are majorly dependent on your lifestyle. If you lead a healthy lifestyle, have a balanced diet, sleep on time, get sufficient sleep, exercise and hydrate well, your periods will naturally become lighter, less painful and will stay for a short duration.
The above-mentioned remedies aid in delaying your periods naturally with almost no side effects. Remember that it is never late to incorporate changes in your lifestyle to lead a better and blissful life. So, eat healthily and stay fit.