This is how sunshine actually eases your period pains

Good job we live in the ever-sunny UK then, hey

Words by Jadie Troy-Pryde

Periods. The most natural of bodily functions can also be the most annoying. Not only have almost half of women admitted that their lady flow is causing them to have less sex, but the whole thing can also be a bit of a pain. Hell, a lot of a pain.

Even if you've invested in this miracle chocolate that promises to ease cramping, you just can't eat chocolate consistently for 3 - 5 days a month as much as we'd all like to.

So in news that will make even the most afflicted crampers rejoice, there's actually a 100% natural way to ease your period pains and it's also completely free. Yes, natural and free.

According to a new study published in the Journal of Endocrinology, vitamin D has some interesting pain relief benefits.

It suggests that when you team a good amount of vitamin D with some good quality sleep it can reduce the symptoms of your period as well as other conditions like chronic back pain and arthritis. Dr Monica Levy Andersen, who conducted the study, found that the combination increased the efficiency of pain management treatments, and it also suggests that high levels of vitamin D can positively affect they body's inflammatory response, altering the sensation of pain.

Sound too good to be true?

Several other independent studies also linked the two, with one published in the Archives of Internal Medicine journal claiming that women who suffered from severe menstrual cramps reported less pain after taking a high dose of vitamin D five days before their period started.

The only slight downfall to the perfect solution - and there's always one - is that in the UK we get approximately 4 days of beaming sunshine a year. Unless you're rich and flexible enough to take European jaunts once a month, then you're probably better off relying on a vitamin D hit in supplement form. Sorry.