Fatigue and Menopause

Consider the three stages of menopause and all their symptoms and side effects from a biological viewpoint: any time your body needs to work at something – fighting off hot flashes or coping with mood swings – it takes energy. That’s energy that could usually be put to something more productive in your life! Is it any wonder most women feel fatigue as a common symptom of menopause? Add a busy lifestyle to sleep disturbances, loss of energy, and the generally fast pace of the world today...and you get fatigue!

Fatigue is important to control for several different reasons: for one thing, more often than not a woman suffering from menopausal fatigue as well as other symptoms is going to reach for a caffeine fix – another cup of coffee or a calorie-packed soda pop. All that’s likely to do is make some of the other symptoms worse! Mood shifts and insomnia are just two of the many menopausal symptoms that caffeine can aggravate.

Another reason to control fatigue is that, regardless of its direct cause, it can severely affect a woman’s life in so many ways – desperately needing a nap while at work; falling asleep at the dinner table; even missing the school play because you couldn’t keep your eyes open. Those are simple problems really; consider the danger if you can’t keep your eyes open while commuting to or from work, or when you are the designated school carpool driver for the week. Severe fatigue not only puts you in danger, but can endanger those around you as well.

Still another reason: more often than not, a woman suffering from menopausal fatigue as well as other symptoms is going to reach for a caffeine fix – another cup of coffee or a calorie-packed soda pop. All that’s likely to do is make some of the other symptoms worse!

Finally, fatigue wears you down after just a short time. When you are tired, it’s so easy to say to heck with the diet or exercise; forget about whether you took your supplement of black cohosh today; what does it matter if you didn’t quite make it to work on time? With fatigue in hovering over your shoulder at all hours of the day and night, it’s awfully difficult to give the rest of your life the attention it needs.

Solving the fatigue problem can be difficult as well, but there are several things you can do to improve the condition:

• Exercise at least three times a week for a half hour minimum. Exercise release endorphins in your brain, and they give your body energy it so desperately needs during menopause.
• Maintain a healthy and nutritious diet. Nutritious foods contain all the proteins, carbohydrates, fats, enzymes, and vitamins needed to keep a body in tip-top shape. Always remember, moderation is the key.
• If night sweats and insomnia are symptoms that are contributing to your fatigue, consider adding an herbal supplement such as ginseng to your diet. Ginseng has been reported to increase energy and general improve a person’s attitude and health. Other herbal supplements that can be useful are those that can help reduce several of the most common menopausal symptoms. They include black cohosh, soy isoflavones, and wild yam.
• Most importantly, get enough rest! In today’s hectic world, a women suffering with symptoms of menopause can feel overwhelmed by daily responsibilities. Fatigue only exacerbates the condition, but planning ahead and making yourself get more “good” rest can make all the difference.

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