Let’s Talk – Menopause and Stress!

Managing Stress

1. Reduces stress and anxiety: Diaphragmatic breathing helps to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, the body’s relaxation response, which can reduce stress and anxiety levels.
2. Improve lung function: By engaging the diaphragm muscle, diaphragmatic breathing can help to increase lung capacity and oxygen intake.
3. Improve digestion: Diaphragmatic breathing can help to stimulate the digestive system and improve digestion.
4. Strengthen the diaphragm muscle: Regular practice of diaphragmatic breathing can help to strengthen the diaphragm muscle, which can improve overall breathing function.
5. Allows the creative thinking brain to resolve problems: Diaphragmatic breathing keeps at bay the fight, flight or collapse, procrastination response to the stressors of life’s unwanted and allows space for finding creative solutions to problems be they professional or personal.

Menopause + Stress – How It Can Hit Your Health

1. Sleep Quality: Adequate sleep is essential for physical and mental health. Unfortunately, sleep disturbances are common during menopause due to hormonal fluctuations. Chronic stress exacerbates sleep problems, leading to additional brain fog/memory difficulties, and compromised immunity. (I will be writing a blog on sleep soon so keep an eye out on my Facebook group for when: NBActiv8Change – Mind, Body & Menopause – Overcoming the Mountain of Menopause).
2. Emotional Well-Being: Peri-menopause and post-menopause can bring mood swings, anxiety, and low mood. Hormonal changes play a significant role, but stress amplifies these feelings.
3. Weight Management: Stress affects weight gain, especially around the abdominal area. Maintaining a healthy weight becomes crucial for overall mental and physical health.
4. Gut Health: Gut health impacts overall well-being; it is also linked with Alzheimer’s Dementia; menopause disrupts the balance of the gut microbiome along with lifestyle choices. Stress worsens gastrointestinal/mental health/mood symptoms

Inflammation and Autoimmune Diseases

Here’s why:

• Hormonal Shifts: Menopause involves a decline in oestrogen and progesterone production. Oestrogen, in particular, plays a crucial role in regulating the immune system. When oestrogen levels drop during menopause, it can impact immune responses.
• Ovarian Antibodies: Ovarian antibodies and ovarian insufficiency are risk factors for autoimmune diseases. Postmenopausal status becomes pivotal because symptoms often shift during this phase.
• Excessive Inflammation: Inflammation is a critical immune response, but too much of it can lead to autoimmune diseases. Interestingly, skin thickening (a common symptom in some autoimmune) tends to increase during the postmenopausal years.
• Stress and Inflammation: Stress, especially chronic stress, can release over production of Cytokines and bring about an inflammatory response that can end up ravaging your body with autoimmune diseases such as Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Lupus or any of the 8 I have. Acute stress can change gene expression. (Epigenetics: I will be writing about how this can affectively switch on your predisposition for a particular disease and how to mitigate where possible).
• Stress and Cardiovascular Health: Stress, especially chronic stress, can impact heart health. Here’s how:
• Reduced Blood Flow: Stress and anxiety can decrease blood flow to the heart, affecting heart rate and blood pressure.
• Stress Hormones: Cortisol, a stress hormone, increases during stressful situations. Elevated cortisol levels can contribute to heart disease risk.

Hormonal Changes and Lung Function

• Systemic Inflammation: Menopause brings hormonal changes, including declining oestrogen levels. These changes have been linked to systemic inflammation, which itself is associated with lung function decline.

There are steps you can take to maintain optimal lung health; quit smoking, stay active, stay hydrated, practise diaphragmatic deep belly breathing and of course speak to your healthcare provider about HRT and which solution may be best for you, should you feel this is the best pathway for you (alongside healthy lifestyle choices).

Why hydration is important

• Mucus Production: Adequate hydration helps maintain the thin consistency of mucus in the respiratory tract. When you’re well-hydrated, your airways are less likely to become congested.
• Efficient Gas Exchange: Proper hydration supports efficient gas exchange in the lungs. Well-hydrated lung tissues allow oxygen to diffuse across cell membranes more effectively.
• Cough Reflex: Hydration keeps the lining of your airways moist, which is essential for the cough reflex. A dry throat can lead to persistent coughing.

Helpful Stress

Eustress: There are different types of stress, Eustress which is like the unicorn of stress: rare, magical, and surprisingly good for you! It’s like that motivational coach who gives you a gentle nudge in the right direction. It’s the kind of stress that gets your heart racing, but in a positive way.

Eustress is the positive, motivating, and stimulating form of stress. Unlike its grumpy cousin distress, eustress doesn’t drain you. It’s more like a shot of espresso for your enthusiasm, a sparkler for your creative imagination, and a high-five for tackling life’s challenges head-on.

Eustress is temporary. Once the task is done or the problem solved, eustress usually packs its bags and leaves. Your nervous system sighs in relief and returns to a calm state.

Performance Booster: Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley found that intermittent stress (the eustress kind) can actually improve alertness, behaviour, and cognitive performance¹. So, it’s like your brain doing a victory dance while juggling flaming torches.

Here’s why eustress is your secret weapon:

Growth Spurt: Imagine stress as a personal trainer for your brain. Eustress nudges you out of your cosy comfort zone and into the wild unknown. It’s like saying, “Hey, girlfriend, try that new hobby! Learn those salsa dance moves! Or maybe—just maybe—apply for that promotion!” When you embrace these challenges, you grow. You evolve. You become the upgraded version of yourself.

Feel-Good Vibes: Eustress produces positive feelings—excitement, fulfilment, meaning, satisfaction, and overall well-being. It’s like your brain doing a happy dance because you’re stepping up to the plate. Whether you’re preparing for a final exam, going on a date, or fixing that leaky faucet (bonus points if you do it while humming your favourite tune), eustress gives you a warm, fuzzy glow.

Creativity Boost: Eustress is like a muse that whispers, “Psst, try this!” It encourages your brain cells to throw a party, mix and mingle, and come up with brilliant solutions. So, next time you’re stuck, thank eustress for being your creative sidekick.

Confidence Builder: Picture this: You conquer a tough task. Maybe it’s acing that presentation, surviving a blind date, or assembling IKEA furniture without any leftover screws. Victory! Eustress pats you on the back and says, “Look at you, superstar!” These small wins add up, boosting your confidence and self-esteem and self-efficacy. Suddenly, you’re strutting like a peacock (minus the feathers).

Fear Tamer: Eustress teaches you that fear isn’t your arch-nemesis; it’s more like a quirky sidekick. When you face stressors head-on—whether it’s learning a new language, mastering a musical instrument, or navigating the complex logistics of travel—you realize you’re tougher than you thought. Fear retreats, and you become the hero of your own story.

So, my stress-savvy beautiful friend, embrace eustress. It’s like a well-brewed cup of positivity, sprinkled with resilience and a dash of adventure. And remember, eustress is smart beneficial resource you already have because it means you’re not just surviving; you’re thriving!

Not-So-Good-Stress (Distress)

Let’s meet the grumpy cousin: Distress. Picture a storm cloud hovering over your head, raining anxiety and tension. Distress isn’t here to motivate; it’s here to mess with your mojo. Here’s the lowdown:

Overwhelm and Anxiety: Distress is that feeling of being buried under an avalanche of worries. Maybe financial, the kids (leaving home or not leaving home), work emails and deadlines are piling up, personal and professional relationships are rocky, or life just decided to throw another curveball. You feel like you’re juggling chainsaws while riding a unicycle. It’s not fun, it’s overwhelming, especially if you’re being hit with peri-menopause at the same time.

Lack of Control: It often shows up when we feel powerless—like life is playing chess with us, and we’re the pawn. Too much pressure, too little control. Cue the stress-induced hair-pulling, nail biting, self-soothing eating and drinking, spending fortunes on shopping to feel better or gambling on scratch cards/lottery to suddenly drop a ton of money in your lap believing it will solve all your problems.

Persistent and draining: Unlike eustress, distress overstays its welcome. It camps out in your mental living room, binge-watching your favourite shows and eating all your snacks. Chronic stress—yeah, that’s distress—is linked to tension headaches, chronic pain, and other unwelcome guests.

So, there you have it! Eustress and distress—two sides of the stress coin.

Remember, a dash of eustress keeps life exciting, but too much distress? Well, that’s like trying to surf a tidal wave in shark-infested waters with a broken board. Not recommended!

KEEPING STRESS IN CHECK:

• Awareness you’re beginning to get stressed or, you’re about to head into a stressful situation.
• Implement one of your tools/inner resources to calm and re-balance your system.
• Use your tools/inner resources regularly as standard practice to maintain balance and calm.

What are those tools and inner resources?

Awareness: The first step is to have awareness, not the awareness where you repeat the phrase “I’m so stressed!” either to yourself or others (which can keep you locked into the stress cycle and even cause anxiety to ramp up), but the kind of awareness that prompts you to take some beneficial action, to interrupt the usual pattern of thinking and behaviours which exacerbate the situation and the continuation of stress hormones and the consequences of same.

Diaphragmatic Breathing

TIP TO PRACTICE:

Here’s one way to practice diaphragmatic breathing, follow these steps:

1. Find a comfortable, quiet place to sit or lie down.
2. Place one hand on your chest and one hand on your abdomen.
3. Take a deep breath in through your nose, filling your lungs with air.
4. As you inhale, focus on expanding your abdomen and pushing your hand away from your body.
5. Exhale slowly through your mouth, retracting your belly and pushing all the air out of your lungs.
6. Repeat this process several times, focusing on deep, slow breaths and feeling your abdomen rise and fall with each inhale and exhale.

With regular practice, diaphragmatic breathing can become a natural and effortless way of breathing, improving your overall health and well-being.

And a brilliant aide for those stressful and/or anxious moments.

HERE’S A LITTLE MORE DETAIL:

When we breathe from the chest (vertical breathing), we are engaging the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) which you may have heard is the Fight Flight Freeze state.

When we breathe from the belly, we are engaging the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PSNS) which is the Rest Digest Calm Connected and Safe state. We also use all quadrants of the lungs.

There are many breathing patterns we can use for our benefit in various situations. For calm, there are also quite a number of patterns but two of the most helpful are;

For Immediate calm…

1. Take a big breath in, followed immediately by another (without exhaling in between).
2. Blow out via the mouth with pursed lips, long and slow.

This is known as a Physiological Sigh and came to my notice by Neuroscientist Dr Andrew Huberman. (There is much of his work online).

Perhaps an easier way to think of it… If you can recall a time when you had a jolly good cry, and at some point, you drew in a quick big double inhale and released a long slow exhale which was followed by a sense of immediate physiological calm, a settling down.

If you don’t have mind space to think of any patterns but you are aware stress is building up and anxiety is brewing…

Simply focus on long exhales. As long as the exhale is a fair bit longer than the inhale, this will help.

Think of Breathing in the scent of flowers – Blowing out the candles.

It’s not really about taking a deep breath, it’s about long exhales and using the belly. If you see or know someone who gets distressed or anxious, chances are they are chest/vertical breathing (most people are)…

When stress, anxiety and sometimes panic takes over, the ability to take on board instructions can become limited…

So skip the ‘take deep breaths’ instruction, rather follow the below…

a) For auditory (their hearing), simply instruct – long exhales.

b) For the their visual because they may not hear you, you can demonstrate by putting your hand to your mouth and as you (long) exhale, slowly outstretch your arm and rotate it outward in a backwards direction (whilst continuing to maintain the long exhale).

Breathe in, smelling the scent of flowers – Blow out the candles.

Here are four breathing patterns that you may find most useful

• For calm:
  • In via your nose for 4 / out via your mouth for 4
• 7/11 to regain composure:
  • In via your nose for 7 / out via your mouth for 11
• Box breathing to get the job done:
  • In nose for 4 / hold for 4 / out mouth for 4 / hold for 4
• Rapid energiser as a pick me up:
  • In nose & hold / tense whole body / tapping whole body / out mouth
• Lion breath to relieve stress / tension / negativity / anger:
  • Claws / in nose / out mouth haaaaaa / tongue / eyes up

**Got Questions? Let’s Chat!**

Perhaps you already have a method that helps you which may help someone else, and I am always open to new strategies, so please feel free to share…

If you’re navigating changes in your mental or physical health, fitness, or overall wellbeing, I’m here to help.

No question is too small—your concern could be the very thing that helps someone else who’s feeling less confident to reach out. Drop me an email with any questions, so we can support each other on this journey to thriving through menopause and beyond!