How to Sleep During Periods to Avoid Stains
Waking up in the morning to find you’ve bled onto your pyjamas or bedsheets is never fun - and though there are effective techniques to help you get rid of period stains, you’re probably more interested in how you can avoid leaking in the first place!
In this blog, we’ll share some tried-and-tested tips and tricks to help you avoid period stains at night.
How to avoid staining your bed during your period
As much as we’d like to say we can help you prevent night time period stains entirely, it’s worth bearing in mind that periods can be unpredictable. There’s no way to guarantee you won’t leak - and there’s no reason to be ashamed or worried about it. Occasional leaking is just part and parcel of having a period.
What you can do is prepare as best you can ahead of time to help reduce the risk of leakage, and to mitigate the impact if you do leak onto your clothes or bedding. Here’s how you can get started.
Choose sanitary products designed for heavy periods
In some cases, night time leaks happen due to a heavy flow overwhelming your sanitary protection. If this sounds familiar, consider choosing period products designed for a heavy flow - even if you usually have a lighter flow during the daytime.
It’s perfectly fine and even smart to have a range of absorbencies amid your period product collection, as this helps you to be prepared for any changes to your period. If you don’t already, choose night time products for when you go to sleep - these are designed to protect you all night long.
Consider doubling up
While leaks are sometimes caused by a heavy flow, they can also come about as a result of night time wriggling. If you toss and turn in your sleep, it could result in your underwear shifting as you sleep - meaning that your pad (if you use them) moves out of position and can’t catch the blood effectively.
Pads aren’t the only period product vulnerable to this kind of leak. A similar issue can occur with menstrual cups, making it difficult to judge which the best product to use at night is.
The answer? Try doubling up on period products. That means using a night time pad and a menstrual cup, or a pad and period pants. This can help to give you the extra coverage and protection you need to feel secure and leak-free while you sleep.
Protect your bed
It’s not always possible to prevent leaks, but there are still things you can do to protect your mattress from stains. A good quality mattress protector provides a layer between your bedsheet and the mattress, helping to block any blood leaking through. These can usually be machine washed to keep them fresh.
You might also find it helpful to wear extra layers yourself on nights when you have a heavy flow. Wearing a pair of shorts or pyjama bottoms - even if you don’t usually wear them - may help to protect your bed and sheets from small leaks.
Seek medical advice for heavy periods
Lastly, it’s important to seek medical advice for your heavy periods if they’re affecting your day-to-day life - and frequent leaks in the day or at night come under that heading.
While heavy periods can sometimes be caused by an underlying condition, such as endometriosis or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), your period might naturally have a heavier flow.
Either way, speaking to a pharmacist or a GP about the problem can help you to find a treatment. Where there’s an underlying condition affecting your periods, treating that condition may help to lighten your flow and lower the risk of you bleeding through to your bedding.
If your periods are naturally heavier, you can still access treatment to lighten them. A treatment such as Evana® Heavy Period Relief Tablets, which contain tranexamic acid to reduce heavy menstrual bleeding, may be a good choice to help relieve your symptoms - you will just need to consult a pharmacist first and answer a couple of questions to ensure this medication is right for you.
Leaking on your period can be uncomfortable, but hopefully these tips and tricks will help you to reduce your likelihood of bleeding through and leave you feeling a little more confident! For more personalised advice, speak to a qualified pharmacist.
