Why Is Fatigue A Common Symptom Of Menopause
As you enter the perimenopausal period, your hormone levels rise and fall in unpredictable ways. Eventually, your female hormone levels will decrease until your body stops making them completely.
The same hormonal changes that cause symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats can also affect your mood and energy levels, leading to fatigue. Those hormone variations can also make it harder for you to sleep at night, which can leave you feeling tired during the day.
Even if youre in your 40s or 50s, fatigue isnt necessarily due to perimenopause or menopause. All of the following can cause fatigue:
- alcohol and drug use
Adrenal Fatigue And Weight Gain
Are you experiencing excessive fatigue, sleeping problems, trouble concentrating, and weight gain? Are you overwhelmed by stress? Many women with these complaints are told the cause is adrenal fatigue.
In this article, we will discuss adrenal fatigue and weight gain, including causes and treatment options.
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.
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Does Menopause Cause Emotional Changes Too
Yes. Emotional symptoms can begin as early as the perimenopause time frame. Difficulty with memory , irritability, mood swings, increased anxiousness and depression are commonly experienced. These symptoms often cause significant distress and can negatively affect personal and professional relationships. Some patients say the emotional toll is the most distressing. A history of depression or anxiety disorder is a risk factor for recurrence or exacerbation of symptoms during the menopause transition. Lifestyle modifications such as exercise, relaxation techniques and dietary changes can help. For those experiencing severe symptoms, seeing a therapist and possibly taking medication like mood stabilizers or hormone replacement therapy can help.
Take Care Of Your Diet
Eat well and enough now is not the time for very low-calorie fad diets or trying to exclude major food groups. You could make your health worse. Track what you are eating and aim for a varied diet low in saturated fat with plenty of fibre, protein, leafy vegetables and fruit. Try not to see it as less of but more and pack in those nutrient-rich, menopause-friendly foods, see our recipes for inspiration.
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Is Adrenal Fatigue Real
No scientific proof exists to support adrenal fatigue as a true medical condition. Adrenal fatigue is a lay term applied to a collection of nonspecific symptoms, such as body aches, fatigue, nervousness, sleep disturbances, and weight changes.
With the fast-paced demands of modern life making many people feel constantly stressed out and sleep-deprived, its easy to understand the appeal of a diagnosis that promises an explanation and treatment to reverse their feelings of fatigue.
But the problem with the term adrenal fatigue is that it is used to describe a group of symptoms when nothing else can be used to explain it.
Doctors are concerned that if you are told you have this condition, the real cause of your symptoms may not be found or treated correctly. Often, patients are not suffering from adrenal fatigue but other issues such as mild anemia, thyroid problems, fibromyalgia, depression, and menopause .
Last, the reported treatment for adrenal fatigue may be expensive since insurance companies are unlikely to cover the costs.
Menopause Weight Gain: Why Its Happening And What To Do About It
As women approach menopause, many experience weight gain. The culprit is often the hormonal shifts that occur during perimenopause and menopause. But there can be other factors at play too.
Weight gained due to menopause often shows up around the abdomen. Hence the term âmenopause bellyâ. Seeing the scales creep up may affect your self-confidence levels. Also, the added weight gain can contribute to health complaints.
But there are steps you can take to regain control of your wellbeing and maintain a healthy weight.
In this article, weâll look at weight gain during perimenopause and menopause, why it occurs, and why it can be so hard to shift. Weâll explore diet and lifestyle changes to help you lose weight, improve your health and gain increased vitality.
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Michelle Obama Opens Up About Menopause Weight Gain
Michelle Obama is getting candid about the physical changes in her body since reaching menopause.
The former first lady, 58, opened up to People about her menopause experience in an effort to remove the stigma from publicly discussing hormone changes in women’s bodies. There is not a lot of conversation about menopause. Im going through it, and I know all of my friends are going through it. And the information is sparse,” she explained.
The Chicago-born attorney revealed when she lived at the White House with her husband, former President Barack Obama, she and her closest friends participated in self-styled fitness boot camps.
Now, the friends who teasingly called Obama the “Drillmaster” lean on each other as they navigate menopause together.
I find that when we get together and were moving and were laughing, then we spend a little time talking about what were going through. Whats a hot flash?” she said. “We have girlfriends around the table who are OBGYNs, who have real information. All of that keeps us lifted up.
As she’s grown older, said Obama, her fitness workouts have changed. “Some of it is menopause, some of it is aging, she explained. I find that I cannot push myself as hard as I used to. That doesnt work out for me. That when I tear a muscle or pull something and then Im out. The recovery time is not the same.
Like many women in menopause, Obama and some of her boot camp pals have put on weight.
How Long Does Menopause Weight Gain Last
How much you might gain and over how long a time period is highly individual. A lot depends on your overall diet, activity level, and muscle toneand not just your menopausal status.
Some data indicates that weight starts to plateau when youre in your 50s and then drops in your 60s. Other research shows that women tend to keep gaining weight through their sixth decade of life.
How much of the weight gain is related to menopause and how much is related to the other aging factors isnt entirely clear.
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Tips To Help Fight Fatigue During Menopause
I want to get out of this black hole once and for all and step into the light. The fatigue is unbearable. Susie D
Tired, irritable, hot flushes, night sweats and weight gain are all common complaints for women entering the menopause.
Fatigue is one issue that slips below the radar.
Fatigue can be defined as an ongoing and persistent feeling of weakness, tiredness, and lowered energy levels as opposed to sleepiness.
Fatigue involves a lack of energy rather than sleepiness, hence having a nap during the day does nothing to alleviate any fatigue.
You may feel a lag in energy levels that lasts all day, or experience shorter bursts of fatigue intermittently.
Fatigue is particularly frustrating as it has a duel effect on both mind and body, making you feel despondent and frustrated.
The most likely cause of fatigue during the menopause phase of a woman’s life is the fluctuation of hormones that occurs naturally during this time.
Your hormones are responsible for controlling energy, thus, when levels of estrogen and progesterone decrease, so do energy levels.
Here are my four top tips to help you overcome fatigue and have more energy in your day.
1. Stop “dieting” and start enjoying your food.
As women enter the menopause, weight gain can be an issue. They then begin the diet trap and rather than lose weight, they lose energy and find themselves fighting fatigue.
A diet should not have a time limit on it, nor make you feel deprived.
Weight Gain As You Age
Studies show that, as we advance in years, we develop sarcopenia, a . This is true for anyone of any gender. Loss of muscle can cause your metabolism to slow down. This is because, the higher your muscle mass, the higher your energy expenditure rate. Youâll naturally burn more calories with more muscle.
Entering your 40s can usher in a time of peak responsibility in your life. Workplace stress, caregiving roles, and all the obligations that come with middle age can increase tension. These responsibilities can eat into your spare time for activities like exercise.
When stress hits, itâs easy to get into the habit of letting diet and exercise fall by the wayside. Not to mention that studies suggest increased levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, may contribute to weight gain.
Add in the hormonal changes of perimenopause and menopause, and youâve got a perfect recipe for putting on weight.
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Why Weight Gain Often Happens After Menopause
What is it about menopause that makes it so hard to keep off the weight? It’s likely a mix of factors related to menopause and aging.
The impact of estrogen. In animal studies, estrogen appears to help control body weight. With lower estrogen levels, lab animals tend to eat more and be less physically active. Reduced estrogen may also lower metabolic rate, the rate at which the body converts stored energy into working energy. It’s possible the same thing happens with women when estrogen levels drop after menopause. Some evidence suggests that estrogen hormone therapy increases a woman’s resting metabolic rate. This might help slow weight gain. Lack of estrogen may also cause the body to use starches and blood sugar less effectively, which would increase fat storage and make it harder to lose weight.
Other age-related factors. As women age, many other changes happen that contribute to weight gain. For example:
- You’re less likely to exercise. Sixty percent of adults aren’t active enough, and this increases with age.
- You lose muscle mass, which lowers your resting metabolism, making it easier to gain weight.
- The rate at which you can use up energy during exercise declines. To use the same energy as in the past and achieve weight loss, you may need to increase the amount of time and intensity you’re exercising, no matter what your past activity levels were.
Why Is It So Critical To Prevent Weight Gain At Menopause
Throughout their reproductive years, women may notice weight gain around their hips and thighs. However, at peri- and menopause, women tend to gain weight around their abdomen and even upper back. This shift in where fat is deposited is due to the hormonal changes in estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone related to menopause. While the genetic factors of weight and fat distribution cant be changed, women can control menopausal weight gain by adding back the hormones that are gradually decreasing.10
Simply put, many women are overweight at midlife because their hormones are out of whack, and that type of weight gain is dangerous. The health implications of weight gain at menopause and visceral fat cannot be overstated.
Menopausal women who are taking HRT tend to have less body fat, especially belly or visceral fat.3 Visceral fat cells can set off inflammation and increase insulin resistance. Visceral fat gets worse with depression, stress, poor sleep, smoking, and drinking sugar-sweetened beverages. If thats not enough, menopausal weight gain increases the risk of:
-
Cardiovascular disease
-
Breathing problems
-
Type 2 diabetes
While those are the most threatening risks associated with menopausal weight gain, the decreased hormones and excess weight tend to lead to lowered libido, vaginal changes, reduced energy, interrupted mobility, poor self-image, and so much more.
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Manage Menopause With Your Diet
Lower levels of estrogen in menopause can affect your feelings of satiety. Eating a diet rich in protein, fiber, and healthy fats can make you feel full. Filling up on whole foods that are good for you makes less room for processed snacks high in sugar, sodium, and unhealthy fats.
Also, getting adequate protein is important for building and maintaining muscle. As stated earlier, having less muscle affects your metabolism. This is a leading cause of weight gain as we age.
While you can build and maintain muscle as you enter menopause, it can be more difficult. You most likely wonât achieve the muscle profile you had or could have had earlier in your life. Therefore, you may need to experiment with your daily calorie intake.
Find what is the right amount of calories for you to maintain a healthy weight. This can differ from person to person. Due to metabolic changes from menopause and aging, you may need fewer calories than before.
However, donât limit your calories too far and âcrash dietâ in an attempt to lose weight quickly. Crash diets can lower your metabolism, lead to disordered eating, and let’s face it, are not an enjoyable experience. For healthy weight loss, you want to be in it for the long game. The slow and steady approach to weight loss is the way to go.
Research indicates that incorporating phytoestrogens into your diet during menopause may relieve symptoms for some women.
âGood sources of protein
âHealthy sources of fat
âPhytoestrogen sources
Is Weight Gain And Metabolic Dysregulation Inevitable During Menopause
NO! We can age with energy, vitality, and in prime metabolic health BUT how we treat our bodies do need to be modified. We can no longer get away with drinking too much, sleeping too little, or eating a diet that causes blood sugar dysregulation. And, for some women, replacing the hormones lost during menopause is needed to maintain metabolic health.
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Can A Change In Hormones Cause Menopausal Fatigue
The main cause of menopausal fatigue is the change in hormone levels. Oestrogen, progesterone, thyroid and adrenal hormones are all involved in regulating cellular energy in the body which when compromised can lead to fatigue.
Physical menopausal symptoms like night sweats and insomnia contribute to fatigue. Many women find themselves suffering from a chronic lack of sleep and this is a contributory factor in fatigue during the day. Fatigue exacerbates menopausal symptoms such as anxiety, poor concentration, and a lack of confidence. You can easily find yourself in a spiralling, vicious circle.
How Can You Lose Menopause Weight Gain
You can lose menopause weight gain the same way you can lose weight that isnt associated with menopause.
Restrict calories with a healthy diet. Exercise regularly, and aim for a combination of aerobic exercise to burn calories and strength training to build muscle. Prioritize your sleep.
Lastly, reduce stress. Stress can lead to things like overeating, excessive alcohol use, sleep disturbances, and other issues that can lead to weight gain.
Read Also: Do Heart Problems Cause Fatigue
What Is Menopause Exactly
First things first: Menopause refers to the life stage when a person is no longer menstruating. It officially begins 12 months after you get your final period, which generally happens between the ages of 45 and 55. Menopause can also occur with surgery that removes the ovaries, a procedure commonly performed with hysterectomy.
For menopause that happens with aging, the two- to eight-year period leading up to that milestone is known as perimenopause. This phase is marked by declines in levels of ovarian hormones and, for many people, the start of some noticeable symptoms and changes, including with respect to weight.
Manage Menopause Weight With Lifestyle
Here are some lifestyle suggestions to help you to maintain a healthy weight during menopause.
âReduce stress
Increased cortisol, the stress hormone, may lead to weight gain in some people. Add stress management practices into your routine, like meditation, yoga, recreational activities, and exercise. Hypnotherapy has also been shown to help with menopause related stress, and improve sleep.
Staying connected with friends and family, and maintaining a social life are also good for stress prevention.
âPractice good sleep hygiene
Poor sleep can lead to weight gain due to effects on your energy, metabolism, and regulation of hunger. As you approach evening time, wind down. Limit exposure to blue light such as TVs and phone screens. Studies suggest that blue light can affect melatonin production, a hormone that regulates your circadian rhythm.
Consider taking an Epsom salt bath. Bathing itself can be relaxing, and youâll be absorbing calm-inducing magnesium as well. Baths not your thing? Magnesium can be taken in vitamin form or absorbed through the skin via creams and sprays. Be sure to check with your doctor before taking supplements.
Limit alcohol
Excessive intake of alcohol can cause weight gain, and disrupt your sleep. Research indicates alcohol in excess can increase your risk of heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, and other diseases.
Also Check: Chronic Fatigue Symptoms And Causes
Work With A Multidisciplinary Team
Because adrenal fatigue isnt a real medical diagnosis, its important to work with specialized doctors, therapists, and dietitians to treat the root cause of your symptoms and provide relief. Treatment includes diet, exercise, lifestyle, stress reduction, supplements, and medication plans depending on your symptoms and diagnosis .
Finding Effective Treatment For Fatigue During Menopause
Though many women try to wait it out and do notseek treatment for menopause symptoms, this could mean years of discomfort.Whats more, addressing these symptoms may be easier than many expect. Today,there is a wide variety of lifestyle modifications and treatments that maypositively impact fatigue and the cluster of related symptoms so common duringmenopause. These include:
Hormone Replacement Therapy
Hormone replacement therapy remains the gold standard of treatments for menopausal symptoms since it directly addresses their root cause: changing hormone levels. Thus, HRT may effectively treat fatigue and the symptoms that can exacerbate it. In particular, estrogen replacement is considered the most effective treatment for the vasomotor symptoms that tend to occur in concert with fatigue and can be instrumental in restoring energy levels. In one small study, progesterone therapy was also shown to have a positive effect on insomnia in peri- and postmenopausal women. The specific type of hormone therapy, point of initiation, and duration of treatment will vary case by case, but the key to successful treatment is finding a knowledgeable practitioner who can help you weigh the risks and benefits and provide a personalized treatment plan.
Exercise
Supplements
Mind-Body Interventions
Psychotropic Medication
With this broad range of treatment options, youcan address menopause-related fatigue in a way that makes sense for you.
Partnering with an Expert for the Best Results
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