If the word ‘menopause’ scares the living daylights out of you, we get it.
It can be difficult to imagine a life where you spend your nights tossing and turning in bed due to night sweats or experience bone fragility due to plummeting estrogen levels, but trust us, it gets better if you know what to do and what to ignore.
To make things easier for you, we have made a brief guide on how menopause can affect your body and what you can do to fight back and regain control.
Read more:
- 3 Most Common Women’s Health Issues To Be Aware Of
- The Ultimate Guide to Improving Your Cardiovascular Health
The Various Ways Menopause Affects the Body
Menopause doesn’t just put an end to one’s menstrual cycle but it also affects some really important aspects of one’s health. These can further affect your social and personal life, requiring a more holistic approach for the management of these symptoms.
Here we look at some menopausal symptoms that can feel a little difficult to manage but there are some solutions that can help.
Bone loss
Menopause is the leading cause of osteoporosis in women over the age of 50. Due to plummeting estrogen levels, the bones start breaking down significantly faster than normal (as estrogen is responsible for slowing down this natural breakdown). Around 20% of bone loss can happen during menopause and it’s important to manage it before it gets out of hand. One way to manage this is through treatment options like HRT patches (we’ll learn more about this later).
Hot Flashes
Vasomotor symptoms or hot flashes are one of the most common symptoms as they affect over 80% of menopausal women worldwide. These intense heat sensations are mostly felt in the upper part of the body and bring about excessive sweating and anxiety with them.
Weight Gain
If you have been struggling to fit into your favorite jeans lately, menopause might be to blame. During this period lower estrogen levels paired with a slower metabolism can lead to weight gain, especially around the midsection of your body.
Vaginal Dryness
If you have been experiencing a lot of distress ‘down there’ and not being able to enjoy some action under the sheets without experiencing pain, low estrogen levels are the culprit. However, vaginal dryness can be managed by OTC vaginal moisturizers and lubricants.
Increased Cardiovascular Risks
If there’s one thing you need to know about menopause it’s that it doesn’t come alone. It often brings with it bad cholesterol, increased blood pressure and insulin resistance, and all of these can work together to increase cardiovascular risks in the body.
Mood Swings
If you have been feeling low, stressed, and just not like yourself lately, menopause is what’s causing it. A sharp decline in the female sex hormone estrogen can mess with how the body manages norepinephrine and serotonin. These neurotransmitters may play a part in excessive mood swings.
Brain Fog
If you often find yourself entering a room and asking questions like, ‘What exactly did I come in here for?’ or if you struggle to find the right word to describe an everyday essential, you might be dealing with brain fog. However, it doesn’t have a single cause. Various factors like poor sleep, depression, stress and low levels of estrogen might be to blame here.
Sleep Issues
Estrogen is a hormone that helps you sleep soundly by regulating the body temperature and your sleep-wake cycle. But once it starts to plummet, you can kiss your peaceful nights goodbye. Hot flashes, anxiety and mood changes can all meddle with your sleep, leaving you tossing and turning in bed all night long.
Different Ways to Manage Menopause Symptoms Without Losing Yourself in the Process
Now that we have taken a look at how menopause can make things difficult for you, we’ll review some things that can greatly help you manage your life and help you get back on track.
Diet
Since menopause affects various physiological functions, you’ll have to supplement your body with foods that actually make a difference. Muscle mass and bone loss can leave you feeling weak, which is why protein-rich foods like eggs, legumes and dairy products need to be a staple in your diet. Healthy fats like fatty fish, olive oil and chia seeds lower inflammation in the body, helping improve your skin and other important functions. Don’t forget to limit the consumption of processed foods and refined carbs because as much as you like that heavenly slice of devil’s food cake, it can actually do more harm than good.
HRT
Hormone Replacement Therapy is one of the most effective ways to replace the lost female sex hormones during menopause. Hormone therapy in the form of pills, skin patches, creams and sprays can help one manage the signs of menopause. This is especially useful for managing hot flashes, vaginal dryness and slowing down bone loss.
Sleep
Menopause can have a direct impact on the quality of your sleep, which can further affect other aspects of your health. This is why it’s essential to practice good sleep hygiene to limit the effects of menopause on your body. Try to have a strict bedtime routine and limit alcohol and caffeine consumption in the evening to make it easier to fall asleep. Moreover, if you are experiencing night sweats, hormone therapy is the way to go.
Exercise
Menopause can lead to a rapid decline in bone health and muscle mass so it’s important to counter it with exercise that actually makes a difference. Stick to strength training, brisk walking, and yoga to not only improve energy and boost your mood but to also slow down bone and muscle mass loss.
Mindfulness and Meditation
You might find meditation not so interesting but if you want to manage irritability and anxiety, you have to give it a shot. Practicing mindfulness and meditation right after you wake and just before going to bed can help calm the nervous system and make you feel more centered.
Managing menopause might seem difficult, especially if you’re just entering that phase in life but there are lots of different ways to keep things under control. It affects the body in various ways but with the right support and approach, you can make menopausal living more manageable and even fulfilling. Being intentional about your lifestyle habits, eating well, going to bed at a reasonable hour and using the right tools for your symptoms can make a huge difference in how you feel during menopause.