A couple of weeks ago I was working away and spending a lot of time with a group of women all around a similar age – the peri and post menopause age.
(Symptoms of peri-menopause can start as early as age 35!)
I do a huge amount of research; reading scientific papers and studies, attending seminars, listening to webinars etc. I do this so my knowledge is up to date and I want to learn even more about women’s health and hormones so I can help the women I work with.
But there’s nothing like spending time with a group of great women; hearing real life experiences, and correlating research to their hormonal imbalances.
Listening to the women talk about their personal experiences of menopausal symptoms and answering their questions to help them understand – and also prepare as they moved into perimenopause – I was truly absorbed in learning from their thoughts, feelings and experiences; and in return I shared my knowledge and learning to help them.
Every woman will have a different experience in the transition from pre to peri to post menopause. It’s not a disease, it’s a life-phase. A syndrome if you like (which is a collection of symptoms)
Hot Flushes and Night Sweats
I was already aware from research that hot flushes or night sweats were the most prevalent or bothersome out of all the symptoms that we may experience in peri/post menopause.
What I learned from these ladies was that hot flushes differ not only in frequency, intensity and duration from woman-to-woman but also timing.
We chatted about this symptom (which not everyone suffers with); Lindsey said for her it was always in the morning which made her want to jump out of bed really quickly! She hated feeling the heat rising…so she got out of bed as a distraction technique!
But then at the opposite end of the day, Sally said her experience of hot flushes always started in the evening…so she started tracking it and it appeared it was always around 6.30pm.
Studies have shown a correlation between circadian rhythm (our body clock) and hot flushes in menopause, and one study showed a peak at about 6.25pm!
How interesting!
For those women who can set their watch by their hot flushes they can prepare for them, planning accordingly maybe not arranging meetings around this time, wearing light clothing and layers etc.
Unfortunately this is not the case for us all.
I have had clients tell me they suffer with hot flushes at various times throughout the day and/or night. We work together being what I call a ‘diary detective’. Keeping a diary and going through it to see if I can see any correlation between their symptoms and lifestyle/medication/food intake etc.
I would suggest for everyone to keep a record of when they appear, how were they feeling (stressed, anxious?), where were they, and of course food and drink.
Sugar and alcohol have a huge effect and some women cannot eat spicy foods without it bringing on a ‘tropical moment’.
We are all different, with a body that may react differently to various stimuli. Genes, lifestyle, food, and thoughts all effect our hormones and our endocrine system.
Time to start listening to our body and noticing the effects all the above have on your symptoms.
Do you suffer with hot flushes or night sweats? Reply to this email and let me know how often you experience them and how they affect your life. I would love to hear from you.
I am currently putting together a free download of 5 ways to reduce hot flushes in menopause. Let me know if you would be interested in this. Hit reply to this email – I love hearing from women and supporting them on their health journey.
Penny Carman PgDip, DipCNM, Cert Ed, mBANT, rCNHC, mIAHT, mANP is a Women’s Health Practitioner. She is a registered nutritional therapist following naturopathic and functional principals and a life-coach. If you would like to work with her please email penny@penvita.co.uk saying what you would like support with.
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