Today's Topic
Today on A.Vogel Talks Menopause, I'll be taking a look at five increased sensitivities that you can experience in perimenopause and menopause.
As your oestrogen levels start to fall, your body and your emotions can become much more sensitive to all sorts of different things. So, I thought today I would look at the five most common ones that I get asked about, why these can happen and what you can do to help yourself.
1. Food sensitivities
You may get to the point where you find that certain foods upset your stomach or they give you headaches or they make you feel sick. Very often this is just because your digestion and your elimination have started to change, which can then cause problems with certain things that you eat and drink.
So, the common foods and drinks which women can become more sensitive to during perimenopause and menopause would be things like dairy, wheat, caffeine, alcohol, and sometimes sugar as well. A lot of women find that, by cutting these things out or by cutting them right down, they can feel an awful lot better.
Many women have told me that they can no longer tolerate alcohol the same way and then can end up with a severe hangover the next day after just one drink of wine.
Being more sensitive to certain foods can cause some women to end up experiencing symptoms such as bloating, constipation, and, occasionally, diarrhoea too.
What can help?
So, with this particular one, look at what is causing the triggers. I recommend keeping a diary for a few weeks, recording what you eat or drink, and any symptoms you have. This can help you identify which foods or drinks could be causing your symptoms. Then try to cut them out of your diet or reduce the amount you consume them to see if your symptoms decrease.
2. Smell sensitivity
This is a really interesting one. A lot of women find that their sense of smell gets heightened. This is also a common problem during pregnancy, and it seems to be the same thing during menopause.
You can become much more aware of smells, smells become stronger or you may find that you no longer like smells that you used to like. A really good example here is perfume and specific drinks such as coffee. So, a lot of women tell me that they can no longer tolerate the perfume that they've used for years, and may make them feel sick. And it's the same with coffee and other strong smells too.
With this particular one, as well as falling oestrogen just making your sense of smell more acute, the lining (the mucous membranes) of the nose can start to dry a little bit. And this can then affect smell as well.
What can help?
So, with this particular one, especially if you find that your nose seems to be that little bit drier internally, you could look at taking a Sea Buckthorn Oil supplement.
For smell itself, if you find that it's the opposite, if you think to yourself, "Oh, I can't smell things like I used to," then you could look at zinc because low zinc can sometimes affect your sense of smell.
Also, remember to drink plenty of water because that's a really important one if the nasal passages are starting to get dry.
A lot of women also tell me that they have become much more sensitive to their body odour and they may suddenly think that they're smelly or not smelling particularly nice. Maybe they think they've got a little bit of BO. And again, that can be due to your sense of smell changing. So, with this particular one, if you have a close friend or partner, maybe just ask them if they can smell the body odour as well. If not, it just means that your sense of smell has got that little bit more acute.
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3. Sensitive skin
Itchy skin is a common symptom in perimenopause and menopause. You might find too that you are prone to sunburn or that you don't tan the same as before. You might find that you get prickly heat when the weather's really hot, causing your skin to get very itchy and come out in lumps and bumps.
You might find that clothes that you used to be able to tolerate you can no longer wear, for example, maybe you could wear jumpers made of pure wool quite happily, and now, when you put them on, your skin just itches like mad.
Why does this happen? Your skin can become thinner and drier during perimenopause and menopause. When it happens it can become much more sensitive to absolutely everything that's in your environment, and possibly things that you might be eating and drinking as well.
What can help?
So, with this one, it's always a good idea to make sure you're drinking plenty of water because dehydration will cause itchy skin.
Make sure that you're not overly stressed and anxious because if you're experiencing a lot of anxiety and stress, you can produce extra histamine and that will cause itchy skin.
Also look at the types of clothing you're wearing, whether it's natural or man-made fibres. And also, everything that you put on your skin, from the shower gels or soap in the morning to even the types of detergents that you're using to wash your clothes because all these things can irritate the skin.
4. Feeling extra sensitive emotionally
This is a very big one. A lot of women tell me they find that they get more upset about watching things on the news or that they can't watch sad films anymore because they just cry all the way through.
You can also become much more sensitive to criticism or you may see criticism when none is intended. A lot of women tell me that they find this much more difficult at work because people may be commenting on the work that they're doing and they get more sensitive and that they just think that their colleagues or their bosses are picking on them or having a go at them.
What can help?
With this particular one, you need to maybe be aware of the situations where it's occurring, so you can just maybe take a deep breath and just calm yourself down before you get into that situation.
You may find that one of the flower essences can help You could try Confidence Essence if you feel that you're not able to stand up for yourself anymore or Emotional Essence if you feel you are not coping with criticism well.
I also recommend increasing your magnesium intake, either via your diet or a magnesium supplement to help stabilise the nervous system generally.
5. Sensitive bladder
This is a horrible one, and it was one of my worst symptoms. You just end up running to the toilet the whole time. And sometimes, if you're out and about, it's so difficult because you know something's going to happen when you're in the middle of shopping or you're on a day trip somewhere if you've no idea where the toilets are.
What can help?
This can be quite an easy one to fix once you know what's going on. Very often the bladder is just getting that bit weaker or the bladder itself might be getting a little bit drier. So, a Sea Buckthorn Oil supplement can be really helpful for this one. Sea buckthorn is also calming, so, it can calm the bladder down.
Dehydration is a huge factor. And I find even now that, if I don't drink enough water, my bladder will let me know in no uncertain terms. If you don't drink enough, your urine becomes very acidic and it just irritates your bladder. And when that happens, you keep having to run to the toilet.
A good indication that this is going on is that you feel a real urgency to go to the toilet very quickly, and then, when you go, you pass very little urine. So, if this is a situation, loads of water will help tremendously really, really quickly.
Also, avoid drinks that can irritate the bladder. So, that would be things like coffee, alcohol, fizzy drinks, sugary drinks, and also high salt and sugar foods can do this as well.
So, I hope you found this helpful. If any of you out there have found any other sensitivities that you've experienced, please let me know. This is one that probably has lots and lots of different subjects that I could maybe look at doing another one maybe in a few weeks if you let me know what it was that you are sensitive to. And also, what helped you, because that would be interesting as well.
Until next week, take care.
You may also find these topics helpful:
Food sensitivities & digestive troubles during menopause
Emotional Menopause Symptoms: Why they can worsen or come back
