Reverse, Reset, Restore
This is for all of us who have been wounded by our own (and others) judgements and expectations, who have listened to those inner voices and believed the lies we've sold ourselves and for those who truly want to love and honour who you were always meant to be. If you've struggled with self-acceptance, poor body image and a belief system that is no longer serving you (if it ever did!), then this podcast is your reminder that you're not alone and you can choose to make changes - from your health and wellbeing, to your thoughts and the way you move in the world.
Reverse, Reset, Restore
You’re Not Going Crazy! Why Cortisol Can Play Havoc With Your Menopause Symptoms. And How To Navigate The Shift.
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This is Reverse, reset, restore. I'm, sally, your host, and in this podcast we explore a variety of ways in which we can find sustained and lasting healing for every inch of our being, inside and out, and everywhere in between. I share with you my own experiences and struggles and my strategies, which I use to reshape my life and fall back in love with my gorgeous self. Do you need a little help to find your way back to you? You've come to the show. I'm delighted to have you join me today. So let's start off with the fact that I lied to you. Maybe that's a little bit harsh and not completely accurate. It wasn't a lie per se, but I only planned for a six episode series on cortisol, and yet here we are with a bonus seventh episode. This came about because it was requested by a couple of listeners who thought it would be helpful to hear how high cortisol levels can impact those going through menopause. If this isn't you, or you are not there yet, you might think well, this is an episode worth skipping, and maybe it is, but you could also see it as an opportunity for learning, whether for your future self or to have a bit more understanding for those you love who are going through it. In this bonus episode, we'll explore how cortisol can play havoc with menopause and I'm going to share strategies that have been proven to help with the adjustment that your whole body and life is going through. Be sure to take notes, or just come back and re-listen to this episode, my friend. All right, let's talk about menopause. Be sure to take notes, or just come back and re-listen to this episode, my friend Alright, let's talk about menopause, something that half the population will go through.
Speaker 1:Yet it still feels like this big, mysterious transition that no one really prepares us for. I feel like there were no warning signs to alert me to what was coming, apart from the standard hot flashes and moodiness that you hear about. But it's a lot more complex than that, because our bodies are complex machines and if the chemicals within us become out of sync or change, these hormonal imbalances or adjustments absolutely impact every other facet of our lives. An anonymous person once said menopause is just puberty's evil older sister and just like a lot of what I went through in puberty was not really spoken of or it was hidden away, and hopefully a lot has changed in the 35 odd years since then. I feel like for most of us, we still don't have a clear understanding of these hormonal shifts, the hows, the whys, and it seems like it's been this thing that is shrouded in secrecy.
Speaker 1:I think menopause, like most of the things that impact our bodies, is an experience that is not talked about that much because it's a women's issue and therefore not that important. Come at me all you want, guys, but history doesn't lie. Women's bodies and their health have for centuries been discounted and ignored. We all know that there is still a severe lack of education and research into women's bodies and how they work and how to fix them when they need help. We know that the treatments for women are still sorely lacking and from my own personal experience, even as recently as the last few months, I have had so many, actually too many doctors over the years discounting my pain or my illnesses or my experiences with health, and after talking with a lot of other people, including listeners of this podcast, I know my experience is, unfortunately, more the norm than the exception. Hold your hands up if you've left a doctor's appointment feeling like not only have your opinions been invalidated or discounted or just ignored, but you're now wondering if, in fact, you might be going crazy. If we were all in a room together now, we would be seeing a sea of hands in the air, I'm sure of it. So just know that you are not alone in feeling this way or second guessing yourself.
Speaker 1:There has been a collective assault of gaslighting women for decades, for centuries, about their own bodies. Dr Sarah Gottfried, who specializes in hormones, says cortisol the stress hormone and menopause can be a disastrous duo, contributing to sleep disturbances, mood swings and increased belly fat. Great, excellent information to know right. Coming into menopause is less than thrilling, and navigating it can be challenging enough. Couple that hormonal shitshow with stress and elevated cortisol levels and we are only going to exacerbate its symptoms and its impact on our lives. So let's take a look at what's actually happening in the body during menopause, and then we'll add our delightful friend and foe, aka our frenemy, cortisol, into the mix.
Speaker 1:Menopause is essentially your body saying hey, we're wrapping up the baby-making years, we're shifting into a new phase of life. It's a completely natural process, but that doesn't mean it's always an easy one. Dr Louise Newsome, a specialist in menopause, says Menopause is a natural biological process, but the way we experience it is shaped by lifestyle, mindset and the choices we make every day. We'll talk about lifestyles and mindsets and choices in a little bit, but right now, let's understand the biological aspects of the shift, starting with the biggest player in all of this estrogen. Estrogen is the hormone that has been running the show for decades, helping to regulate your menstrual cycle, keeping your bones strong and even playing a role in your mood and your energy levels. But as menopause descends or perhaps a nicer way of putting it is approaches estrogen levels start to decline and this shift triggers a whole bunch of changes. Think of it like a knock-on domino effect.
Speaker 1:First there's perimenopause, which can start years before menopause officially kicks in. This is when estrogen levels start fluctuating like a roller coaster, leading to symptoms like irregular periods, hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, sleep disturbances. Now, I know for a lot of us this might just be an every other day situation, right, for a lot of people who have low production of oestrogen, these symptoms, and a whole lot more, just the tip of the iceberg of your experiences. But we're going to stay on track here, because it would be so easy to veer off into discussions about pox and all of the other things that we know can happen to our bodies as women and I want to keep to the topic of this episode, but I know that many people suffer for years due to chemical imbalances impacting their body and life, and maybe we'll come back to those in future episodes. I'm probably certain of it.
Speaker 1:Menopause itself is officially reached when you've gone 12 months without a period. Once you've gone through what could be an apologies in advance for this somewhat discouraging news up to 10 years of menopause we settle into post-menopause, where our estrogen levels remain low and your body adjusts to its new normal. The decline in estrogen affects more than just your period. It can impact your brain hello, brain fog. How are you today, sir? Your skin, your metabolism and even your heart and bones. For many women, they will notice changes in weight distribution, drier skin and increased anxiety or irritability. Oh my gosh, I could just be looking at myself in the mirror right now, all thanks to the shifting hormonal landscape. And, to top it off, cortisol, our stress hormone, can go into overdrive, making the symptoms that we're experiencing feel even more intense. I told you it's so much fun, right?
Speaker 1:Cortisol, as we've discovered in the previous episodes on this topic, and if you're interested in the six-part series on cortisol, where we look at cortisol in our immune system and our weight and our cardiovascular system and our digestive system and our cognition and even our sleep. I've linked all those episodes in the show notes for you. So cortisol plays a significant role in our body's response to stress and during menopause, fluctuating hormone levels can lead to increased cortisol production, intensifying these symptoms such as hot flashes and the mood swings and the sleep disturbances. Research has indicated that higher cortisol levels during the menopausal transition are associated with more severe vasomotor systems which is a fancy way of saying sweats and hot flashes, as well as depressed mood. Again, as I'm talking about this, I'm going oh, this feels really familiar to my current life and situations.
Speaker 1:Because elevated cortisol levels can disrupt the balance of other hormones, including estrogen and progesterone, it's quite likely that you'll experience worsening menopausal symptoms than if you had normal cortisol levels. So for those of us who are already caught up in a chronic stress cycle, our increased cortisol levels exacerbates our menopausal symptoms, which in turn heightens stress and further boostering your cortisol levels. And round and round and round and round we all go. The very idea of 10 years or more being stuck on this unmerry-go-round just adds to my cortisol levels the vicious circle that feels like an Ouroboros, a snake without a tail, a story with no ending in sight. Can I get an UGG? And while studies have shown that reducing menopausal symptoms is associated with a decrease in cortisol levels, highlighting the importance of stress management during this transition, this is easier said than done, right? Or maybe it is easier to do than we think.
Speaker 1:As mentioned in that earlier quote by Dr Newsom, the way we experience menopause is shaped by lifestyle and mindset and the choices we make every day. This is where we're going to look at what we can do for ourselves to alleviate the impact of cortisol on menopausal symptoms. While menopause brings change, where we can feel out of control or so disconnected by this new landscape our body is becoming, it's not actually all bad. In fact, it's a pretty amazing experience to get to this stage in our lives. Not everyone will get the chance to make it to menopause. The key is understanding what's happening in your body so you can work with it, not against it.
Speaker 1:I want us to consider the following approaches and, for those of you who are regular listeners to this show, all five of these approaches are ones we've discussed multiple times in various episodes, and it's not surprising to have them show up here again, because these are actions and habits you can take to turn into behaviors that support your whole life, and they might be things you are already doing. Just keep doing them show up for yourself. Don't just rely on pills or prescriptions to make all the difference. Yes, there are definitely drugs out there that can assist you, but if you incorporate any or all of these techniques into your daily life, you'll be so much more empowered in that responsibility of self-care, and that is what Reverse, reset, restore is all about giving you opportunities to heal and to fall into a radical way of loving yourself. And loving yourself takes being responsible for yourself and practicing self-care. So let's take a look at these five strategies that can help you navigate the shift into and through menopause.
Speaker 1:Number one mindfulness and relaxation techniques. Number one mindfulness and relaxation techniques. Practices such as meditation, deep breathing exercises and yoga can help reduce stress and lower cortisol levels. My sister, tracy, aka Yoga Time Warrior, offers some amazing yoga practices that focus on people living with chronic fatigue and brain fog or needing a practice that provides pain management. She would be, I think, a great place to start your yoga practice with menopause or perimenopause experiences in mind. Although she's not even there yet herself, I'm going to link her website in the show notes for you to check out. She has a number of free practices that you can try and, honestly, it is so great to have a teacher who gets the challenges that can come with pain and stress amplifying each other. She doesn't actually know I've mentioned her in this episode, but please go visit her site and show her some love.
Speaker 1:Number two regular physical activity. Engaging in consistent exercise promotes overall well-being and can mitigate stress-related cortisol production. This is an area I'm really needing to prioritize. In my own life I've had some chronic pain which has kind of had me pulling back a lot on a lot of physical activity, but I've been slowly implementing more physical activity whenever I can. I haven't yet got to every day yet, or even up to 30 minutes or more on the days that I can do it, and there's some days that I just can't exercise at all because the pain is a raging monster machine, but every day I can, I'm making opportunities to engage in some form of physical activity that I can do and enjoy, because that's the other key factor here Enjoying what you do to move your body is an absolute must. Gone are the days for me where I force myself into some kind of type of exercise because I feel like I should or I must, so not slogging it out at the gym or even trying to go for these huge fast walks. I instead choose options that I enjoy. I dance, I turn my everyday chores into ways to bring more movement into my body. At the same time, and most of all, I look for ways to come to exercise from a place of joy. You got to get those happy hormones amped, so if there is a type of fitness activity you prefer, do more of that and less of any that makes you want to cry on the inside or actually makes you cry.
Speaker 1:Number three adequate sleep. Prioritizing restful sleep supports hormone balance and stress reduction. I strongly suggest you refer back to episode 115 the impact of stress on sleep, why cortisol ruins your rest and how to get those much-needed z's for the importance of sleep and a deeper understanding of how cortisol impacts our sleep. I've offered a number of solutions to help improve your sleep hygiene. I'll also, in the bonus episode 116, I walk you through my powerful body-brain chat sleep technique that has been a personal game-changer for my own sleeping capabilities.
Speaker 1:Number four balanced nutrition. Consuming a diet rich in whole foods, proteins and healthy fats can aid in stabilizing our blood sugar levels, which prevents cortisol spikes. We talk more in detail about how to improve your nutrition in a number of previous episodes, but specifically in episode 106, which looks at stress and digestion, how cortisol disrupts your gut and what you can do about it. I offer a lot of tips in that episode, and here is one of them Practice mindful eating.
Speaker 1:This is where you are being present in the moment and aware. This means turning off the TV or putting down your phone and focusing on your eating habits and all of the sensations of eating mindfully. This includes chewing your food thoroughly, eating at a slower pace and paying attention to hunger and fullness cues. When we're watching TV or we're engaged in other activities, it's easy to not really be aware of what we are doing. But do you notice when you're engaged in a conversation with someone during dinner that dinner tends to be slower and it takes more time to eat? This is because you're paying attention to the conversation and those you are with and stopping between bites to engage in that dialogue. Even when you're on your own, you can slow down your eating. Put your fork down between bites. Focus on the smells, the taste, the textures. Be present with your plate. Mindful eating can help reduce stress-related eating behaviors such as overeating or binge eating, which can disrupt digestion. Binge eating, which can disrupt digestion and it can also break the circuitry of that cortisol running through your body because you're taking more time to slow down and appreciate what you are doing.
Speaker 1:Number five social support. Connecting with friends, family or support groups provide emotional comfort and can alleviate stress. Join a group of menopause-minded people or create your own. Have those discussions with others that will help you realize that what you're going through is normal and another part of this experience of life. I would suggest getting involved with new hobbies or reacquaint yourself with old ones. Most communities have various groups that could work for you, whether it be an art class or a book club or a running group or a Toastmasters and if your community doesn't have something you want to do, maybe you can be the one to start something up. That's how I started and ran a playwriting group for a while in New Zealand and back in college at Mount Holyoke in South Hadley, massachusetts, and it's something I've been considering doing again because it would do my soul some good to be around other writers which, in turn, would help reduce my cortisol levels and that would help all the various elements of my life, including my menopausal ones.
Speaker 1:By understanding the interplay between cortisol and menopause, I feel like it can help empower us to take proactive steps in managing our health. At least that's how I'm choosing to look at it and I I think, by adopting stress-reducing practices and embracing this new phase of our lives, we can navigate menopause with resilience and confidence and prove to ourselves we're not going crazy, even though it may feel or look like it. Heading into menopause can feel like the end of my life as a woman and yeah, it is an end and endings can come with a whole bunch of complicated feelings. But it's just the end of a chapter, not the whole book. The years of menopause offers us a new chapter and with the right tools, like managing our stress and eating well and staying active and prioritizing our sleep, we can navigate this transitional period feeling more in control in this new point of our story, regardless of whether science or the medical community or researchers catch up with us.
Speaker 1:I always like to end the episode with a thought for you to ponder on or be inspired or encouraged by. I hope today's one reminds you that you are more than just the biological moments in your life. You are more than just a child who turns into a woman of childbearing years to the has-been that the world can make. So many of us perimenopausal, menopausal and post-menopausal women feel as Dr Christine Northrup, an expert in women's health, says menopause is not the end of your life. It's the beginning of a new chapter. It's a time to rediscover yourself.