Even though menstruation is a regular thing for women, getting used to it is out of the question. While it does not cause too much discomfort for some women, periods can be extremely uncomfortable and painful for some people.
There are many remedies to get relief from the pain of periods, and there are many foods that women choose as their comfort food to get relief from the pain of periods.
However, there are few foods and drinks which can cause your periods to become painful and worse.
Drinking energy drinks can make your periods worse because they contain ingredients such as sugar and caffeine.
Let’s explore our topic a little more and figure out what exactly causes your periods to become worse.
Causes of Painful Periods
Most of us are aware of what is a period; it’s the monthly discharge of blood composed of cervical mucus, vaginal secretions, and endometrial tissues from the vagina.
The time of your cycle may vary from girl to girl, however, normally a woman gets her periods once a month.
Some women experience extreme discomfort when they are on their periods, and sometimes the periods can get extremely uncomfortable and painful. Following are a few causes why a woman experiences painful periods:
- Endometriosis.
- Uterine fibroids.
- Adenomyosis.
- Pelvic inflammatory disease.
- Cervical stenosis.
Other than that, certain foods can also cause your periods to become worse. Following are a few foods that cause your periods to become heavy or worse than usual:
- Salt.
- Sugar.
- Coffee.
- Alcohol.
- Spicy foods.
- Red meat.
Caffeine
Caffeine has certain effects on your body – one may experience both negative and positive effects.
The effectiveness of caffeine allows your body to work better such as increasing your physical performance, improving your memory, sharpening your concentration, etc.
However, caffeine can have certain negative side effects due to which one should totally avoid high dosages of caffeine. Following are a few side effects of caffeine that can make the experience of caffeine unpleasant:
- Restlessness and shakiness.
- Insomnia.
- Headaches.
- Dizziness.
- Fast heart rate.
- Dehydration.
- Anxiety.
- Dependency.
Does Drinking Caffeine Affect Your Period?
Caffeine is a good stimulant that can do much good for you. However, if you are a girl then drinking caffeine while on period might have some effects on you.
For some people can cause uncomfortable bleeding while for some people, they can experience pain and mood swings.
Does Caffeine Increase Bleeding During Period?
Menstrual cycles are an important part of being female, and many women experience anxiety and discomfort when their cycles are irregular or unpredictable. There are several reasons why your periods might become irregular and uncomfortable.
Caffeine is one of the ingredients that can have serious effects on your periods. Caffeine in energy drinks makes you bleed more during your periods.
How Long Can Caffeine Delay Your Period?
Caffeine is a drug that is found in different types of beverages, like energy drinks and coffee. It is also found in many other products, like energy drinks and chocolate bars.
Caffeine has been shown to have many positive effects on the body, like keeping people awake and helping them to have better concentration. However, too much caffeine can have negative side effects, like making people jittery and hyper, which can make it hard for them to function.
Caffeine increases cortisol levels in the body, which is a stress hormone, and this can lead to delaying in the period because higher levels of cortisol can directly affect the periods.
Generally, caffeine can sometimes delay the periods and this delay can range from a few days to months.
You should avoid drinking highly caffeinated beverages such as:
| Energy drinks | Caffeine content |
| Redline Xtreme | 316 mg |
| Bang Energy drink | 300 mg |
| G fuel | 300 mg |
Sugar
Sugar is a fine white powder that has an extreme yet, pleasant type of sweetness. It’s naturally manufactured from sugar cane.
Despite being a natural sweetener, it’s nothing but a source of empty calories without any benefits other than temporarily increasing your energy levels.
Sugar can have certain negative side effects that can have short-term as well as long-term side effects. Here are a few side effects of sugar, which can be experienced by someone who consumes it:
- Higher blood pressure
- Inflammation
- Weight gain
- Diabetes
- Fatty liver disease
There is a certain limit on the sugar to be consumed, 24 grams to 36 grams should be the limit of daily intake.
Can Sugar Cause Heavy Menstruation?
Sugar has been linked to obesity, diabetes, and other health problems. Some people may be concerned that too much sugar can cause their heavy periods to occur earlier than usual or even stop their periods completely.
There can be many reasons why sugar might be doing this – sugar causes you to gain weight, and weight gain is linked to hormonal imbalances that may delay your periods.
Sugar is one of the foods which should be avoided to be eaten while on period because it can cause heavy, painful, and uncomfortable periods.
Can Energy Drinks Cause Heavy Periods?
Menstruation is an essential aspect of being a woman. It’s the way in which our bodies remove the uterine lining, which is derived from the blood that has flowed through our bodies.
However, when menstruation is overly heavy or prolonged, it can cause severe discomfort. This is because the flow of blood through our bodies is controlled by our hormones, and too much blood can cause our tissues to become saturated.
A growing body of research is beginning to show that caffeine in energy drinks can cause heavy menstrual bleeding, which can make periods even more painful and frustrating.
Some speculate that caffeine is causing heavy bleeding by affecting the body’s production of estrogen, which is often the cause of menstrual cycle pain.
Others believe that the high levels of caffeine in modern diets are disrupting the delicate balance between the hormones estrogen and progesterone, which in turn causes menstrual symptoms.
What Should You Not Drink On Your Period?
Some food and drinks can affect your periods directly; they either make your periods heavier than usual, uncomfortable or elongated or disappear for some time being.
Here are a few drinks and ingredients to be avoided during periods:
- Coffee and other caffeinated drinks
- Soft drinks
- Sugary beverages
Can Energy Drinks Cause Bloating?
Food always acts as a source of comfort for most people. However, a few food items can cause your stomach to feel discomfort.
When your stomach feels like it’s about to be full and it might explode, it’s called bloating.
Sometimes it can feel like your insides are being stretched out and squeezed, making it hard to swallow and eat.
In case you are wondering if energy drinks can cause you to become bloated, then the answer is yes and it causes you to feel bloated due to the presence of carbonated water, caffeine, and sugar.
Can Energy Drinks Cause Weight Gain?
Weight gain is a common side effect of excessive eating. That said, sometimes, many other medical conditions can cause you to gain weight.
Other than that, a few ingredients such as sugar can cause weight gain and you can also gain weight because of the hormonal imbalance caused due to certain stimulants and ingredients present in energy drinks.
What Are The Side Effects of Energy Drinks?
Energy drinks can have certain side effects because of the ingredients they contain. Mainly high dosages of sugar and high dosages of caffeine can cause certain side effects.
Here are a few side effects that can be caused by energy drinks:
- Weight gain
- Headache
- Stomach cramps
- Nausea
- Dizziness
However, these side effects can be avoided by consuming energy drinks with low levels of caffeine and sugar.
Does Red Bull cause heavy periods?
Red Bull is a popular energy drink that almost everyone is aware of and it’s the most commonly sold in every mart out there.
Red Bull is a caffeinated energy drink containing sugar and caffeine, so it might affect your periods and might cause heavy periods for some. That being said, there has not been any such reported case.
Final Verdict
- The period is the monthly discharge of blood composed of cervical mucus, vaginal secretions, and endometrial tissues from the vagina.
- Caffeine in energy drinks can cause heavy menstrual bleeding, which can make periods, even more, painful and frustrating.
- You should avoid drinking caffeinated and sugary beverages while on periods.