Is Menopause Fatigue Normal? It's normal for everyone to feel overtired or overworked from time to time. Such instances usually come and go and people are usually able to recover well. Unrelenting exhaustion, on the other hand, lasts longer, is more severe, and isn't cured with rest.
You can be exhausted, but you can't sleep a wink!
During perimenopause, estrogen rises and falls unpredictably. Your body experiences this fluctuation as a hormonal emergency.
Many women find that they experience strange symptoms like nausea or other symptoms such as palpitations and increased anxiety after a hot flush or night sweat. Low blood sugar level - in peri-menopause and menopause, your blood sugar control can be much more erratic, so your blood sugars can fall really quickly.
And the consensus was that the majority of women feel better once they're through the menopause. They have a much better life and lots of other aspects tend to be more positive as well. So really, really take that on board when you're feeling miserable and that it's never ending, there is an end to it at some point.
Most of the time fatigue can be traced to one or more lifestyle issues, such as poor sleep habits or lack of exercise. Fatigue can be caused by a medicine or linked to depression. Sometimes fatigue is a symptom of an illness that needs treatment.
Systemic estrogen therapy — which comes in pill, skin patch, spray, gel or cream form — remains the most effective treatment option for relieving perimenopausal and menopausal hot flashes and night sweats.
In most cases, there's a reason for the fatigue. It might be allergic rhinitis, anemia, depression, fibromyalgia, chronic kidney disease, liver disease, lung disease (COPD), a bacterial or viral infection, or some other health condition.
Perimenopause may begin as early as your mid-30s or as late as your mid-50s. Some people are in perimenopause for only a short time. But for many, it lasts four to eight years.
Mood swings, irritability or increased risk of depression may happen during perimenopause. The cause of these symptoms may be sleep disruption associated with hot flashes. Mood changes may also be caused by factors not related to the hormonal changes of perimenopause. Vaginal and bladder problems.
Late Stage. The late stages of perimenopause usually occur when a woman is in her late 40s or early 50s. In the late stages of the menopausal transition, women begin missing periods until they finally stop. About 6 months before menopause, estrogen levels drop significantly.
You can tell that perimenopause is coming to an end as the time between periods will increase until they stop altogether. Once you notice around 60 days or more between menstrual cycles, it is likely a sign you are entering late perimenopause.
Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms of a hormone imbalance. Excess progesterone can make you sleepy. And if your thyroid -- the butterfly-shaped gland in your neck -- makes too little thyroid hormone, it can sap your energy. A simple blood test called a thyroid panel can tell you if your levels are too low.
Cortisol is often called the “stress hormone” because it is responsible for modulating the body's stress response, both long term and on a daily basis. When the body is not functioning as it should, cortisol can spike at the wrong time, causing sleep difficulty which leads to fatigue.
The transitional phase that leads up to menopause, known as perimenopause, can start as early as in your 40s and can last 7-10 years. These symptoms you are experiencing are hallmarks of the perimenopausal stage of life. The good news is that perimenopausal fatigue is completely normal and treatable.
This transition can be more difficult for some than menopause due to dramatic fluctuations in reproductive hormone levels. During perimenopause, these hormones are sometimes underproduced and sometimes overproduced. In menopause, reproductive hormones are at constantly low levels.
Feelings of anticipation, dread, or fear are common and usually resolve without treatment. Frequent episodes of anxiety may be a warning sign of panic disorder. "Panic attack" symptoms include shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness, heart palpitations, or feelings of "going crazy" or feeling out of control.