Fatigue during menopause
Constantly exhausted and lacking energy in midlife
© Ivan Kruk / Adobe Stock
Here you can find out why women often feel tired and weak during menopause and how they can get their energy and strength back.
Even simple everyday activities drain you. Instead of going to the cinema or theater after work or meeting up with friends for a glass of wine, you prefer to stay at home and look forward to going to bed early. Where have your strength and enthusiasm gone? Yes, fatigue is present Menopause is a common side effect.
Fatigue during menopause: what are the causes?
In the five to ten years before and after menopause, i.e. your last period, you go through one huge hormonal changes. During this phase of life, your body has to adjust from a time with a cycle to a time without a cycle. Sounds tiring? That’s it too.
Hormones play a big role in this. More specifically, the female ones Sex hormones estrogen and progesterone. Their production declines sharply before, but especially after, menopause. And the falling hormone levels affect the quality of sleep.
progesteronethe so-called chill hormone, works anti-anxiety and sleep-inducing. It’s the first thing to go down during menopause. Even in the early phase of perimenopause, progesterone levels drop, which can lead to sleep disorders and increased fatigue (find out more about the importance of progesterone for menopause here).
estrogen also influences the Sleep-wake rhythmbecause the low estrogen level after menopause leads to this less melatonin is produced. Too little of this sleep hormone in the blood contributes to sleep problems and thus impairs nighttime recovery.
As side effects of the hormonal change, other factors contribute to the fact that women increasingly have to struggle with fatigue during the menopause. Play into it:
- Hot flashes and night sweats – Women who wake up bathed in sweat and perhaps even have to change sweaty nightclothes and bed linen are missing important hours of sleep for recovery. It’s no wonder that you’re exhausted and less productive during the day (read all about hot flashes during menopause here).
- Lack of fluids – It sounds banal, but when you sweat excessively, the body loses fluid, which has to be compensated for by drinking more. If you don’t adjust the daily drinking amount, symptoms such as fatigue or fatigue can become noticeable.
- Emotional stress – A lot comes together during menopause: the physical changes, the feeling of getting old, unusual irritability – all of this can affect your mental health and lead to depressive moods. A leaden heaviness takes over life, you lie awake at night brooding, becoming discouraged and listless.
- Iron deficiency – Especially in early perimenopause, when periods become more irregular and often much heavier than before, the increased blood loss can push iron levels down. Because this has a negative effect on the oxygen transport in the body, there is a loss of energy. A blood test from your doctor will provide information.
- thyroid – What is it, menopause or thyroid? Here, too, it’s about the hormone level, but that of the thyroid hormones. If the values are not correct, it can also cause weakness or exhaustion. Have your blood tested for this too. Thyroid hormones in tablet form then provided relief.
- liver – Fatigue is the pain of the liver, they say. Because there are no pain receptors of its own in the liver. When she is suffering, i.e. when she is unable to detoxify her body or utilize nutrients, you don’t feel pain, but rather a lack of strength. Ask your doctor about this option if he or she doesn’t bring it up on his or her own.
What are the consequences of fatigue during menopause?
If you don’t feel rested, This is reflected in various areas of life. There is a lack of exercise that boosts circulation and metabolism. The risk of high blood pressure and diabetes increases, and you may gain a few pounds. Reading tip: Why weight gain is usually to be expected during menopause anyway.
© Brigitte
BRIGITTE dossier “Menopause”
This is how you get through the menopause calmly
Do you keep waking up at night? Are you short of breath lately? Are you eating as usual but suddenly gaining weight? Would you like to know what helps against hot flashes?
Then we have exactly the right thing for you. In our dossier we answer the 15 most important questions about menopause.
You can easily read our digital PDF at home on your laptop or on your smartphone and start it straight away.
The longer this tiredness lasts, the more irritable you become. Dizziness, lack of concentration and headaches are not uncommon in this context. Not to mention the fact that you don’t feel comfortable with it yourself relationship problems develop from it. Or effects at work.
These professional consequences are only slowly coming to the attention of the public. A study in the UK recently found that 42 percent of the women surveyed considered cutting back on their careers because of the menopause or to say goodbye to professional life completely. A full 99 percent reported negative effects on their jobs. Now, for the first time, a German research project has dealt with this taboo topic. The study MenoSupportwhich was carried out at the University of Economics and Law in Berlin, confirms the strain of working life. According to this, every fourth woman reduces the number of hours she works during menopause. When asked about the complaints that had a negative impact on the workplace, these came up Top 5 statements out (multiple answers possible):
- Physical and mental exhaustion (78.1 percent)
- Sleep disorders (65.8 percent)
- Irritability (53.6 percent)
- Depressed mood (46.3 percent)
- Flushing, sweating (44.8 percent)
The women surveyed were less able to concentrate (74.3 percent), felt more stressed (73.8 percent) and were more impatient/irritable towards others (50 percent). It’s high time that companies paid more attention to this topic (reading tip: menopause at work).
How can I prevent or gain new energy?
Don’t worry, menopause is a natural process in a woman’s life and not a disease. However, you don’t have to just put up with the symptoms. What helps against fatigue:
- Vitamin-rich, wholesome nutrition
Particularly helpful foods are vegetables, fruits, high-quality oils, legumes and whole grain products. Tip: Half of your plate should always be filled with vegetables, and the remaining two quarters should consist of proteins and carbohydrates (you can find out more about healthy eating during menopause here). - Drink enough
When you get thirsty, the organism is already lacking. So get into the habit of drinking throughout the day to reach the recommended two liters of fluid, preferably water, unsweetened tea or sometimes juice spritzers. - Regular exercise
A sports routine, ideally in the fresh air, gets your circulation going. But be careful: don’t work out shortly before going to bed. - Sleep routine/sleep hygiene
If you can’t get to sleep despite being tired, it can be helpful to establish a sleep routine. So, for example, consciously avoid using your smartphone, tablet or television for the last hour before going to bed, dim the lights, perhaps write down three things in your diary that made you happy during the day and then, ideally, always go to bed at the same time . Over time, the body learns to shut down and switch to sleep at night. - Targeted stress reduction
With relaxation exercises, for example yoga, autogenic training or progressive muscle relaxation, you can shake off the stress of the day and find peace. Try out the methods and see which one works best for you. - Hormone therapy
Talk to your gynecologist about your symptoms. If they are related to the decreased hormone levels, hormone replacement therapy may be able to help. In the early stages of menopause, the sex hormone progesterone can curb sleep problems and relieve daytime tiredness. - Herbal sleep aids
If your tiredness can be attributed to difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, proven medicinal plants – as dragees, tablets or tea – can improve the situation as natural sleep aids, for example valerian, lemon balm, lavender, passionflower or hops.
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