All women will experience menopause, which is the end of the menstrual cycle. Menopause is characterized by the absence of menstrual periods for 12 consecutive months, which can occur in the 40s-50s.
Menopause is a natural biological process that is accompanied by symptoms such as night sweats, difficulty sleeping, mood swings, weight gain, slowing of metabolism, thinning of hair, vaginal dryness, and hot flashes. These symptoms often cause difficulties of their own.
Tips for Dealing with Menopausal Symptoms
The symptoms of menopause can be difficult, especially when it comes to mood swings. Here are some positive ways to deal with menopause symptoms so that you can still go about your daily activities as usual.
Managing hot flashes
Hot flashes are sudden feelings of warmth in the upper body, such as the face, neck, and chest. This symptom causes the skin to redden and causes sweating.
When the body loses too much body heat, you may feel cold afterwards. This symptom can affect sleep quality and cause you to have trouble sleeping soundly.
To combat hot flashes, here's what to do:
-
- Replace clothes with thinner and more comfortable ones
- Regulate the room temperature to keep it cool
- Avoiding hot, spicy, caffeinated, alcoholic beverages
- No smoking
- Lose weight
Read more: Tanda-Tanda Awal Menopause yang Mungkin Tak Disadari | AI Care (ai-care.id)
Overcome sleep difficulties
Hot flashes and night sweats make it difficult for menopausal women to sleep. Based on data from the National Sleep Foundation, approximately 61% of menopausal women experience sleep disorders.
To overcome this, you can wear comfortable clothes to sleep, set the temperature of the room where you sleep to be cool, and avoid eating foods that cause sweating such as spicy foods at bedtime.
Overcome headaches
Hormonal changes during menopause can trigger migraine-like headaches. These headaches will probably subside on their own once menopause has passed.
However, some people may experience such severe headaches that they need to visit a doctor and get hormone therapy to help relieve their headaches.
Addresses thinning hair
Hormonal fluctuations affect hair thinning because the hormones estrogen and progesterone play an important role in hair growth, thickness and thickness. When both types of hormones continue to decline, the hair will not grow as fast as before menopause.
To reduce the symptoms of hair thinning, you need to pay attention to your dietary intake, manage stress well, use hair care products, and avoid overusing styling appliances.
If the thinning is more severe, you may need to get prescription medication from your doctor, undergo microneedling, laser therapy, or even a hair transplant.
Read more: Mengenal Tiga Tahapan Menopause pada Perempuan | AI Care (ai-care.id)
Managing mood swings
The decrease in hormones in the body also affects mood which can cause you to be tired, stressed, forgetful, feel anxious easily, have difficulty concentrating and grumpy. In some people, severe mood swings can push people into depression.
For severe conditions, you may need to undergo hormone therapy that not only addresses mood swings but also helps with night sweats and hot flashes. Healthy lifestyle changes such as exercise, a healthy diet and quality sleep can also help you manage your moods better.
Menopause is about emotional and physical changes that can be overwhelming. Every woman can experience menopause symptoms differently so apart from leading a healthy lifestyle, you also need to consult a doctor to find the right treatment option.
If you need medical advice or consultation, you can either visit a doctor or make use of the consultation features that are available in the Ai Care application by downloading the Ai Care application from the App Store or Play Store.
Looking for more tips and information regarding health, first aid, and home remedies? Click here!
- dr Nadia Opmalina
Mayo Clinic (2022). Menopause. Available from: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menopause/symptoms-causes/syc-20353397
Mayo Clinic (2022). Hot flashes. Available from: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hot-flashes/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20352795
WebMD (2022). Sleep and Menopause. Available from: https://www.webmd.com/menopause/guide/sleep-disorders-sleep-menopause
Juliann Schaeffer (2019). Are Headaches a Symptom of Menopause?. Available from: https://www.healthline.com/health/menopause-headaches
Angelica Bottaro (2022). Can Hair Loss Be a Symptom of Menopause?. Available from: https://www.verywellhealth.com/menopause-hair-loss-5218350
Danielle Dresden (2022). What causes mood swings during menopause?. Available from: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317566