Menopause & stress: The gruesome twosome!

Getting a handle on your stress levels is central to managing menopause symptoms. Declining &/or fluctuating oestrogen levels are the drivers behind many meno symptoms & stress hormones can further negatively impact upon your oestrogen levels.

If stress hormone adrenaline is persistently elevated, it can block oestrogen at the receptor. If a hormone cannot get into our cells, we cannot enjoy its effects. So stress can effectively make a bad situation worse in terms of declining oestrogen & its physical & mental effects.

Stress can also directly cause many symptoms also associated with menopause, thus again, worsening the overall situation.

Stress causes our temperature to rise. Most women in their 40s & 50s are only too familiar with hot flushes & you may have already noticed that you flush more when the pressure is on.

Being stressed is not conducive to a good night's sleep & due to oestrogen's role in serotonin & melatonin function, insomnia is also common in menopause.

Similarly, both stress & midlife are associated with weight gain. 

As are gut problems. Stress can cause all kinds of IBS-like symptoms and women in midlife also find they may experience bloating, indigestion & gas. Some of this may be linked to changes in gut bacteria at this time. You will not be surprised to learn that stress also has a negative effect on your gut bacteria.

And so it goes on......

Whether they are triggered by stress or menopause, there is a lot we can do to manage these symptoms. However, finding ways to nip that stress response in the bud could not be more important.