What are some sleeping positions that are comfortable for periods

Sleeping on your side curled up in the fetal position is usually the most comfortable way to sleep on your period because it takes pressure off your tummy muscles.

When cramps are acting up at night, the way you lie down can actually make a big difference in how relaxed your body feels.

Positions to try tonight

• The fetal position: Curl onto your side with your knees bent up toward your chest. This relaxes your lower belly muscles and can help ease that tight, pulling feeling.
• On your side with a pillow: If you lie on your side, slide a small pillow or folded blanket between your knees. It keeps your hips level and takes tension off your lower back.
• On your back with a pillow under your knees: Lying flat can sometimes pull on your lower back, but putting a pillow under your knees tilts your pelvis just enough to loosen things up.

Try to avoid sleeping on your stomach if you can, because it presses right against your uterus and can make cramps or bloating feel a bit more intense.

Other bedtime tips for cramps

A heat pad, or a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel that a grown-up fills, can help too, and in a few small studies heat worked about as well as medicine. There are medicines that help period pain, and a grown-up decides if you take one, which one and how much, for your age and weight.

Tell a grown-up if the pain stops you doing normal things like school, doesn't get better with the pain relief a grown-up gives you, or keeps getting worse from one period to the next.