Relieve painful periods with a homemade dry hot water bottle!

Unfortunately, it's not uncommon to suffer during your period. There are many ways to relieve painful periods: hot baths, medicines, sport, plants... Today, we're giving you a DIY recipe for making your own homemade dry hot water bottle. It's simple and environmentally friendly!

Why use a hot water bottle during your period?

You've probably already heard of the hot water bottle to relieve menstrual pain. This grandmotherly method is widely known and used to relieve painful periods. The hot water bottle is an ideal technique for relieving menstrual pain. How is it done?

Heat relaxes the muscles that tend to contract during menstruation. It also dilates blood vessels, increasing blood flow with the heat it diffuses. As a result, the uterine muscle is relaxed and the pain is relieved!

Don't have a hot water bottle handy? We'll show you how to make one!

How to make a homemade dry hot water bottle?

It's very easy to make your own dry hot water bottle: all you need are a few supplies, all available at low prices!

Unlike water hot-water bottles, dry hot-water bottles contain no liquids. In fact, it's the seeds inside the hot-water bottle that retain the heat and then spread it around. We explain what you need and how to make your own hot water bottle!

Materials required

Before you start designing your hot-water bottle, here's a list of the materials you'll need:

• fabric: you can choose fabric from clothing you no longer use (organic fabric is preferred). Just make sure it's heat-resistant.
• seeds: you can choose pre-washed cherry seeds, apricot seeds, etc.
• optional: lavender (its scent can help you relax)
• thread
• needle (or sewing machine)

Manufacturing steps

The first step is to make a fabric pouch, in the size of your choice, using thread and needle, or directly on the sewing machine if you have one.
To make the pouch, simply cut two rectangles of the same size from the fabric, then join them together by sewing right sides together. Turn the fabric inside out before trimming.

Don't close the pouch completely before inserting the seeds and any lavender inside. Once the pouch has been filled, close it with the thread.

Now all you have to do is heat it up in the microwave or on a (non-electric) radiator! Be careful not to burn yourself: test beforehand to determine the heating time of the hot water bottle.

How to use a hot water bottle during your period?

Using a hot-water bottle is very simple:

• simply heat it up
• then relax by placing it on your lower abdomen or lower back (depending on the location of the pain).
• All you have to do is relax!

You can, of course, use the hot-water bottle for other areas, such as your feet, if you're feeling cold!
Just be careful not to burn yourself by heating the bottle too long.

Other natural tips to relieve painful periods

As we've explained, heat is a very good solution for relieving menstrual pain. But there are also other natural methods to combat dysmenorrhea:

• Essential oils for pain relief are highly effective: we recommend tarragon, clary sage, lavender or aniseed essential oils.
• The efficacy of plants is well known and recognized: they are consumed in herbal teas and infusions.
• If you feel up to doing some sport during your period: don't hesitate! Although you might think the opposite, sport has many sport has many benefits for menstrual pain. The endorphins released by sport give you a feeling of well-being, and the exercise itself relaxes the muscles and improves blood circulation, allowing oxygen to circulate more freely in the body.

Practising yoga during your period also helps to relieve pain.