Menopause

All over the world, women experience menopause after a certain point in their lives. Menopause is a natural biological process that marks the end of a woman’s reproductive years. When you go through menopause, your ovaries stop producing eggs that can be fertilised. This leads to a drop in your overall levels of oestrogen and progesterone, bringing with it a range of other problems.

But how do you know that you are dealing with menopause?

A good way to tell that you are dealing with menopause is to observe your menstrual cycle. If you do not have a period for 12 consecutive months, you may be experiencing menopause. While the average age of menopause is 51, it can occur anytime between the ages of 40 and 60. However, some women also experience premature menopause, which typically occurs before the age of 40.

In this blog, we’ll explore some common menopause symptoms and how hypnotherapy can help you deal with them.

Dealing With Menopause: 5 Common Symptoms

1. Hot Flashes

Hot flashes, also referred to as hot flushes

, are one of the most common symptoms that women experience during menopause. When you experience hot flashes, you are likely to feel sudden warmth that can spread over your face, neck and chest. This is also often accompanied by sweating and a rapid heartbeat.

Hot flashes are related to the hormonal changes that occur during menopause. However, they can also be triggered by factors such as stress, spicy foods, caffeine or alcohol. There are several ways to deal with hot flashes, such as antidepressant medicines, lifestyle changes, hypnotherapy and more.

2. Night sweats

Night sweats are known as episodes of sweating that typically occur when you fall asleep. Like hot flashes, night sweats are related to hormonal changes during menopause, such as the decline in overall oestrogen levels. They can be either mild or severe, depending on the individual person. Moreover, they can also occur in conjunction with hot flashes.

If you experience night sweats, you are likely to wake up feeling damp or soaked, which leads to sleep disruptions, fatigue, mood changes and other issues. To deal with night sweats, try to keep your bedroom cool and ventilated. Avoid caffeine and alcohol before bedtime and use bedding made from breathable material.

3. Mood Swings

A lot of women experience mood swings during menopause. This is because hormonal changes during menopause can impact your serotonin levels, causing you to be more irritable, anxious and, in some cases, depressed. Moreover, some external factors can also affect your mood swings, such as stress, lack of sleep or life changes.

However, there are ways in which this can be managed. For example, counselling or hypnotherapy can help you achieve your emotional well-being. Besides that, some lifestyle changes and medical interventions can also help.

4. Sleep Issues

For some women, menopause also leads to sleep disturbances, which include insomnia and difficulty falling or staying asleep. The hormonal changes that occur in the body can also affect your circadian rhythm, which ultimately leads to sleep issues. Moreover, if you experience other menopause symptoms, like hot flashes or night sweats, it can be even more difficult to fall asleep.

5. Slower Metabolism

Some women also experience a decline in their metabolism during menopause. This can lead to weight gain over time, which in turn, leads to many other health problems. One reason why this happens is that oestrogen plays a key role in regulating metabolism. Once your oestrogen levels decline, your metabolic rate may follow, leading to a decrease in muscle mass and an increase in body fat.

How Hypnotherapy Can Help

Hypnotherapy is a popular alternative form of therapy that is often effective at managing a variety of symptoms that are related to menopause, such as hot flashes, mood swings and more. In my sessions, we will begin with identifying the symptoms that cause you the most distress. Then, I will guide you into a state of deep relaxation, which will allow you to gain access to your subconscious mind. We will work together to make positive changes to your thought and behavioural patterns.

Hypnotherapy can help significantly reduce the intensity, as well as the frequency, of your hot flashes. In my session, I will use guided visualisation techniques to help you place yourself in a cool, calm and refreshing environment. Doing this will impact your body’s natural physiological response to hot flashes.

Similarly, we can work on your mood swings by identifying specific negative thought patterns. If there are issues that are unresolved in your life, you are likely to stress about them more during your menopause, causing you to experience severe fluctuations in mood. With my guidance, you can reframe these negative patterns to develop positive responses, enabling you to manage stress and anxiety.