Today's Topic
Today on A.Vogel Talks Menopause, I'm going to share some menopause tips from menopausal women.
Now, one of the things I found over the years is that sometimes it's the really simple things that can make such a huge difference to how you feel going through menopause.
So, I thought today that I would share some of the best tips that women have shared with me, which I think you may find helpful.
Award-winning menopause education
Before I reveal these tips, I just wanted to share some exciting news. Just a few weeks ago, I was so proud to accept the GenM Award for the Menopause Education Campaign of the Year 2022. So, this is an award for our company (A.Vogel) and our approach to menopause, and how we have helped to educate women through menopause. That includes my weekly blogs and videos and a lot of my other social media activity.
I wanted to say a big thank you to you, because without you it wouldn't be possible for me to do the job that I do.
I've been doing this blog and my menopause videos for nearly seven years, and I honestly can't believe it's that long. Time has gone so quickly. I love what I do, and I love to hear from everybody about their experiences, how they feel, and the things that have helped them.
I'm learning new things regularly too, because women are coming to me with symptoms that maybe I've not heard of, or not thought about, and I think, "Wow, that would make a really good subject." And it is this that keeps me going and keeps me educating and sharing menopause information to help spread menopause awareness.
Menopause tips that have been shared with me
So, let's that a look at some of the best tips which have been shared with me...
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1. Coconut oil for vaginal dryness and other dry areas
When I am talking about dryness, I always seem to forget about coconut oil, and so many of you remind me. This is a fabulous one for vaginal dryness. You can apply it straight onto the area and it's very soothing. Just make sure it's organic so that there are no nasty chemicals in it.
It's natural, it isn't expensive and it lasts ages. And the great thing is you can use it for dry lips as well. It's great as an all-over moisturiser, especially if your skin is sensitive. And you can also use it in cooking, so it's one of these wonder products.
My extra tip:
The other thing that can be very helpful for dryness is taking a Sea Buckthorn Oil supplement internally. This supplement can help with vaginal dryness, dry skin, dry mouth, dry eyes, and dry sinus issues as well, so it's a super remedy for dryness anywhere in menopause.
2. Microfibre towels for night sweats
This is another favourite tip that has been shared with me and I couldn't believe how super this one is. Again, it's a really simple one. Microfibre towels are very light and very thin. But they're also very dense. So, if you sweat a lot during the night, try lying on one of these. The fibres help soak up the moisture and keep you dry.
Another great thing about these towels is they wash and dry very quickly, so you can wash and dry them and use them on your bed the next night.
You can get large microfibre towels from sports shops, travel shops, camping shops, and sometimes, even some of the big department stores have them as well.
My extra tip:
If you're suffering from night sweats, then remember the herb sage. This can often be very effective and tends to work quite quickly. For a convenient way to take Sage to help your hot flushes and night sweats, try our one-a-day Menoforce Sage tablets, made from extracts of fresh Sage.
A.Vogel Menoforce Sage Tablets for Menopausal Hot Flushes and Night Sweats, One-a-Day, 30 tablets
£15.99 (30 tablets) In Stock Get it tomorrow, 19th July.
3. A glass of water in your bathroom or by your bedside to drink through the night and first thing in the morning
For those of you that have been with me for a while, you know that I always recommend putting a glass of water by the bed so the minute you wake up and your feet are on the floor, you drink that glass of water to rehydrate yourself. However, if I'm late, if I sleep in, if I'm really busy, if I'm not focused, I can sometimes forget that all-important glass of water.
One woman shared with me that she puts her glass of water in the bathroom and always remembers to drink it. And let's face it, probably the first thing we all do when we get up in the morning is go to the toilet. And that's a great reminder. That glass of water is sitting there for you to drink once you've done what you need to do, but before you do anything else.
Extra Tip:
Another really good tip, if you are feeling hungry, especially if you are getting sugar cravings, is to drink a whole glass of water just as a one-off. Very often, thirst can cause these problems and drinking a glass of water can take those feelings away really, really quickly.
4. Goat’s milk bath soap for itchy skin
One woman shared that goat's milk soap helps her itchy skin. Itchy skin is very common in menopause. It can be due to allergies and histamine release, for example when stressed. It can also be due to the fact that your skin starts to get a bit thinner as you go through menopause. All of these things can make the skin more sensitive to what you put on it.
Just think about how many different chemical products you're using when you are in a shower or bath, for example your shampoo, your conditioner, your soap, your shower wash. All these different chemicals can impact your skin and, if it's really sensitive, that can cause quite a problem.
Goat's milk soap is very pure. It's very, very gentle, so it's certainly worth trying. For those of you who are vegan, for those of you that don't like the thought of goat's milk, go for a pure, organic, olive oil soap. That can very often work just as well.
My extra tip:
The other great thing for itchy skin is the herb nettle. Either go for a nettle tea or a nettle tincture. It's known as a natural antihistamine, and it can work quickly at soothing all those itches.
5. Wear blue light-blocking glasses during the day to help you sleep better
This was an interesting tip that one woman shared and it was one I had not heard of before. But now, it seems to be all over the place. So, these glasses are a bit like sunglasses, so you don't need a prescription for them. If you're out in the sun, you would be used to wearing sunglasses to protect your eyes from sunlight. These blue-light-blocking glasses instead help to protect your eyes from the blue light that's emitted from computers, laptops, tablets, and mobile phones. The lenses are specifically designed to reduce the amount of blue light that reaches the eye.
For those of you who are working on computers daily like myself, this blue light can disrupt the way that you end up falling asleep at night. So, if you wear these blue-light glasses during the day when you're working on your computer, they can help you sleep better at night; and some people have told me that they help prevent headaches as well.
You can get these glasses online and from shops that sell glasses and do eye screening, so this is certainly something worth looking at if you're working on a computer daily or use your tablet or mobile phone a lot.
6. Keep a diary
Again, a lot of women have told me how helpful this has been, to pinpoint possible allergies, or to find out why you're getting hot flushes at 3 pm, or why you're getting that energy slump at 10 am.
When keeping a diary, you should note down everything you eat and drink and when, and also how you feel, and your symptoms and when they appear. Very often, you can pinpoint your symptoms or how you feel to something specific like caffeine, dehydration, or that packet of crisps that you had mid-afternoon.
This diary can also be very handy when speaking to your doctor about your symptoms. It's an easy way to show them what's going on rather than you having to try and explain it. And also, I know, a lot of you tell me that it's sometimes very difficult to explain how you feel to your partner. So doing a diary for a week or two, and then asking them to read it, can show them exactly what you are going through and how you are feeling.
So, I hope you enjoyed this. There are loads more tips and hopefully, soon I'll do another one with more tips, so please keep sharing your tips with me. Your tips help so many other women out there. I'm so thankful for all the work that you do. So, keep them coming in.
Until next week, take care.
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