Research says yes. Many studies have consistently shown a benefit of HRT on sleep in women who have vasomotor symptoms, when the vasomotor symptoms are causing the sleep disturbance. The main part of HRT is estrogen, to treat symptoms caused by estrogen deficiency.
Yes. HRT is known to improve sleep, mood and hot flushes, all of which may disrupt your sleep and lead to tiredness. However, HRT comes with risks and is not suitable for everyone.
Estrogen plays a role in the metabolism of serotonin and other neurotransmitters that affect our sleep-wake cycle. Estrogen also helps keep our body temperature low at night, and therefore more conducive to restful sleep. Estrogen also has an antidepressant effect.
How long HRT takes to work. It usually takes a few weeks before you feel the benefits of HRT. It can take up to 3 months to feel the full effects. If you have not felt the benefit of HRT after 4 to 6 months, it may help to try a different type.
There are effective ways of minimizing, or indeed even eradicating, these side effects. Thus nausea can be reduced by taking the HRT tablet at night with food instead of in the morning, or by changing from tablets to another type of HRT such as transdermal patches.
The primary aim of HRT is to treat symptoms caused by oestrogen deficiency. However, for sleep disturbance, the addition of progesterone may have an added benefit.
The main benefit of HRT is that it can help relieve most menopause and perimenopause symptoms, including hot flushes, brain fog, joint pains, mood swings and vaginal dryness. Hot flushes or night sweats often improve within a few weeks.
Immediate results are what we all want, but the benefits of HRT take a little time. While many people notice improvements in sleep or mood within weeks of starting HRT, changes like improved muscle mass or fat loss can take at least three to six months.
Many women actually find that they lose weight by using HRT as it shifts the metabolism back into a pre-menopausal metabolic state. Progesterone can sometimes cause fluid retention which can mimic weight gain, but there are alterations that can be made to the regime to minimise this impact.
In very real ways, using HRT to address symptoms of hormonal change can help you feel younger. It can give you more energy, elevate mood, and increase sex drive. It can make sex more comfortable and improve sleep in both men and women.
Due to the physiology female hormones play, women suffer from insomnia at nearly twice the rate of men. Low estrogen levels typically cause insomnia, because estrogen helps move magnesium into tissues, which is crucial for catalyzing the synthesis of important sleep neurotransmitters, including melatonin.
Although rare, swings in estrogen levels can disrupt sleep for some women with premenstrual syndrome (PMS). High levels of estrogen prior to menstruation can cause anxiety, mood swings, and insomnia.
The altering levels of estrogen and progesterone during the perimenopause and menopause can cause mood swings. Women may experience being happy one minute and then angry the next. Additionally, they may suffer from low mood, poor motivation and lack of energy, all of which are eased with HRT.
Hormone Replacement Therapy
Thus, HRT may effectively treat fatigue and the symptoms that can exacerbate it. In particular, estrogen replacement is considered the most effective treatment for the vasomotor symptoms that tend to occur in concert with fatigue and can be instrumental in restoring energy levels.
1) You are tired ALL the time.
This is often because the oestrogen used in HRT is the most active form of oestrogen and it's also a pretty big dose of it. This oestrogen is very stimulating. If we have already been dealing with quite a lot of stress, our nervous system can struggle to deal with this much stimulation.
How Estrogen Replacement Therapy Can Help with Belly Fat During Menopause. Recent studies show that menopausal women on hormone therapy tend to have less body fat, especially visceral belly fat. Because estrogen affects how your body distributes fat, low estrogen levels can contribute to gaining fat in your belly area.
Some women notice a difference within a few days, but for the majority it is a slow and steady improvement over weeks and months. You may notice physical symptoms get better first, for example, at the correct dose of estrogen, hot flushes and night sweats are often much better after 4-6 weeks.
Can Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) Help Brain Fog? Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is a treatment that can help relieve the symptoms of menopause, including brain fog.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has profound metabolic effects which impact on the cardiovascular system. These effects include changes in lipids and lipoproteins, glucose and insulin metabolism, haemostatic factors, inflammatory markers and body composition, as well as changes in vascular function and remodelling.
HRT with Estrogen May Lower Fear Response & Anxiety
They found that estrogen may have a calming effect on the fear response, including for women suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Therefore, there is some evidence that increasing estrogen may reduce anxiety-like symptoms.
Exercise. Exercise is key in getting to and staying at a weight that supports your health at any age. During menopause, it can help you lose belly fat. Doing “targeted" abdominal exercises to get rid of belly fat sounds like it would help, but you can't tell your body exactly where to shed pounds.
Many women find that they feel calmer, have more energy, are more motivated and generally much happier when they take HRT.
The first changes you will probably notice are that your skin will become a bit drier and thinner. Your pores will become smaller and there will be less oil production. You may become more prone to bruising or cuts and in the first few weeks you'll notice that the odors of your sweat and urine will change.
Don't lose faith if you don't see an immediate improvement after starting HRT. It can take several weeks for your symptoms to settle, and sometimes up to three months. This is why your doctor will usually wait until three months have passed before checking in to see how things are going.