Why perimenopause and menopause symptoms can be worse at night

Evening symptoms and how your daily life impacts them

We know that, for a lot of you, symptoms seem to get worse or even appear in the evening. And a lot of it, believe it or not, has to do with the modern world. We're living in the 21st century and, as women, things can be a lot different compared to years ago.

It could be due to stress. We know that the hormonal changes that go on in perimenopause and menopause stress the body; that's just a given. So, our bodies are already under a lot of internal pressure. It may not seem like this on the outside, but inside there's a huge amount going on. I often liken it to ducks in a pond. Underneath the water, their little legs are going like mad, but they seem calm on the surface. Our bodies are working really, really hard at trying to keep themselves stable on a daily basis. If we then add in all the stresses and strains of our modern-day life, by the time it comes to night, the body just basically cannot cope with what's going on.

If you think about it, in our mothers' and grandmothers' days life was a lot simpler. The majority of women stayed at home. Diets were a lot less complicated, with no fast food. There were no processed foods. Everything was basically made from scratch. There was less of a rush because there wasn't this sort of work-life/ home-life balance to deal with. There was very little caffeine. I mean, all there was available was probably tea. The majority of people didn't consume lots of coffee or alcohol. So, their bodies found it a lot easier to adapt to all the physical changes that were going on.

But obviously today, we're multi-tasking. We're rushing around. A lot of you probably still have children at home. You might be looking after elderly parents. So, the day-to-day stress is much stronger. This can have a big impact on our energy reserves by the time we get to the end of the day. And what happens then? Because our body's ability to cope collapses, then symptoms just pop up. The ones you're having during the day can worsen, but you can also start to get new symptoms in the evening.

What can you do to help yourself?

So, what can you do? Yes, it would be lovely if we could all up sticks and go back to simpler times, but that's just not possible these days. I remember reading, years ago, a very wise woman saying that one of the things that women should do as they approach menopause is to go away and find themselves for a year. And every single person I've said that to has just looked longingly and gone, "Oh, yes, that would be wonderful. Our bodies would be able to cope so much better in that situation." But we know that it's just a nice pipe dream for most of us.

So, try to be aware of all the stresses that you are under on a daily basis, and try to minimise them if you can. And that will then have less of an impact on your energy reserves by the time you get to the end of the day.

Here are a few other simple self-care strategies that can help you:

1. Drink plenty of water

For those of you who have been following for a while, you will know that I put water right there up at the top. Falling oestrogen levels create dehydration in the body, and dehydration will trigger joint aches and pains, and brain fog. It will impact your skin. It will cause fatigue. And if you're getting hot flushes and sweats, then that's going to put extra pressure on how your body holds on to water. So, drink loads of water on a daily basis. It can make a huge difference to how you feel in the evening, and it can improve your sleep as well, believe it or not; so, really, really important.

2. Watch your caffeine intake

I know just from speaking to lots of people, especially when I do workshops, that the first thing many of you do in the morning is have a cup of coffee or tea. So, you're literally hitting your nervous system with caffeine first thing in the morning. That's going to rev up your nervous system, and mid-morning symptoms can be caused by that first cup of coffee.

So, for the first drink of the morning, hydrate yourself with a big glass of warm water, and then have your caffeine after breakfast. That can make a huge difference. Remember too, that caffeine from a cup of tea or coffee can still affect you eight hours later. So, if you're having an afternoon or a lunchtime cup of coffee, that can be triggering your evening symptoms.

I had one lady tell me that all she did was cut out her after-dinner cup of coffee, and her night sweats stopped within about a week. So that's a really good incentive. Cut down on caffeine. It can make a huge difference.

3. Keep your blood sugar stable

Again, the number of you that tell me that you miss breakfast, or you don't have it till later, or you just have a piece of toast and a cup of tea or something, is unbelievable. Your body is going on a long, long journey, every single day, and it needs to be fed and watered first.

So, a good breakfast is absolutely vital to keep your blood sugar stable. A stable blood sugar level will minimise your symptoms as well. You're less likely to get panic attacks, anxiety, flushes, sweats, and brain fog if your blood sugar is nice and level.

For those of you who really find it difficult to cope with breakfast, just a simple protein powder drink can make all the difference. And that can set you up for the rest of the day as well.

4. Breathe well

Are you breathing well enough? I know it sounds silly to ask, but the way you breathe can impact your symptoms as well. Our whole body needs oxygenating, and if we're low in oxygen on a general level, that will cause brain fog and fatigue just to start with.

I know myself that if I'm really focusing on something, if I'm really getting into something, I tend to hold my breath or I tend to breathe really slowly, and that will impact my brain function. So, I've learned to focus on this. I have a little sticker on my computer now that says, "Breathe," just to remind me. So, try some deep breathing for a minute every hour or so if you can. Go on to YouTube and find some really simple breathing exercises that you can incorporate into your day. And very often, that will certainly help with the brain fog that often appears, especially in the afternoon.

5. Relax

This is really, really important, please take time to relax. That 30-minute me-time a day is vital. It's not a luxury. And it can help your body cope. And even 30 minutes will give your body that little bit of extra energy. I know I find that, at night, if I do just a little meditation, it really helps to prepare me for a better night's sleep. There are huge benefits to having those 30 minutes. It's not about sitting in front of the telly watching your favourite soap and having a cup of tea or reading magazines. It's about shutting yourself away for half an hour, letting the chaos and worries of the day go. Have this time for yourself.

A little bit of homework

What I would suggest is to try over the next week to be more aware of these things and how they can impact your symptoms during the day and especially in the evening.

I love Post-it notes. I have them everywhere to remind me. I've got my breathing one. If you find that you're tending to raid the fridge because you're hungry, especially if you haven't eaten enough during the day, that will be your low blood sugar. Put a Post-it note on the fridge just saying, "Eat well," so that can remind you maybe to have healthier snacks rather than sweets, or high-fat, or processed food snacks.

And just make sure you drink your water. Remind yourself of that as well. Try all of these for a week. See if it has a good impact on your symptoms. Let me know how you get on. I will be interested to see if these really simple things can help you in one way or another.

Until next time, take care and have a lovely week.

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