Dealing with Menopause Symptoms

Excessive sweating associated with menopausal hot flushes and night sweats are the most common symptoms experienced by women going through the menopause. Go to our page on hot flushes and night sweats for more information. If you are looking for a herbal remedy that may help visit our Menoforce product page

Some women going through the menopause experience joint pains. Aching joints and stiffness is often reported when women are in the peri-menopausal stage or approaching the menopause.

Hormones play an important role in a women’s joint health and fluctuating estrogen levels that can occur during ‘The Change’ can have an impact on how your joints feel as oestrogens have an anti-inflammatory effect on the body. However, although joint pain can be a menopausal symptom it can also simply be an ailment linked to growing older.

If one of your challenges during the menopause is reduced mobility due to joint pain, there are a number of ways you can help yourself.

Changing your diet can have a positive effect on joint health. Stay away from sugar and increase your Vitamin C intake. To find out what else you can do in terms of diet and exercise see our Tips for a Healthy Menopause page. In addition, there are a number of herbal remedies which can help relieve muscular aches and pains as well as joint pain.

Going through the menopause can be an emotional roller coaster ride for some women. Menopausal women tend to have big responsibilities and much on their mind - and dealing with hormonal changes can seem one challenge too far.

Many women accept mood swings and anxiety as a natural part of the menopause, but in reality there is a lot you can do to help your mood during this time of life. Whether you are suffering from low moods, or anxiety, it is good to understand that there are ways to get you back to feeling your old self again.

A fall in estrogen and testosterone can be partly to blame for low mood but it can be simply be down to lack of sleep. Hot flushes, sleeping problems and the stress from physical changes can all leave you feeling up-tight and lead to an irritable mood.

The first step in alleviating your low mood is to find ways to sleep better, especially if a few days of poor sleep have made you anxious about getting a good night’s sleep. However, if you feel you are sleeping well and your low mood is related more to stress, it may be helpful to take some ‘you time’ to refresh your mind and relax or even some gentle exercise can help.

Many women find that increased forgetfulness is a clue that the menopause is upon them. Bear in mind, though, that many women are carrying huge amounts of information and extremely long ‘To-Do’ lists in their heads. It is not surprising that sometimes, a fact or two slips through the net. Be considerate to yourself and get enough sleep to allow the brain to work efficiently.

Waking through the night or driving your partner mad tossing and turning all through the night, when going through the menopause, you may find that your sleep becomes less and less restful.

It was a typically thought that interrupted sleep will be connected to night sweats (and hot flushes). Hence, improving ‘the sweats’ during the menopause can help you get a better sleep.

If your sleep problems are not related to night sweats or hot flushes, but you are just anxious about getting a good night’s sleep then you may wish to visit our pages on How to Sleep Better and our Good Sleep Guide.

Some women find that the condition of their hair, skin and nails are of great concern during the menopausal years.

It is often the case that minor nutritional deficiencies culminate in poor supplies being available for the outer layers of our body that are so important to us cosmetically. Hormonal changes such as a fall in oestrogen may cause our skin to become thinner and less elastic. This in turn leads to the appearance of the dreaded wrinkles.

As skin becomes more delicate it can become more susceptible to environmental and sun damage. It is a good idea to use a good sun cream and also, to try products with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant ingredients to boost your skin’s natural defences.

In addition, eating a healthy diet is helpful, but eating it calmly, sitting down and relaxing rather than on the run in a panic is important, as it is hard for the body to adsorb nutrients efficiently if it is under a lot of strain.