Could the stress hormone cortisol have a role in your menopause symptoms?
Absolutely yes! In fact a whole raft of hormones play a part in how well or not you go through the menopause.
The official line on the menopause is this:
The menopause is generally associated with a fluctuation and decline of your sex hormones. And the definition of menopause is when you have not had a period for twelve months. You can no longer get pregnant as your ovaries have stopped producing eggs. And as a result your levels of oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone fall.
This can cause a whole host of symptoms: These include hot flushes, night sweats, weight gain, mood changes, tiredness and insomnia, brain fog, migraines and a reduced sex drive
How would you like to get rid of hot flushes and night sweats for good?
During this time, many women seek help for their menopause symptoms. GPs will generally prescribe HRT.
For many women, HRT can be transformational. It allows them to regain their confidence, energy levels and love of life again.
And whilst HRT is brilliant in certain circumstances, it doesn’t work for everyone. And this is because it doesn’t address the root cause of ALL of the symptoms which you may be experiencing. This is because the role of HRT is to regulate just your sex hormones.
And what we know is that as you start to get a little older, many other hormones can start to become unbalanced.
As you age, you may become resistant to insulin. Your appetite hormones can start to send out the wrong messages. And constant stresses in your life will cause a constant release of cortisol.
All of these can exacerbate common symptoms. These include tiredness, sleep disturbances, weight gain, brain fog, low libido, PMS and hot flushes.
And therefore, many women are turning towards a more holistic approach to the menopause. They are finding that it can be more successful in getting rid of the unwanted symptoms. This is because there is a focus on ALL the hormones which need to be put back in balance and not just oestrogen. And when this happens the whole body is restored.
A holistic approach nourishes all of your hormones with purposeful nutrients and avoids those which are disruptive to your health.
Would you like to nourish your hormones and reduce your menopause symptoms?
One of the most common hormones that can be making your menopausal symptoms worse is cortisol. This is your stress hormone. And in your menopausal years, it can be rumbling away at elevated levels, wreaking havoc with your health.
Although it is not always possible to remove all stress from your life, it is important to learn how to put mechanisms in place to manage it effectively.
And this is key because the stress hormone cortisol can damage your health in so many ways.
It’s so important to not let the stress hormone cortisol go on unchecked.
Amongst other things, chronic stress means that you burn through key nutrients. A good example is vitamin C, B vitamins and magnesium. And you need all of these for hormone function and energy production.
So it’s important to learn how to really dial up how you rest and relax. And by doing this, you are better placed to cope with all the stuff that life throws at you and build up your resilience to stress.
Cortisol is the hormone which you produce in your adrenal glands when you are stressed. In the short term, it is helpful and helps to protect you from danger.
However, consistently elevated cortisol levels are damaging to your health. It can make it difficult to lose weight. It can make you tired and grumpy and generally have a negative impact on your mood.
Elevated chronic cortisol also impacts your digestive function, sleep, makes you anxious and can cause brain fog and memory loss.
But the important thing here is this.
When you reach your menopause your adrenals take over from your ovaries in the production of your sex hormones. But this can’t happen if your stress levels are high as your adrenals will not be able to cope. And this will result in common symptoms such as hot flushes and night sweats which are linked to an imbalance in oestrogen levels.
So, it’s important to learn how to support your adrenals and reduce your stress hormone cortisol levels.
Putting yourself on the top of the “to do” list may sound like a luxury. But is critical for your hormonal health and in turn a reduction in menopause symptoms.
You have already been given an insight into the impact of stress on the body. You have learnt why it is important to support your adrenals to keep your body balanced.
But there is more that can be done. By focusing on lifestyle techniques, you can learn how you can really switch off and prioritise you, even if it is just for a few minutes every day.
And when you have put down a solid foundation to support your internal systems, introduced supplements and nutrients to restore hormonal harmony and focused on your own self care, your body is restored and balanced. And you are now ready to be energised.
Click through to my download to find out more about how to have a happy and healthy menopause
