Lifestyle changes to help with menopause symptoms

Lifestyle Measures for Menopause Symptoms

What are some lifestyle changes that you can try to help with menopause symptoms?

Follow a Healthy Lifestyle

A healthy lifestyle can help improve menopause symptoms. To adopt this approach, here are a few guidelines:

• Exercise regularly – evidence suggests that staying active can help improve menopause symptoms. Weight-bearing exercises can also offer protection against weakened bones. For instance, you could try to include walking throughout your day, increasing your steps each day. You could aim to take a 15 minute walk every day during your lunch break and after work. You should also try to include strength exercise to build and maintain your muscle, since lowering oestrogen levels due to menopause can cause a decline in muscle mass. Restorative exercises such as yoga or Pilates may also help with your symptoms during the menopause.
• Get enough sleep and maintain a regular sleep routine. Hormone fluctuations during menopause can make it difficult to get a good night’s sleep, however lifestyle measures such as regular exercise, a healthy diet, managing your stress, being socially active and remaining intellectually stimulated, can help you sleep well. Sleep disturbance during menopause can lead to anxiety and depression. If you find that your menopause symptoms are causing poor sleep, speak to a doctor or other healthcare professional. They can advise you on managing your symptoms to help you get a better night’s sleep.
• If you are a smoker, try to find ways that may help you to quit smoking. For some women smoking may trigger symptoms such as hot flushes and night sweats or make hot flushes more persistent.
• Make relaxation a priority to help with anxiety and low mood. You can try meditation, yoga or tai chi
• Get enough sunlight on your skin. It is needed for vitamin D production. Vitamin D supplementation is recommended during autumn and winter, when there is less sunlight.

Follow a Healthy Diet

Following a healthy, balanced diet can support you through perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause.

• Carbohydrates are essential in providing energy and a range of nutrients to your body. You may be concerned about weight gain during menopause, however it’s important to ensure that you’re consuming the right kinds of carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates such as potatoes, rice, pasta and grains provide a more gradual source of energy, compared to simple carbohydrates such as honey, sugar or syrup which you should try to consume only occasionally. Wholegrain carbohydrates are better than refined starches such as white bread or skinless potatoes, as they provide your body with fibre.
• Protein is required by your body to make muscle and to provide you with important vitamins and minerals. A wide variety of protein foods like eggs, lean meat, fish, poultry and vegetables like beans, or nuts can provide you with necessary nutrients. Since the body loses muscle mass during menopause, it’s important to also exercise regularly to gain muscle.
• Fats found in foods like olive oil, avocado, oily fish, chia seeds, flaxseeds and walnuts, are known as unsaturated fats and are healthier than saturated fats that are found in fatty meats, cheese, cakes and biscuits.
• Fibre has many functions in the body, from helping to control cholesterol and sugar levels in the blood to feeding your gut bacteria, slowing down the absorption of carbohydrates in your body and helping you to feel full. Fibre also helps your heart health by reducing blood pressure. Foods like fruits, vegetables, wholegrain carbohydrates, unsalted nuts and seeds, contain fibre.
• Sugar is the simplest of carbohydrate, which means it’s absorbed quickly by the body. Free sugars are those added to food and drinks and in foods like honey, syrups and fruit juices. Eating too much free sugars can lead to extra energy that may be stored in the body as extra weight. Try to avoid how often you eat sweets, chocolate, cakes and biscuits and switch to sugar free alternatives. Limit your intake of foods like fruit juices, smoothies, honey, syrup, and choose foods that contain less sugar by reading the nutrition labels.
• Salt in your diet should be limited to 6 grams per day or less, since too much salt can increase your likelihood of high blood pressure. Reduce your salt intake by eating meals prepared from scratch and season with herbs and spices instead of salt. Try to avoid processed foods that contain a high salt content.
• Water is important during menopause since the change in sex hormones can affect your body’s fluid and electrolyte balance. Ideally you should try to drink 33 ml of fluid, per kilogram of your body weight, per day. This means that if you weigh 100kgs, you should aim for 3.3 litres of water a day, if you weigh 50kgs your ideal water consumption is 1.65 litres, etc.
• Fruits and vegetables contain fibre as well as antioxidants which are heart healthy. Try to eat the “rainbow” by having a variety of different coloured fruit and vegetables.
• Calcium and Vitamins can help during menopause. Calcium helps build and maintain bones which is important to reduce your risk of osteoporosis. You can get calcium by eating dairy foods such as milk, cheese and yoghurt or bony fish, like sardines or dark green leafy vegetables. Vitamin D is also essential for your bones, which you can get from sunlight on your skin. However, if you don’t get enough sun exposure, such as during the winter months in certain countries, or if your skin is always covered, you’ll need to take a vitamin D supplement. Vitamin C is necessary for bone formation due to its role in collagen formation. You can get it from fresh vegetables and fruits, like peppers, citrus fruits, or currants.
• Alcohol & caffeine should be avoided if possible, since they can trigger menopause symptoms like hot flushes and may also increase your risk of illnesses like breast cancer and bone disease.

Taking Care of Your Mental Health

Menopause can affect your mental health, which in turn may affect your menopause symptoms. The following list of ideas may help you with improving your mental health.

• Try to get a good night’s rest or identify what might be causing a lack of sleep. Disturbed sleep can affect your mental health.
• Try exercising regularly, which can help support emotional wellbeing, including managing stress and anxiety.
• Self-care and support are helpful strategies that can improve mental wellbeing. Make time for yourself, such as attending a yoga class, soaking in a bath or taking a walk. Talk to others about how you feel, such as friends, family or colleagues. You could also search for online support. Only you will know with whom or how, you feel comfortable sharing your feelings.
• Mindfulness and meditation can help some people to relax and clear the mind. These can help to manage some of the mental health symptoms of menopause.

Herbal Remedies for Menopause

If you’re considering trying herbal or ‘natural’ remedies for menopause symptoms, speak to your doctor or pharmacist first. Doctors advise using treatment options that are based on scientific evidence of their effectiveness. It’s important to know that whilst there may be some people who benefit from certain treatments, this may not be the same for everyone.