Guide · Wellbeing

What Helps with PMS? Everyday Tips – and Why Your Experience Counts for More Than Generic Advice

Search for “What helps with PMS?” and you'll find hundreds of lists. The problem: what helps one woman does little for another. Here are the everyday tips that reputable health portals mention – and a way to find out which of them really suit you.

By Stefan Renzler · 11 October 2026 · approx. 5 min read

Why there's no “one” remedy

The Austrian health portal lists more than 150 possible PMS symptoms. For some women, breast tenderness and headaches are at the forefront; for others, tiredness or irritability. On top of that, according to gesund.bund.de, the severity of symptoms can change from cycle to cycle and shift over the years.

So it's no wonder that generic tips often miss the mark. “Why don't you do some exercise?” is well meant – but not necessarily what helps on that particular day.

What health portals recommend for everyday life

gesundheit.gv.at, gesund.bund.de and the UK's NHS mention similar, practical approaches:

• Regular exercise – not as competitive sport, but as a fixed part of the week.
• Enough sleep and regular rest periods.
• Relaxation, such as yoga, meditation or other relaxation techniques.
• Shifting down a gear: planning in more breaks, treating yourself – gesund.bund.de mentions, for example, a walk, a warm bath or a cosy evening.
• Eating a balanced diet: varied; the NHS mentions that some people do better with smaller, more frequent meals.
• Less alcohol, coffee and nicotine – gesund.bund.de also names a low-salt diet as a possible building block.

These aren't miracle cures but building blocks. How much they help in each individual case varies.

Why your experience counts for more

Health portals recommend recording symptoms over two to three months. That's not only useful for the doctor's surgery but also for you: only once you see when things get difficult can you try out specifically what helps then.

Here's what that can look like in practice:

1. Observe: For a few weeks, jot down briefly how things are – energy, mood, pain, sleep.
2. Try one thing: for example the hot-water bottle in the evening, a walk during the lunch break or deliberately keeping an evening free.
3. Rate it honestly: Did it help? A little? Not at all? “Not really” is a valuable result too.
4. Repeat: A single attempt says little. Over several cycles you'll see what works.

An example: after three cycles it might turn out that the hot-water bottle almost always helps on the first days of the period, while the long evening walk in the week before tends to be more draining. Patterns like these aren't in any general list – they only show up in your own experiences.

What the partner can contribute

Trying things out and rating them works better as a couple. The partner can prepare things – make tea, get the hot-water bottle ready, keep the evening free – and afterwards briefly ask whether it did her good. Over time, guesswork gives way to a shared sense of what works.

The tone matters here: offer, don't prescribe. How to talk about it without it turning into an accusation is covered in PMS in a relationship.

What you can skip

• Well-meant advice at the wrong moment – “Just eat less chocolate” helps nobody.
• The packed calendar when you know demanding days are coming up.
• Miracle cures from the internet. According to gesundheit.gv.at and gesund.bund.de, the effectiveness of many herbal preparations and dietary supplements has not been proven, and they can have side effects too. Whether something like that is an option is something to discuss with a doctor.

When medical advice makes sense

If everyday measures aren't enough or the symptoms put a heavy strain on work, everyday life or the relationship, please have them checked by a doctor. This applies especially to very severe emotional symptoms – these may point to a severe form such as premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). A symptom diary covering two to three cycles makes the conversation easier.

And very importantly: if dark thoughts come up, or thoughts of harming yourself, get help right away – in Austria, for example, from the Telefonseelsorge crisis line on 142, in Germany on 0800 111 0 111, and in an emergency via 144 or 112.

We explain when in the cycle PMS occurs in the first place in The cycle phases explained simply.

This article offers general information for everyday life and relationships. It does not provide a diagnosis and does not replace medical or psychological advice. If your symptoms are severe, please have them checked by a doctor. Ovulyx is not a medical device and not a method of contraception.