2:21 am, I am stirred awake with a feeling of extreme warmth. What the hell??!! I can’t get comfortable, I throw off the covers and lay there trying to get some feeling of cool. Can’t Sleep..Oh Hello Menopause.
For me this warmth almosts give me a sense of nausea. Just breath, I say. For some women it is so intense that they are waking up feeling like they are in a puddle of water and soaking wet pyjamas. For all these symptoms of perimenopause and menopause are all different but in some ways the same.
What were your thoughts or knowledge of Menopause?
I guess I thought it was something that happened when we were older. But we are not really older in our minds. Aren’t we still just 29? I would say my knowledge was just of my mom going through the process around the age of 50. Of course, I was not living at home then and didn’t see what she was going through and she never really talked about it. But the buzz around was hot flashes, weight gain and sleeping issues were the top symptoms. But there are so many more.
When did you think you started to feel some changes that you just did not feel right?
For me that would be around the age of 45 ish, give or take. Maybe experienced a hot flash, but was it? Fluctuations in emotions. Anger, sadness, happy and that was all in 10 minutes :). But some women will experience symptoms earlier or later.
Worst menopause symptom?
Ahh.. the Stress Urinary Incontinence. Now this can also come with your bladder muscles just not working the same after giving birth. But also when our estrogen levels decrease, our pelvic floor begins to weaken. Double whammy! Do your kegels!! But now, I can kegel all them time and I still peez a little ( sneezing and peeing at the same time). And don’t even ask me to skip rope or run. Maybe running is a bad example, since I have never been a runner. But you get the picture.
How to you deal with the symptoms?
Personally, I have found that certain things I eat or drink (wine) can affect symptoms. And we just naturally have fluctuations due to hormone activity in the body. I also keep my stress levels down and have found that acupuncture works for me. Daily walks and exercise will also help keep some symptoms at bay.
Can’t Sleep..Oh Hello Menopause. If you want to learn more on what our thoughts are on Perimenopause and Menopause. Check out our wine chat Youtube video below.
Thank you to Perry for the opportunity. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram
For more menopause reading:
Warning This May Contain Hot Flashes. – one of our very first blog posts
Three Hormone Balancing Smoothies
To quote Brene Brown
“People may call what happens as midlife ‘a crisis’, but its not. It is an unraveling – a time when you fell a desperate pull to live the life you want to live, not the one you are supposed to live…to let go of who you think you are supposed to be and embrace who you are”
Danni XOXO
So grateful our generation shares and normalizes this crazy phase of life. Hang in there ladies!