What to do to make menopause more comfortable to live with

What to do to make menopause more comfortable to live with:

Common symptoms of menopause and perimenopause

Menopause and perimenopause symptoms can have a big impact on your daily life, including relationships, social life, family life and work.

It can feel different for everyone. You may have a number of symptoms or none.

Symptoms usually start months or years before your periods stop. This is called the perimenopause.

Changes to your periods

The first sign of the perimenopause is usually, but not always, a change in the normal pattern of your periods, for example they become irregular.

Eventually you'll stop having periods altogether.

Mental health symptoms

Common mental health symptoms of menopause and perimenopause include:

• changes to your mood, like low mood, anxiety, mood swings and low self-esteem
• problems with memory or concentration (brain fog)

Physical symptoms

Common physical symptoms of menopause and perimenopause include:

• hot flushes, when you have sudden feelings of hot or cold in your face, neck and chest which can make you dizzy
• difficulty sleeping, which may be a result of night sweats and make you feel tired and irritable during the day
• palpitations, when your heartbeats suddenly become more noticeable
• headaches and migraines that are worse than usual
• muscle aches and joint pains
• altered body shape and weight gain
• skin changes, including dry and itchy skin
• reduced sex drive
• vaginal dryness and pain, itching or discomfort during sex
• recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs)
• sensitive teeth, painful gums or other mouth problems

How long symptoms last

Symptoms can last for months or years, and can change with time. For example, hot flushes and night sweats may improve, and then you may develop low mood and anxiety.
Some symptoms, such as joint pain and vaginal dryness, can carry on after your periods stop.

Ways to reduce symptoms of menopause

• Exercises: Regular exercise can help alleviate menopause symptoms such as poor sleep, anxiety, low mood, and fatigue. It can also protect against weight gain.
• Sleep better: Avoid Blue or Yellow screen colour 30 minutes before the bedtime.  These colours are in the brain related to the morning, and it will take about 30 minutes to erase these colour from your memory, so avoid them before going to sleep. Close the TV and your cell phone before going 20 to 30 minutes before bedtime is the best way to do. 
• Change to a Mediterranean diet: Add foods rich in calcium and vitamin D in your diet. Hormonal changes during menopause can cause bones to weaken, increasing the risk of osteoporosis. Many foods are calcium-rich, including dairy products like yogurt, milk and cheese. Green, leafy vegetables such as kale, collard greens, and spinach have lots of calcium too. It’s also plentiful in tofu red beans, sardines, and tuna.
• Maintain a moderate weight:  It’s common to gain weight during menopause. This can be due to a combination of changing hormones, ageing, lifestyle, and genetics. Gaining excess body fat, especially around the waist, increases the risk of developing diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.

  In addition, body weight may affect menopause symptoms.

• Eat lots of fruit and vegetables:  A diet rich in fruits and vegetables can help prevent a number of menopause symptoms. Fruits and veggies are low in calories and can help you feel full, so they’re great for weight loss or weight maintenance.

  They may also help prevent a number of diseases, including heart disease.

• Avoid trigger foods: Certain foods and drinks can trigger hot flashes, night sweats, and mood changes. This includes caffeine, alcohol, and sugary or spicy foods.
• Add to your diet more foods with phytoestrogens: 

  The high intake of phytoestrogens in Asian countries such as Japan is thought to be the reason why menopausal people in these places rarely experience hot flashes.

• • Soybeans and soy products
  • Tofu
  • tempeh
  • Flaxseeds
  • sesame seeds
  • Red beans

  However, the phytoestrogen content in foods varies depending on processing methods.

• Drink water

  During menopause, dryness is often an issue. This is likely caused by the decrease in estrogen levels. Drinking 1 o 1,5 litres (8 to 12 glasses) of water a day will help with dryness and will reduce some symptoms.

  Drinking water can also reduce the bloating that can occur with hormonal changes.

  In addition, water can help prevent weight gain and aid in weight loss by helping you feel full and this will be increasing the metabolism slightly.

• Reduce refined sugar and processed foods; Eating refined carbs and sugar can cause sharp rises and dips in blood sugar, making you feel tired and irritable. This may worsen the physical and mental symptoms of menopause. In fact, a university research found that diets high in refined carbs may increase the risk of depression in postmenopausal women.

  Diets high in processed foods may also affect bone health, especially if these foods are replacing the nutrients you need from a daily balanced diet.

• Eating meals and Proteins: Eating regular meals may be important when you’re going through menopause. Irregular eating may make certain symptoms of menopause worse and make weight management more difficult. You may eat fish, chicken, shellfish, sheep. But you should avoid all others 4-legged mammals in your diet (pork, beef, horse, etc.).                    One study found that consuming protein throughout the day at each meal may slow down muscle loss due to ageing.                                                    In addition to helping prevent muscle loss, high protein diets can help with weight loss because they enhance fullness and increase the number of calories burned.                                                                                      Foods rich in protein include meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, nuts, etc.