Menopause can be an extremely trying period in the life of a woman. While hot flashes and night sweats have dominated the discussions on the effects of menopause, these physical discomforts are nothing compared to the mental and emotional changes that follow menopause.
Menopause can cause several mental symptoms that can make your life miserable and lonely. Women have reported feeling depressed, confused, and losing concentration. Headaches, dizziness, memory loss, difficulty in learning, reduced cognition, strange dreams, and an overactive mind are also some of the mental effects of menopause.
Menopause can also cause dramatic mood changes. You could wake up and start crying for no apparent reason, or become angry at the slightest provocation. Mood swings, rage, anxiety, panic, and anxiety, are also common mood fluctuations menopausal women experience.
The mental and emotional changes that occur during menopause are the result of changes in the biochemistry of your brain. The hormones progesterone and estrogen are the main culprits for all these discomforting symptoms. During the period when a woman is entering menopause, progesterone levels start dwindling continuously; however, estrogen levels fluctuate up and down. The imbalance in the ratio of these hormones is mainly responsible for the changes in the neurotransmitters in your body and ultimately the drastic fluctuations in your emotions and mood.
To stop these symptoms, you have to balance the hormones. Fortunately, these symptoms don’t last long. After menopause, i.e., 12 months after your periods have ceased, most women don’t feel these symptoms anymore. But until then, how can you balance the ratio of estrogen to progesterone so you can live a normal life?
Here are seven natural methods to help balance your hormones in menopause.
#1 – Exercise
Regular exercise can help improve mental and physical health during menopause. While there isn’t sufficient evidence to show the effectiveness of exercise for treating night sweats or hot flashes, exercise can promote bone and joint health, enhance metabolism and energy, improve sleep, and reduce stress.
According to this study, researchers found that a group of menopausal women who work out for three hours each week for one year experienced improved mental and physical health and general quality of life. Regular exercise can also help prevent several chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, cancer and others.
#2 – Stay Hydrated Always
It’s important to drink enough water as menopause can cause dryness, which may be due to reduced levels of estrogen. Staying hydrated may also reduce bloating caused by changing hormone levels as well as prevent weight gain by making you feel full and improving metabolism.
#3 – Cut Down on Processed Foods and Refined Sugar
Research shows that postmenopausal women who are on diets high in refined carbs have a higher risk of suffering from depression. This is because sugar and refined carbs can cause drastic fluctuations in blood sugar levels, leading to mood swings and fatigue. You may also be at risk of poor bone health if your diet is high in processed foods.
#4 – Stay Away from Trigger Foods
Certain foods can trigger menopause symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, and mood swings. Caffeine, alcohol, spicy foods and sugary foods are some of the foods that can trigger these symptoms. It’s important to monitor your symptoms and what may trigger them so you can avoid those actions or foods.
Menopause is not bad. It’s a natural part of life and a sacred, female right-of-passage. Changing your mind about that period and trying the tips above can go a long way in making your menopause as comfortable as possible.
#5 – Correct your breathing
Whenever we have such a major stressor like this in our life, it’s important that we don’t let it control our lives. One way stress literally controls you is through your breath, your very life force. Stress can cause dysfunctional breath which leads to decreased oxygen in the body and is a major health detriment. We talked about the importance of correct breath during stressful situations in a previous blog.
#6 – Control inflammation
When we are dealing with stress, and unbalanced hormones, we then of course also need to consider inflammation. Because of the fact that we as modern humans are not grounded to the Earth, we literally cannot effectively get rid of inflammation completely. In order to have a natural, and correct inflammatory response, you need to be grounded to the Earth.
In addition, another very effective natural medicine for combatting inflammation is simply adding the herb turmeric, and other natural anti-inflammatory foods to your diet.
#7 – Check in to BiHRT
BiHRT improves the quality of life for many women. This therapy, which seeks to balance estrogen and progesterone is safe and effective. Research supports the use of BiHRT for the positive effects on brain. In addition, according to a 2013 study published in the American Journal Of Public Health, and as reported by both Forbes and Time Magazine, anywhere from 18,600 to as many as 91,600 women in medical menopause may have died prematurely over the last decade as a result of avoiding estrogen replacement. This is big news for certain women, who are looking for ways to reduce their risk of mortality.
For more info check out these great articles below:
- Natural Remedies for Menopause Mood Swings and Hot Flashes
- 8 Natural Remedies for Menopause Relief
- Menopause Transformation – A Case History
