Find Things That Boost Your Energy
One thing that’s very evident at menopause is that we all have different experiences, see what appeals to you and you only. Some women love art and colouring and find them relaxing others would rather de-clutter a drawer or go dancing. Take a moment and think about what boosts your energy and fills your cup. Maybe try something new – consider taking up mindfulness, Feldenkrais or yoga? These practices can help rest the mind, lower heart rate and blood pressure, and produce feelings of deep relaxation which can be drawn on during busy or stressful times. Don’t overstretch yourself with commitments and people or situations that drain your energy. You may need to learn to say No! more often. Seek out the ‘juicers’ not ‘drainers’.
Your Hormones Your Health
Feeling bloated, irritable, or just not your best? Shifts in your hormones could be to blame. Hormones are chemical âmessengersâ that impact the way your cells and organs function. Itâs normal for your levels of them to shift at different times of your life, such as before and during your period or a pregnancy, or during menopause. But some medications and health issues can cause your levels to go up or down, too.
What Causes Brain Fog
Brain fog is a common complaint even though this is not a true medical term. It is a commonly reported symptom with many potential underlying causes. Women in perimenopause and after menopause report more memory complaints and difficulty concentrating than premenopausal women. Declining estrogen levels may be to blame, but other factors may play a role. Perimenopausal and post-menopausal women often have trouble sleeping and experience hot flashes and increased depression. These, in turn, may contribute to brain fog. Thyroid disease is another common cause of brain fog. See your doctor if you are experiencing brain fog so you can find out and treat the root cause. If declining estrogen levels are to blame, hormone therapy may offer some relief and restore hormonal balance.
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Crashing Fatigue In Menopause Causes Its Own Problems
Along with deep tiredness, crashing fatigue has its own symptoms:
- Lack of motivation
- Feeling overwhelmed or emotionally stressed
Conventional doctors may be familiar with crashing fatigue, but still tend to offer only prescription drugs like antidepressants, which may not even relieve the problem of extreme tiredness. And theres no way that kind of medication can resolve the source of the issue.
If youre being laid low by crashing fatigue in menopause, you can find your way back to feeling energetic and active with a few simple steps. But you have to know what causes crashing fatigue in the first place.
Is Menopause Fatigue Normal
Itâs normal for everyone to feel overtired or overworked from time to time. Such instances usually come and go and people are usually able to recover well.
Unrelenting exhaustion, on the other hand, lasts longer, is more severe, and isn’t cured with rest. Itâs a feeling of constantly feeling drained, zapping your energy and motivation, and causing issues with concentration and your overall quality of life. Fatigue at this level impacts your emotional and psychological well-being, too.
Many women experience symptoms like these while theyâre going through menopause. The lack of sleep and constant battle to get consistent quality sleep might catch them off guard. After all, menopause fatigue is not something that is talked about much.
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Alternative Medicine For Dizziness
Alternative medicines involve minimal risk, and can treat dizziness at the root of the problem, which is hormonal imbalance. There are two different types of alternative medicine phytoestrogenic herbal supplements, and hormone-regulating herbal supplements.
Phytoestrogenic herbal supplements
Phytoestrogenic herbal supplements, like black cohosh, ginkgo biloba and dong quai contain plant-based estrogens that can help relieve dizziness caused by hormonal imbalance.
These herbs are not recommended for long-term use, because they may decrease the body’s ability to produce estrogen naturally.
Hormone-regulating herbal supplements
Hormone-regulating herbal supplements are good natural supplements that can be used over a longer period of time, because they do not contain estrogen. Instead, Macafem nourishes the endocrine system and encourages the body to produce estrogen on its own.
These supplements can be considered the safest and most natural way to treat the underlying hormonal imbalance behind dizziness, and can be taken throughout a woman’s life, as they support the body’s natural hormone production.
If changes in lifestyle and alternative treatments are not effective in providing relief from dizziness, it may be necessary to take medication to manage dizzy spells.
Perimenopause And Chronic Fatigue
Its not uncommon to feel more tired than usual during the perimenopause. But recent studies have shown there could also be a link between perimenopause and a more extreme type of tiredness chronic fatigue.Women who go through early menopause may be particularly susceptible to a condition called chronic fatigue syndrome . CFS is characterised by long-term exhaustion that doesn’t improve with rest or sleep . Its incredibly important to speak to your doctor if you experience this type of tiredness.
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The Trouble Is Your Hormones Not Your Head
The symptoms above are all signs of progesterone and estrogen imbalance. How many have you experienced? How many are robbing you of lifes joys and make you wonder if you are crazy or losing your mind? Do you feel alone in dealing with these symptoms? You’re not! Many other women experience estrogen and progesterone disruptors through menopause and are taking action to replace these vital hormones.
Symptoms Of Low Estrogen And How To Treat It
Estrogen is the primary hormone that sets women apart from men. While men have it in small amounts, women have far more. To stay healthy and feeling good, its important to have adequate amounts of estrogen. When were low in this particular hormone, a host of irritating symptoms typically occurs. Lets take a look at 10 symptoms of low estrogen and what we can do to treat it.
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When To See A Doctor
If you notice signs and symptoms of low estrogen, you should contact your doctor to discuss whats happening. You can discuss with your doctor if there are blood tests recommended to check your overall health. Make sure you are up to date on your Pap smear test, which checks for cervical cancer.
- Youve missed a period or more: This could be a sign of pregnancy or the result of certain medications, an underlying illness, or perimenopause.
- Youve not had a period for a year and start bleeding or spotting: In women who have gone through menopause, spotting or light bleeding could be caused by endometrial cancer or other serious health problems.
- You are 16 or older and have not started menstruating: This could be a sign of delayed puberty due to hormonal imbalance.
- You think you may have an eating disorder: Eating disorders can wreak havoc on your physical and mental health. They can cause deficiencies that can compromise estrogen production.
- You are feeling overwhelming sadness or having suicidal thoughts: Reach out to a mental health professional to get the help and support you deserve, and talk to your doctor about possible treatment options.
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How Is Low Estrogen Diagnosed
Diagnosis and treatment of low estrogen can help prevent many health issues.
If youre experiencing symptoms of low estrogen, talk with your doctor. They can assess your symptoms and make a diagnosis if needed. Early diagnosis may help prevent further complications.
During your appointment, your doctor will discuss your family health history and assess your symptoms. Theyll also perform a physical exam. Blood tests will likely be needed to measure your hormone levels.
Your follicle stimulating hormone levels may also be tested to determine whether your estrogen is low if youre experiencing:
- hot flashes
- frequently missed periods
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Lifestyle Changes For Dizziness
Making lifestyle changes tends to be the least expensive and invasive form of treatment, but often involves the most self-discipline. Implementing a healthy diet, regular exercise and healthy habits can all make a difference in helping to alleviate dizziness.
It may be helpful to keep a diary in order to track dizzy spells to check for trends. Include details such as the time that dizzy spells occur, how long they last, the activity preceding dizziness and any other relevant details.
If lifestyle changes do not decrease the occurrence of, severity or intensity of dizziness, it may be helpful to incorporate alternative treatments into one’s daily routine.
The Solution To Crashing Fatigue In 3 Steps
If youre experiencing crashing fatigue, you want to interrupt that pattern and reestablish your normal sleep-wake cycle. Careful attention to hormones can restore their natural rise-and-fall patterns, and allow them to interact in a healthy way.
1. Let your hormones send the right messages to your body.
Crashing fatigue is linked tightly to fluctuating estrogen levels, especially when the changes are severe or rapid. The correct balance between naturally-declining estrogen and other hormones smooths out the hormonal spikes and crashes that drain energy and disturb sleep. Women in menopause are more vulnerable to the effects of stress and adrenal hormone responses. That means remembering to pace yourself during the day, and allowing for more time-outs as needed.
You can help your body coax its hormones back into balance using herbal extracts. The best formulas contain combinations of phyto-ingredients that have adaptogenic qualities that allow them to continually adjust as necessary. Look for red clover, ashwagandha, and especially black cohosh these shift naturally to the changing hormonal needs of your body, and they function well together.
2. Take snacking seriously.
Eating regularly is important to fuel energy and prevent crashing fatigue. If youre a meal skipper, youll need to change your ways, at least for a while. Eat every 3 to 4 hours throughout the day and keep snacks super simple, healthy and fast but not junky.
Have snacks ready if you can, and choose:
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Eat For Hormonal Health
A healthy diet can speed healing, no matter what ails you. You can eat certain foods to support hormonal health. Always eat as many whole foods as you possibly can and avoid the processed and sugary ones. Organic veggies and fruits, lots of water and herbal teas, and fibrous foods like apples, pears, berries, avocados, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds are all beneficial for your body.
Menopause Fatigue: Why Am I So #$%@ing Tired
Fatigue is prevalent in todayâs 24/7 world. Youâre constantly on, juggling work, family, friends, volunteering, and much more. Itâs no surprise that your energy levels feel like theyâre constantly low. But perimenopause can make it feel like your energy has bottomed out. Some days, it isnât just âI donât want to exercise todayâ tired, itâs âIâm not sure I can get out of bed todayâ tired.
Feeling fatigued all the time regularly tops the list of symptoms every time we survey women. About 85 percent of women report experiencing exhaustion that isnât relieved with more sleep. Of those 66 percent said fatigue interfered with their quality of life.
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Reduce Coffee And Tea Consumption
Try not to drink more than two cups of coffee a day. Studies have shown that more than that may increase estrogen levels, and may lead to issues such as breast soreness and endometriosis. Excessive coffee consumption is also associated with a reduction in the production of progesterone.
Tea and energy drinks also have caffeine, though they are not as harmful in excess as coffee.
Coffee and other caffeinated drinks are also detrimental to AFS. Thats because, when your adrenals are weak, caffeine gives a temporary energy boost that can then lead to a crash. And each time you go through a crash, your adrenals weaken even more. At the same time, if you are a heavy coffee drinker, we dont recommend going cold turkey if you have AFS or any NEM imbalance. That could be a big stressor on your system that can also lead to a crash. Slowly reducing your consumption is a safer approach.
The Truth About The Stress Hormone
Cortisol is often called the stress hormone because it is responsible for modulating the bodys stress response, both long term and on a daily basis. When the body is not functioning as it should, cortisol can spike at the wrong time, causing sleep difficulty which leads to fatigue.
Long term stress can also affect the adrenal glands. When your adrenals are fatigued, your cortisol can become depleted which leads to chronic fatigue.
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Drug Companies Use The Urine Of Pregnant Mares
Natural estrogen is not patentable. So, the Wyeth Pharmaceutical Company developed Premarin. Premarin stands for pregnant mares urine. Pregnant horses contribute their urine for the purpose of extracting estrogen-like components. Women take these pills made up of these components.
The problems with Premarin use are multiple. First, they contain estrogen that is natural to horses not humans. These estrogens are possibly riskier and more cancer causing.
In addition, women take Premarin in pill form by mouth. In this form, estrogen causes increased risk of blood clotting. This is because the liver must process oral estrogen. This processing results in increased production of clotting factors. Increased clotting factors result in an increased tendency to have heart attacks and strokes. This showed up in older women in the results of the Womens Health Initiative, a large study conducted by the National Institutes of Health.
Why Am I So Tired During The Menopause
Your hormones play an important role in regulating your energy production . As your hormones fluctuate in the perimenopause, so too will your energy levels. In this, fatigue and lethargy become more pronounced when oestrogen drops sharply.The additional effects of low oestrogen, including night sweats, insomnia, and frequent urination, can also lead to fragmented sleep and increased fatigue.
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Editorial Sources And Fact
- Ruan X, et al. Prevalence of Climacteric Symptoms Comparing Perimenopausal and Postmenopausal Chinese Women. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology. September 2017.
- Ward-Ritacco CL, et al. Feelings of Energy Are Associated With Physical Activity and Sleep Quality, but Not Adiposity, in Middle-Aged Postmenopausal Women. Menopause. March 2015.
- Pacheco D. The Bedroom Environment. Sleep Foundation. October 2020.
- Baker FC, et al. Sleep Problems During the Menopausal Transition: Prevalence, Impact, and Management Challenges. Nature and Science of Sleep. 2018.
- Menopause: Non-Hormonal Treatment and Relief for Hot Flashes. Cleveland Clinic. January 16, 2017.
Can Estrogen Therapy Be Bad Does Estrogen Cause Breast Cancer
It depends on the type of estrogen prescribed. Bioidentical estrogen in combination with bioidentical progesterone produces the best results. In Europe, only bioidentical hormones are prescribed.
If either estrogen or other helping substances are synthetic , they can cause various problems in the body and even significantly increase the risk of breast cancer, according to some studies. However, FDA has stated there is not enough evidence to support that bioidentical hormones are safer, so in the US synthetic options are frequently prescribed.
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Low Energy Levels In Females: How Hormones Affect Your Energy Levels
The results of a recent survey showed that 43 percent of Americans report feeling too tired to function. Does this sound familiar to you?
Fatigue is a common symptom among people of all genders, but its especially common in women. Read on to learn more about how hormonal imbalances can lead to low energy levels in females. Youll also get some important information on how you can rebalance your hormones and start feeling your best.
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Hair Loss Or Dry Brittle Hair And Skin
Estrogen is a beauty hormone! Estrogen has a plumping, healing effect on the skin. It promotes collagen synthesis, wound healing and blood flow and helps to protect the skin from oxidative stress. All of these lovely effects create beautiful, glowing, collagen-rich skin. As estrogen declines after menopause, skin loses its elasticity and becomes more dry. And Im not just talking about the skin on your face and décolleté .
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Your Circadian Rhythm Is Off
The pineal gland is a small endocrine gland that is located in the brain. It produces melatonin, which affects circadian rhythm and the levels of other hormones in the body. A pineal cyst is a disorder of the pineal gland that may not produce any symptoms. If the cyst is large, it may produce symptoms including water on the brain , headache, eye problems, and vision problems. Large pineal cysts that cause problems usually affect women who are in their second decade of life.
Your Period Has Disappeared
When estrogen is deficient, the uterus cant build up a healthy thick lining, and therefore wont shed in a period. Low estrogen may also mean you arent ovulating, which means your fertility is being negatively impacted.
There are several other reasons why your period can disappear, so its important to get testing done to understand whether its a result of low estrogen, or something else.
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