Topic of the week at Full Circle.......post menopausal women in their 60s, 70s and 80s
working hard, busy harvesting in this agricultural valley and frustrated! In pain! Pushing too hard! Not coping, not sleeping, not restoring. This blog is a loving reminder that after our bodies are no longer supported by estrogen, we aren't as physically strong as we once were BUT even moreso, our endurance will have waned somewhat. There are some habits that will bring us joy in doing those meaningful work, rest and play. Here are my suggestions: 1. Jot down your list in pencil, then prioritize. What 3 job actually need doing today? Which ones could wait until tomorrow or tomorrow's tomorrow? 2. Know when you have the most physical, emotional and relational energy. Match the job to the time with some cleverness. 3. Stay ahead of your endurance dips. Plan a wise, intentional, constructive 15 minute rest mid or late morning and repeat that in the afternoon. Don't wait until you're at the over and out stage! You'll know that you're becoming brilliant at this when you feel pretty lively in the early evening and have the energy to enjoy some fresh activities when the sun is going down. 4. Support your sleep. Get boringly attentive to the same time, the same place, the same room, fresh air, warm bed, comfortable sleeping duds, no tech in the room (use a non-cellphone alarm)......think of when you were desperately trying to get your babes to bed and treat yourself with the same brilliant sleep support. 5. If you enjoy a daily glass of wine, have it at lunch rather than dinner or evening. Wine can create a pancreas-induced awakening in the wee hours. 6. Awaken with energy......you'll know that you're doing all of the above well when you awaken with energy, not ache and pain and dread. 7. Go for a walk. Those big muscles that move you through space (your gluts) are made for the job. Enjoy a walk daily. Breathe in deeply and stand tall at each telephone pole that you pass, letting your arms swing with each step. Enjoy the freedom of movement, the place that we get to live and the beauty of the onset of autumn. 8. Make time for something that you truly enjoy. Knitting? Reading? T'ai Chi? A phonecall with someone that you miss? An email or an old fashioned letter? 9. Most Importantly - Know your priorities, moderate your expectations and have respect for your age and stage. You're one of the lucky ones who is here with all the wisdom that the years have brought. Some self-compassion and self-care (not just self-soothing.....a pedicure and manicure are wonderful, but self care is the practice of employing daily habits that provide you with optimum health and joy) go a long way. Take care of yourself.
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Menopause. Hot Flashes. Uncomfortable, disturbing, nauseating, fuzzy brain, disturbed sleep....hot flashes are listed as one of the most negative aspects of our peri to post menopausal years. We begin to feel like Goldilocks, desperately seeking a "not too hot, not too cold, just right" kind of world.
75% of women have hot flashes during their menopausal transition. Moderate to severe hot flashes typically last 7 to 10 years on average and less frequent or severe (either end of the spectrum) can last even longer. Let's talk about how you can influence the frequency and intensity of hot flashes, sleep and feel better! We enjoy a breadth of temperatures in our lives before surgical (full hysterectomy), chemical (induced by medication) or natural menopause....we can be too warm or too cold and simply put on or remove a layer of clothing and stay comfortable. This is due to our clever hypothalamus, the part of our brain noticing and controlling thermoregulation. When it sense that we're becoming too warm or cold, it send signals to our organs, muscles and hormonal systems. They collectively respond to bring our internal core temperature back to normal. With menopause, the range of acceptable fore body temperature is drastically narrowed. We become more sensitive to external temperatures so much that we experience a sense of panicking with crisis messages zipping around, causing blood vessel dilation, sweating, wakefulness, peeling off of clothing/blankets....the list is long! Why now? There are a number of theories including declining estrogen theory, elevated noradrenergic activation (stress) theory, east vs. west (consumption of phytoestrogens) theory, stress-coping theory, perception of menopause theory and thyroid dysfunction masquerading as menopause symptom theory. Estrogen does 400 jobs in our premenopausal body each and every day. We have declining estrogen with menopause, reducing support to our hypothalamus, making our threshold to heating much more sensitive. Simply adding estrogen sounds logical, but isn't an answer for women who are sensitive to estrogen (a history of estrogen related cancers), nor for those who are estrogen dominant (actually have low progesterone in relation to their estrogen). This is a condition that is more common in recent decades due to chronically high stress hormones that creates chronically low progesterone in relation to our declining estrogen. It's all in the balance. We need stress hormones in our lives in order to wake up each morning, but again, not too much stress. With our reducing estrogen, we handle stress less well after menopause due to altering of our neurotransmitter activity. Rather than thinking that we've become wimpy, we now know that our stress response is more sensitive through menopause due to physiological changes! Those of us who dread menopause or fear aging, those who are stressed by daily life (financially, physically, relationally, emotionally), those who have suffered trauma and those who smoke and/or are obese are likely to experience more frequent, intense and long lasting hot flashes. Triggers for hot flashes include caffeine, dehydration, alcohol, smoking, sugar, hot foods (spicy and temperature), stressful situations, stressful thoughts, sleeping in a hot/unventilated room, wearing too many clothes/blankets, focusing on/worrying about hot flashes/aging and not prioritizing restoration time (like quietude, meditation, prayer or nature walks). Hmmmm......notice any patterns for you? Begin by keeping a hot flash diary for a week. When do they come? How severe are they? How long do they last? Which of the triggers can you align with your hot flashes? Each woman is unique and it's up to you to sort yourself out. Be your own personal sleuth. Some general guidelines are: Address one personal trigger per week from your list, beginning with your toughest personal challenge. Stop and congratulate yourself, knowing that the balance of the list will be easier. Learn and practice calm breathing by doing the following: breathe in for a count of four and out for a count of four. Keep going for 5 minutes, building up to 10 minutes, repeating 2 - 4x/day. Lose 5 pounds; repeat if needed. Begin a gratitude journal, noting 3 items each day that you're grateful for. Controlling your controllables is your first step! You'll sleep better, fell better and enjoy life more. |
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