Vaginal pH plays a big role in maintaining vaginal health. When your pH levels are balanced, healthy bacteria thrive in your vagina. These good bacteria help keep your vagina clean and free from infections. However, if the pH level rises too much, bacteria can overgrow and cause serious problems such as burning, itching, changes in vaginal discharge, and redness. If you see these signs, it indicates a pH imbalance. Now you may be wondering, “How to balance pH overnight?” This article will help you find out the average pH level, the causes of pH imbalance, associated symptoms, and the best treatments to restore it. read!
What is normal vaginal pH?
Now, before we understand normal vaginal pH, let’s first understand what pH means. The term pH refers to hydrogen potential. A quantitative measure of how acidic or alkaline something is. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 7, with 7 being the neutral point, anything higher than that being alkaline, and anything below that being acidic. pH values vary throughout the body. So, what is the pH of the vagina? A healthy pH balance for women is slightly acidic, with values between 3.8 and 4.5. For women going through menopause, 5.0 is considered normal. This moderately acidic environment promotes the growth of good bacteria in the vagina and helps maintain vaginal health. When pH levels rise too much, the vaginal environment becomes alkaline, which benefits harmful bacteria by promoting their growth and helping them develop into serious infections.
What causes vaginal pH imbalance?
The body’s intestines have a normal flora of healthy bacteria and yeast that help digest food. Similarly, the vagina has both good and bad bacteria that naturally maintain an acidic environment in the vagina. They work together to prevent the growth of toxic bacteria that can cause vaginal infections. When the vaginal environment becomes alkaline, the pH balance is disrupted. Factors that increase vaginal alkalinity include:
- Antibiotics: Some antibiotics can affect the balance of good bacteria and affect pH balance.
- Sexual activity: Because semen is alkaline, it can temporarily increase the pH level of your vagina. However, this will subside after a while.
- Cleaning: Using soap or douches to clean your vagina can affect the normal pH level of your vagina.
- Menstrual cycle: The pH level of menstrual blood is higher than that of the vagina and can fluctuate throughout the menstrual cycle.
- Hormonal changes: Factors such as hormonal contraceptives, menopause, and pregnancy can affect pH balance.
- Infections: Infections such as bacterial vaginosis can disrupt the pH balance of your vagina.
Symptoms of unbalanced pH levels
Certain medications, hormonal imbalances, poor diet, and lifestyle changes can cause pH imbalance. The increased pH level creates a favorable environment for growth and harmful bacteria. It can cause bacterial vaginosis. So how do you know if your vaginal pH level is too alkaline? Symptoms of pH level imbalance in women include:
- Swelling, redness, itching, or rash around the vulva or vagina
- Burning sensation when urinating or having intercourse
- Unpleasant strong or fishy odor
- The color of the vaginal discharge changes from gray, white, yellow to green.
- heavy, lumpy vaginal discharge
- thick texture
Also read: How to get rid of vaginal odor at home?
How to balance pH overnight?
How can I restore the pH balance to normal? In some cases, antibiotics are required to correct the pH balance. However, if you want a quick fix at home, you can try the following natural remedies to restore pH balance.
1. Increase your probiotic intake
How can I balance my vaginal ph naturally? There’s nothing more effective than probiotics. Harmful bacteria can cause vaginal infections and cause pH imbalances. Adding probiotics to your diet can help correct pH imbalances. Probiotics are the body’s natural microflora that help improve gut health and maintain vaginal pH balance. These promote the growth of beneficial bacteria such as lactic acid bacteria, which help rebalance the vaginal microbiome and restore normal pH levels. Eating a nutritious diet rich in protein and fiber is good for your body. Additionally, you can also try yogurt, miso soup, buttermilk, kefir, and kombucha to restore your pH levels.
2. Try apple cider vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is common in every household and can help balance the pH overnight. It has antifungal and antibacterial properties, so it helps get rid of harmful bacterial growth in the vagina. Simply mix diluted apple cider vinegar with a small amount of water and drink it all at once. Provides a suitable environment for the growth of beneficial bacteria to improve digestive health and maintain vaginal health. These healthy bacteria restore balance to your pH levels. Do not apply apple cider vinegar directly to any part of your vagina as it can damage vaginal tissue.
3. Limit sugar intake
Sugar contributes to the growth of certain bacteria and yeast and high pH levels. Cutting out sugar from your dinner can help relieve vaginal infections caused by pH imbalance. Refined breads, ice cream, soda, candy, and alcohol contain large amounts of sugar and should be avoided at night. If you’re craving something sweet, fruits like apples, oranges, and blueberries are great choices because they contain natural sugars. Instead of sugar, you can use jaggery powder in drinks and milkshakes. It can effectively maintain blood sugar level and pH balance.
4. Lower stress levels
How to balance pH naturally? Reducing stress can help with that. Stress not only affects your mental and physical health, but also your pH levels. the study Stress is said to greatly stimulate the hormone cortisol, which is produced as a quick fight response by the body’s adrenal glands. These hormones block acidity in the body. If you suspect stress is the cause of your pH imbalance, you can reduce your stress levels by making lifestyle changes. These include deep breathing exercises and meditation, eating a balanced diet, walking briskly, sleeping on time (8 hours of sleep), and stopping the use of harmful substances such as tobacco, alcohol, and smoke. These healthy habits will help prevent stress from life.
5. Eat garlic
How can I balance vaginal pH? What could be better than garlic, which is easily available in your kitchen?according to study, garlic is well known for its antifungal and antibacterial effects, which help prevent the growth of harmful bacteria and yeast in the vaginal area. It is good for immunity and eating it balances the pH and helps prevent vaginal infections. It can be added to meals as garlic bread, garlic mashed potatoes, or garlic cream soup. These foods are not only delicious, but safe and healthy for your vaginal health. Oral garlic supplements, if available, can also be a good, more effective option for restoring pH balance. It is important to know that you cannot use or put garlic directly in or near the vaginal area.
6. Avoid douching
If you’re looking for ways to maintain a healthy vaginal pH balance, stop douching your vaginal area. douching This is a method of cleaning the inside of the vagina using water, soap, or other liquid solutions. Most women consider the practice of dowsing to be healthy for their reproductive health. However, this practice is not recommended by doctors because it interferes with the vaginal pH level and the body’s normal flora. Washing also allows bacteria to enter the inside of the uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes, making the infection more severe. This can lead to a serious health problem known as pelvic inflammatory disease (female reproductive tract infection).
7. Drink lots of water
Hydration is essential not only for vaginal pH balance but also for daily life. Dehydration can cause itching around the vagina and make yeast infections more severe. Therefore, drinking plenty of water will flush out toxins from your body and effectively maintain the vaginal ecosystem. Have you ever seen a bottle of alkaline water in a grocery store or supermarket and wondered if it is a better alternative to plain water? Yes, alkaline water is better compared to plain water. Masu. This type of water holds a high pH level, which helps reduce acidity levels in the body. Remember that staying hydrated is essential.
8. Wear pure cotton underwear
The type of underwear you wear also affects your vaginal health. Cotton underwear is breathable and comfortable for intimate areas, especially if you want to maintain pH balance. After peeing, you can quickly dry the vaginal area. When it comes to synthetic materials, these non-breathable fabrics can create a damp environment where harmful bacteria can grow and thrive. This allows bacteria to enter the vagina and affect pH levels. Therefore, consider wearing breathable cotton underwear, which is good for vaginal health and avoids infections.
summary
Changes in the vaginal pH balance can allow harmful bacteria to grow. This can lead to unpleasant problems such as itching, burning sensation when urinating, bad odor from the vagina, and abnormal discharge. Thankfully, there are effective home remedies to balance pH, including probiotics, garlic, apple cider vinegar, maintaining vaginal hygiene by avoiding douches, lowering stress levels, and wearing cotton underwear. These will help balance the pH overnight. So, if you experience the above symptoms, try the listed natural remedies. However, if your symptoms become more severe or last for several days, seek professional help immediately. Doctors can assist with treatment with antibiotics.
FAQ
How can I restore the pH balance of the vagus nerve to normal?
Taking probiotics, eating garlic, and avoiding douches are the best ways to normalize your vaginal pH balance. However, if your symptoms do not subside after using these home remedies, consult your doctor.
What can disrupt the pH balance?
Washing, antibiotics, unprotected sex, menopause, and menstruation can disrupt your pH balance.
Does apple cider vinegar help balance the pH of the vagus nerve?
Yes, apple cider vinegar is helpful when taken in diluted form or as a supplement. It is not recommended to use directly on the vagina as it may damage the vaginal tissue.
How can I fix the smell of pH balance?
You can take probiotics, garlic tablets, boric acid supplements, and avoid scented hygiene products such as vaginal soaps and cleansers.
How can I correct the pH balance?
You can incorporate several natural remedies to correct your pH balance, such as taking probiotics, eating garlic, staying hydrated, and maintaining good hygiene.