Why stress matters in menopause
The more stress we are under the more this can aggravate menopause and perimenopausal symptoms.
Conversely, the more our sex hormones decline, the more we feel stressed and end up in a downward spiralling loop.
People want to know if it’s the stress causing their symptoms or the menopause – the answer is it’s both – We need to understand why and how to break the cycle. This is why this stage in life has been called midlife crisis and it can feel like one but it doesn’t have to be that way – read on…
Where can stress come from?
- The pressure of children grandchildren and ageing parents
- More responsibility at work or within the family
- Social pressure
- Feeling that you’re losing your looks fertility and loss of value in an ageist society
- Insomnia / poor sleep pattern
- A less than optimum diet
- Lack of exercise
- Work / life imbalance
- Low levels of self-care
- Exposure to too many EMFs (electromagnetic frequencies)
- Chronic infection
- Chemical exposure to household cleaning products
- History of trauma
- Adverse childhood experiences
- Divorce
- Bereavement
- Anxious, avoidant relationship dynamics
- Power struggles
- Client demands
- Life admin – booking, tickets meal, planning shopping, school admin etc
- Time constraints and deadlines
- Worrying about the future
- Self-imposed expectations
- Traffic and road rage
The list of modern day stressors goes on and on.
Here’s the science bit –
Stress is connected to the brain. -The pathway between the hypothalamus, and the adrenal glands is called the Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal Axis (HPA).
The hypothalamus detects and interprets stress to send a signal to your adrenal glands to produce adrenaline or cortisol. This is because instant energy is needed for this threat. – The problem is, the more adrenaline you produce, the more you see things as a threat. This is the loop that you get stuck in.
The important thing to remember is the HPA axis is triggered by your own interpretation of stress so by learning how to cope with your stressors by reforming your perspective is powerful. You can learn to relax into life’s challenges and feel more in control and able to cope with what life throws at you without feeling overwhelmed or stressed out. This doesn’t happen by telling someone to calm down – its a bit more work than that which we can help you with. As you have probably experienced for yourself this would have the opposite effect.
Sex Hormones
FSH – Follicle Stimulating Hormone is it Gonadotropin, a Glycoprotein and a Polypeptide hormone which means it helps things grow.
LH- Luteinising Hormone triggers the release of an egg and controls the menstrual cycle
In men it causes the testicles to make testosterone.
The reason we feel more stressed during perimenopause is because FSH and LH levels are changing and this makes the HPA axis become more reactive.
The body has its own coping mechanisms of rebalancing this limbic activity, but when oestrogen and progesterone decline, so does the bodies ability to regulate this HPA axis.
So basically, the sex hormones protect the body against that stress reaction.
When they start to decline we are no longer protected against this stress buffering response. When we find ourselves in the state of stress, the body prioritises survival not reproduction.
This is why we store fat because the body collects fuel in case we need as it still thinks stress = famine. Perimenopause is a time when learning how to deal with stress differently comes into play. If we’re going to alter our perception of stress and improve resilience, we need to learn coping skills that can really help the body avoid falling into the stress trap.
A powerful skill is realising stress doesn’t have to be negative. It can be neutral when we know why menopause makes stress worse we can approach it with more neutrality instead of dramatics and negative reactions.
This is easier said than done if you’re at the top of your tree feeling overwhelmed and stressed, this is where we come in.
We can offer holistic treatments such as Reiki and Aromatherapy Massage to help you relax for even a short time to reset your thoughts to enable you to make better decisions, moving forward along your menopause journey.
Other therapies we offer include: Reflexology, Lomi Lomi massage, Indian Head Massage, Therapeutic Results driven facials. and so much more.
The way our holistic approach to stress works is by temporarily slowing down the heart rate and brainwaves to help you relax deeper to recharge your batteries. This is a chance for you to reset and refocus and with our tips to help you move forward you will feel much more in control and less reactive to the things that would normally cause you stress.
There are many other holistic therapies that can help with this and we have a number of contacts we can refer you to should you want to explore them – These include : Hypnotherapy, Sound Therapy, Homeopathy, Acupuncture, EFT Tapping therapy, Cognitive behavioural therapy,
Thank you for reading and if you have found this blog helpful please share with anyone you feel might benefit from it and we look forward to seeing you soon for some much needed holistic therapy time just for you.
Written by Natalie Hodges
Reiki Practitioner, Women’s Circle Facilitator, Menopause Mentor and Award Winning Skin Specialist.