Hot Flashes Weight Gain Fatigue

The Smallest Things Now Make My Anxious Or Make Me Want To Cry

Blame it on: High adrenalin and cortisol

When you have adrenal fatigue you are functioning with a chemical soup of high stress hormones constantly circulating in your system. This keeps your body on red alert so things that used to stress you a little bit can cause a stress response totally out of proportion to the trigger. Crying can then occur as a stress release.

Meanwhile, your body thinks it is in a state of emergency so it:

• Dumps calming minerals: These include magnesium and zinc after all your body doesnt want you to be calm and relaxed right now, it wants you to be ready for fight or flight. Unfortunately, without magnesium you will feel more anxious. And with less zinc, your immunity will drop.
• Retains more copper: This is due in part to the drop in zinc. And elevated copper levels cause excitability and agitation in your brain, worsening your adrenal exhaustion.

How Do I Treat A Hot Flash

Hot flashes may seem like an inevitable symptom of menopause that you just need to deal with. But there are treatment options to improve your hot flashes. If you have hot flashes, particularly hot flashes that disrupt your daily life, reach out to your healthcare provider to learn more about your treatment options.

In general, there are two categories of treatment options for hot flashes: prescription medications and over-the-counter therapies. Some prescription medications are used as off-label treatments to help reduce hot flashes. Using a product off label means that its not FDA-approved for the treatment of hot flashes, but is often used because it can be safe and effective as a treatment option.

Its important to talk to your healthcare provider about any treatment option and discuss the pros and cons. Your provider is aware of your medical history and other medications. Some treatment options may not be safe to take with your other medications or other medical conditions.

Prescription medications are typically considered to be more effective than over-the-counter treatments. These medications can include:

Hormone replacement therapy

Hormone replacement therapy boosts your hormone levels and can relieve some of the symptoms of menopause. Your provider will consider whether your uterus is in place or has been removed when prescribing hormone replacement therapy. Theyll prescribe:

Non-hormonal medications

Over-the-counter therapies

What Can Cause Menopausal Fatigue

As a woman enters perimenopause, her hormone levels fluctuate dramatically, which can cause chronically disrupted sleep. Also, lower levels of estrogen and progesterone can make some women short-tempered and less able to relax. So actually getting to sleep, or just taking a moment to unwind, can be difficult.

The decrease in these hormones can lead to throwing off cortisol , and thyroid hormone levels. When you’re stressed, you will produce more cortisol leading to a cycle of even more stress. 3With high levels of cortisol and thyroid hormones, and a drop in estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, can lead to a huge variety of ways that rest is disrupted. Heres a few of the major ways hormones impacts rest:

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Article Content 6 Mins Read

• What Does Menopause Fatigue Look Like?
• What Can Cause Menopausal Fatigue?
• Menopause Fatigue Treatment
• Lifestyle changes can also help improve menopausal fatigue.

Perimenopause is the phase that leads up to menopause, typically starts in your late 30s and early 40s, and can last up to 10 years. While perimenopause is a natural biological process, it can present very different symptoms for each woman. Menopause and fatigue are a very common combination.With perimenopause, there are many physical symptoms such as hot flashes, emotional changes, weight gain, brain fog, low energy, and extreme tiredness. Fatigue is a common symptom of perimenopause which can range from mild to severe, and can be one of the most difficult perimenopause symptoms to manage.

In this article, we will look at menopause fatigue in more detail. Its causes, signs and symptoms, and treatments that may help including natural menopause treatments.

Are There Foods That Can Help With My Hot Flashes

Many people try to add more plant estrogen into their diets to combat the hormonal changes that go along with menopause. The thought is that adding plant estrogens can help with your hot flashes. Plant estrogens, such as isoflavones, are thought to have weak estrogen-like effects that might reduce hot flashes.

Examples of foods with isoflavones include:

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My Face Legs Feet And Hands Are Often Puffy And I Get Lightheaded

Blame it on: Aldosterone

Some women complain that they can swell up with fluid within minutes of feeling stressed. This is not their imagination.

Or, their fluid retention may creep up after repeated stressful triggers over the course of the day. Heres why:

When your body flicks on the fight or flight reaction, it pumps out a chemical called aldosterone. This hormone has the important job of regulating levels water and electrolytes in your blood and your blood pressure.

But when youre under duress, aldosterone sends a message to your kidneys to retain salt, so your body retains as much fluid as possible.

This sodium retention is a survival strategy, just in case you need that fluid on board to face any emergency. This not only leads to puffy face, ankles and tummy, it can also lead to the appearance of cellulite in areas like the thighs, because the high levels of sodium there is pulling more water to those areas.

Frustratingly, this water retention can make you feel like youve gained weight, even though it is all fluid. Yet you may also find that you need to get up go to the toilet at night. This can happen because its the first time in the day when youre not rushing so your body feels safe enough to not have to retain as much fluid and starts to release some of it.

Since aldestrone also regulates your blood pressure, exhausted adrenals can also translate to getting light headed when getting up from a bed or chair.

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Does The Patient Complain Of Acne

If they have also developed oligomenorrhoea and hirsuitism, consider polycystic ovarian syndrome or late onset congenital adrenal hyperplasia.

If they have gained central weight, and developed thinned, bruised or red skin, consider Cushings syndrome.

If they have also developed hirsuitism, increased muscle bulk, increased libido or clitoromegaly consider Cushings syndrome or a virilising tumour.

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Does Menopause Cause Hair Loss

Hormonal changes due to menopause can contribute to hair loss. The most common causes of sudden rapid hair loss, or telogen effluvium, are stress and fluctuating hormones that occur during the menopause transition. Female pattern hair loss is also very common. It is more prevalent after menopause because hormones play a role. Underlying medical conditions, heredity and certain styling practices may also influence hair loss.

To help prevent hair loss, adhere to a well-balanced diet. Certain supplements may help. Also, be gentle to your hair and follicles. Avoid hairstyles that cause pulling. Minimize the use of direct heat on the hair and keep hair well-conditioned.Natural oils like argan oil, Jamaican black castor oil or olive oil may help. Over-the-counter products, such as minoxidil, or laser caps or helmets may provide some benefit. It takes up to four months for any of these treatments to work. If, after four months, there is no improvement, then its time to make an appointment with a doctor. Hormone replacement therapy has been shown to help some women with hair loss.

Exercise Smarter But Not Harder

• Walk briskly: Studies show that walking has many, many health benefits.

And the scenic stimulation of blue sky and nature, means that you come back from your walk usually feel uplifted, not depleted.

• Move at a moderate pace: I recommend exercise like weight training, use of kettle bells and dancing.
• Do more gentle forms of exercise: It may seem counter-intuitive to slow your exercise pace to get more benefit but it really is important. Think about animals they dont go on marathon runs or head to the gym every day.
• Calm your brain with yoga: Yoga is like a moving meditation that connects your mind, breathe and body and induces a relaxation response which helps lower your cortisol levels. At the same time it boosts your alpha brain activity, which promotes greater calm.

Dont:

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Why Hair Loss Happen During Menopause

Hormones play an important part in regulating a womans menstruating cycle, they also help hair grow. When hormone levels decline following childbirth and during menopause women will also experience hair loss. In fact about 40% of women experience some hair loss by the time they reach menopause. In addition to low hormone levels, there are other factors that can contribute to hair loss during menopause including your genetics, high levels of stress, thyroid levels, and nutritional deficiencies. If youre experiencing an increase in hair loss, its a good idea to talk to your medical provider, dermatologist or a hair loss specialist about your concerns.

Liver Problems Weight Gain Fatigue Hot Flashes No Sex Drive Insomnia Depression

I feel like a new person! I was beginning to lose hope in ever being healthy again and felt like I was actually dying. I suffered from liver problems, hormonal imbalance, weight gain, fatigue, hot flashes, no sex drive, insomnia and severe depression. I WAS A TOTAL WRECK! Not only did I feel awful, it was a challenge just to get out of bed and face another day of feeling miserable. I knew something was wrong and wanted help. I had an overwhelming sense of knowing what I was experiencing on a daily basis was not the healthy quality of life I should have. I went to my doctor for help and after taking a series of lab tests that confirmed my symptoms and conditions, I became more depressed. I was not happy with the type of traditional treatment of numerous prescribed medications where the side effects were just damaging and would make me feel even worse.

Laura Dinkins.

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Treatments For Menopause Fatigue

The main medical treatment for the symptoms of menopause is hormone therapy. This works by replacing lost hormones, which may result in an improvement in fatigue. It may also help someone get better sleep by reducing hot flashes, which could have a positive effect on energy levels.

Hormone therapy is available in oral tablets, or as topical gels or skin patches that a person wears.

Another potential option is nonhormonal medication, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors . Some types of these drugs can improve hot flashes and night sweats, which may improve sleep for those who wake frequently.

However, each of these options has potential side effects. For some people, SSRIs and SNRIs can cause insomnia rather than making it better. It is important for someone to discuss the pros and cons with a doctor who is knowledgeable on menopause before starting treatment.

A number of lifestyle changes and complementary therapies may help tackle menopause-related fatigue.

Causes Of Menopause Fatigue

As a woman nears menopause, her hormone levels fluctuate dramatically, which causes the brain to wake up at all hours of the night. Also, lower levels of progesterone make some women short-tempered and less able to relax.

Hormones like progesterone and estrogen are also known to help protect women from a condition called sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts. When women go through menopause, they no longer produce progesterone which means theyre no longer as naturally protected from this sleep disorder, ultimately putting them more at risk.

If you have sleep apnea, oxygen deprivation may cause you to awaken several times during the night.

But hormones arent the only thing that will keep women up at night. Other symptoms of menopause like hot flashes and night sweats are also likely culprits of poor sleep.

Continued

There are changes in the brain that lead to hot flashes, and those changes not just the feeling of heat can also be what triggers the body to wake up while youre trying to sleep. Even women who dont report having sleep disturbances from hot flashes often say that they have more trouble sleeping than they did before menopause.

In short, the more uncomfortable you are, the more likely youll wake up throughout the night, often more than once.

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Testing For Adrenal Fatigue It Can Be Tricky

If you go to a traditional doctor to see if your cortisol is skyrocketing or flat-lining, they will order a blood test. Unfortunately, this can give a very inaccurate or incomplete picture. It might show that your cortisol levels are fine in the morning, but wont show that your cortisol levels may be barely there by 3pm when you are having an energy crash. Also, blood tests only show the total value of cortisol and not the free value which is what your body utilizes.

Urine or saliva testing is a far more accurate way to check cortisol levels. Good tests will check your levels around four times over the course of the day.

Im also a fan of the DUTCH test.

Instead of collecting many samples, you need only one sample which involves placing urine on filter paper and letting it dry.

You can also check your adrenal function at home.

A Note About Sex And Gender

Sex and gender exist on spectrums. This article will use the terms, male, female, or both to refer to sex assigned at birth. .

Yes, fatigue is a potential symptom of menopause it is common across all phases of menopause. However, the found that it was increasingly common in the later phases. Fatigue affected:

• 19.7% of women not yet in perimenopause
• 46.5% of women in perimenopause
• 85.3% of women in postmenopause

A larger study of 1,113 Lebanese women found that fatigue or exhaustion affected

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Is The Patient Often Thirsty

If the patient also complains of tiredness, constipation, indigestion, and polyuria consider hypercalcaemia.

If they describe extreme thirst, polyuria, skin infections, and sudden weight loss consider diabetes mellitus.

If they describe extreme thirst even at night, polyuria, and large volumes of nocturia consider diabetes insipidus.

Oestrogen And Fat Distribution At Menopause

A change in hormone levels, mainly oestrogen, may influence body fat distribution.

Many women in perimenopause and early post menopause years gain fat mass as their oestrogen levels drop. Women of childbearing age tend to store fat in the lower body , while men and postmenopausal women store fat around the abdomen .

Animal studies have shown that a lack of oestrogen leads to unwanted abdominal fat, although the exact mechanisms are not yet understood.

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Become A Pleasure Seeker

When you add oxytocin-releasing activities to your like, it helps rebalance the adrenal deficiency. What makes gives you lots of joy? Here are a few ideas:

• Watch a comedy series or film: Not only does laughter boost your immune system, it directly reduces levels of cortisol and epinephrine.
• Use music to calm you: Try some classical or ambient music. Or just put on a CD of soundscapes from nature.
• Enjoy a relaxing aromatherapy bath: Add some candles and close your eyes. Enjoy!
• Schedule a massage that gives you lots of pleasure. If you have limited funds, think about doing a massage swap with a friend where you do it for each other.
• on a regular basis: that gives us a HUGE oxytocin release.
• Embrace a child or a pet: regular touch is very healing.
• Do the twist: Take up dancing join a class or follow online tutorials at home. Research shows that taking up tango dancing can relieve stress more than meditation.

Dont:

Surgery For Thyroid Disorders

Removing the thyroid gland can cure hyperthyroidism, but the procedure is only recommended if antithyroid drugs don’t work, or if there is a large goiter. Surgery may also be recommended for patients with thyroid nodules. Once the thyroid is removed, most patients require daily supplements of thyroid hormones to avoid developing hypothyroidism.

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Does The Patient Suffer From Tiredness

If the patient also complains of constipation and polyuria consider hypercalcaemia.

If they have developed constipation, menorrhagia, or gained weight consider hypothyroidism.

If they have developed a deep tan, lost weight and feel nauseated and dizzy consider Addisons disease.

If they have lost weight, feel nauseated and dizzy, but have not developed a tan, and have also lost libido or stopped having periods consider hypopituitarism.

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Signs And Symptoms Of Menopause Fatigue

People with menopause-related fatigue may feel they have less energy than usual. This may need to take more breaks while doing tasks, find activities such as walking upstairs more exerting, or take longer to recover from exercise.

Fatigue can affect people mentally, too. People with mental fatigue can have more difficulty thinking, concentrating, remembering, or making decisions.

However, it is worth noting that the signs of menopause-related fatigue can also be symptoms of physical or mental illnesses. It is a good idea to speak with a doctor so that they can determine if menopause is the likely cause.

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