Habit 1: Yoga
Habit 1: Yoga
What is it?
Yoga is a traditional practice from ancient Indian culture and is considered to be the science of holistic living. It concentrates on aligning the body through gentle, focused movements along with improved breathing practices. Yoga regimen like surya namaskara, asanas like cat pose and cow pose, nidra yoga, and pelvic floor exercises are effective in relieving period cramps.
Regimen:
What - Yoga regimen (surya namaskara, asanas like cat pose and cow pose, nidra yoga), pelvic floor exercises.
How much - 5 days a week, 60 minutes a day (full regimen - surya namaskara, asanas, and meditation)
When - Recommended throughout the month/cycle. Yoga regimen can be done during menstruation for pain relief (if able to tolerate physical activity)
How long - at least 8 weeks (or 2 menstrual cycles), to see effects.
How does it work?
An increase in certain hormone-like substances (called prostanoids) can make the muscles of the uterus contract more strongly, reduce blood flow to the uterus, and lead to a lack of oxygen in the tissue. This causes menstrual pain. Yoga and pelvic asanas are known to improve blood flow in the pelvic region, thereby managing pain in the body. Yoga suppresses the pain by lowering the level of prostaglandin production and myometrial ischemia.1
What is the efficacy?
Methods: The methodologies from 4 trials conducted on 230 participants with primary dysmenorrhea were included in the meta-analysis to compare the effects that performing a yoga program has on menstrual pain (n = 129) to the effects of not performing yoga (n = 101).
Results: The overall effect size of the impact of a yoga program on menstrual pain in primary dysmenorrhea was high with a standardized mean difference of −2.09 (−3.99 to −0.19) (p = 0.031) among the effect sizes of the 4 trials (95% confidence interval).
Conclusions: Yoga is an effective intervention for alleviating menstrual pain in women with primary dysmenorrhea.1
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