I have terrible anxiety on waking up in the morning and feel fear rising out of my chest area and mind. How can I get help? I dont like to take antidepressants. Is this part of menopause?

Anxiety is one of the common symptoms of the menopause and experiencing it in the morning may indicate that your blood sugar levels are very low at that point. In this instance try and have a good snack before bed, not a sugary one but include foods high in protein such as nuts and seeds, a plain yoghurt or oatcake and cheese. You may also find taking a magnesium citrate supplement 200mg with your evening meal can help too, magnesium is needed for mood, relaxation and sleep and helps to calm the heart.

Dehydration can also be a culprit so make sure that you are drinking plenty of plain water every day and try to avoid caffeine drinks such a tea, coffee, fizzy drinks especially in the evening as they can disrupt your nervous system. General daily life stress can, unfortunately, make this worse so if this is you then dealing with the stress may actually help your menopause symptoms.

You could try AvenaCalm as this is traditionally used for stress/anxiety. Studies have shown that daily relaxation can reduce symptoms really quickly so do make this a priority: 30 min 'me-time' a day can work wonders!However, if your symptoms continue to get worse it is important to see your doctor in case there is any underlying cause.

Eileen Durward