If you are a hot water bottle person, the Happy Heat rechargeable hot water bottle eliminates the need to boil water (and doesn’t need refilling) and once charged, keeps the heat on for up to 5 hours under your blanket. It can also vasodilate blood vessels, which increases blood flow and circulation “to reduce stiffness and pain,” according to Karena Wu, PT, DPT, physical therapist and owner of ActiveCare Physical Therapy. If you suffer with mild, moderate, or even debilitating period cramps, you aren’t alone. In fact, approximately 31.31 million womenin America are believed to suffer from menstrual pain each month, according to a Statista report. If you’re one of them, you’ve probably tried all kinds of methods to help relieve your symptoms — from hot water bottles, acupressure mats, painkillers, gentle exercise or just camping out in your favorite pajamas for a day or so. While there are lots of ways to soothe them, one common tactic is to use a heating pad. It not only feels comforting, but it can also help relieve pain.

Heat therapy should be avoided with any injury that is considered acute or has just recently occurred,” Dr. Raineri says. “Acute injuries will likely present with swelling, bruising, and possibly even open wounds where heat should not be used." Heat Settings This results in restricted blood circulation, which sends pain signals to the brain. Can You Use a Cordless Heating Pads While Sleeping? Be aware of whether the heating pad will turn off automatically. “Some heating pads are programmed to shut themselves off after a certain amount of time or if they don’t detect motion to help prevent burns to the skin,” says Hascalovici.

The best period heating pads, at a glance

The Thermacare heat wraps contain heat cells that get activated by air to provide low-level heat for 8 hours straight, but you can only use each wrap – once (It’s what makes them one of the best heating pads for cramps as well) Dr. Hannah SchroederND is a member of Sonoran University’s full-time clinical faculty. She completed two years of general medicine residency at a rigorous, multidisciplinary teaching clinic. She has also completed additional training in herbalism – a 96-hour of Introductory Herbalist Apprenticeship, and a 36-hour Herbalism course in ovarian, uterine, breast, menstrual, and menopausal health.

The Flyhorse USB Heating Belt is completely portable once you charge it fully, and we especially like that it has 4 heat settings and 4 vibration massage levels to choose from– to best fit your needs. The minimum treatment time would be 30 minutes daily. Choose a temperature setting that you can tolerate, and that makes you feel comfortable. If you’re wondering how this differs from a hot water bottle, Dr. Hannah Schroeder, who specializes in Naturopathic Medicine explains: “Heating pads are usually electric, so unlike a hot water bottle, a heating pad doesn’t need to be filled with hot water every time you want to use it — you can just plug it into any outlet near you”. They can also be a more effective option for women who have more intense menstrual cramps, or endometriosis which can cause more debilitating uterine cramping. “Just plug the cord into an electric outlet, turn the pad on, and you’re good to go,” she adds. Can be rechargeable cordless or mains-operated devices. These range from wrap-around belts to pads that appear merely to be a small section of an electric blanket. You can even buy electric heating pads with a TENS or massage function.

What should you consider when buying them?

Be sure the heating pad is in good condition. For example, make sure that the cover is not ripped and wires are not exposed. The air-activated therapeutic heat will last for 8 hours, and you’ll enjoy 8 more hours of pain relief after you took it off. Unless you are 100% sure the heating pad shuts off automatically after about 15 minutes, and that the temperature is set too low, we don’t recommend wearing a portable heating pad when you sleep. Can You Bring a Heating Pad on a Plane? Reader, I must disclaim that, as someone who's currently sat on top of 1000-degree (read: a safe, not skin-burning temperature) hot water bottle, aspirin on board and feeling very sorry for myself, I'm well aware of the limitations of a period heating pad. Then again, when the period cramps feel so bad that it seems nothing - not a nap, not curling up in a ball on your bed and sobbing for relief - will help, heat therapy is always my next point of call, even if just to take the edge off.

Adrienne Ton, APRN-CNP, is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner and Director of Clinical Operations at TBD Health. She hopes to create more positive experiences for those who’ve traditionally had bad (even traumatizing) experiences with their sexual health in the medical settings. When first heated, the product will feel damp though this is quite normal and will stop after a few uses. To select the best heating pads for menstrual cramps and muscle aches, one reporter interviewed three medical professionals for their input on how heating pads work and what to look out for in the best options. Using our expert’s advice, we combed through offerings from multiple retailers to find top-rated heating pads. We included a mix of portable heating pads, microwavable heating pads, and cordless heating pads. Learn more about us here.

From cute animal-shaped stuffies to flaxseed, wheat or lavender filled bags, microwavable heating bags are reusable and ready-to-go in as little as one minute.