Menopause & Anxiety: Tips to Manage Anxiety During Menopause

Understanding Menopause-Related Anxiety

What is Menopause-Related Anxiety?

Menopause-related anxiety or menopausal anxiety is simply anxiety that occurs while transitioning into menopause. It is a common symptom of menopause and can manifest as stress, headaches, excessive concern, jittery feeling, and light-headedness.

Menopausal anxiety differs from general anxiety in the following ways:

• Symptoms: menopausal anxiety can bring about a range of psychological symptoms and physical symptoms. Psychological symptoms include anger, a sense of dread, and menopausal memory loss. Physical symptoms include hot flashes, irregular heartbeat, and sweating.
• Severity: unlike normal anxiety, menopausal anxiety is more severe, persistent, and can worsen with time.
• Duration: how long does menopause anxiety last? Although anxiety is more prevalent during perimenopause, it can persist through menopause, and post-menopause.
• Impact: due to its severity, menopausal anxiety can affect a woman’s mental health thereby affecting relationships, sleep habits, focus, work, and general daily living.

Common Symptoms of Anxiety in Menopause

Does menopause cause anxiety? Yes, it does. Here are some of the psychological symptoms it causes:

• Anxiety: feeling eager, anxious, or nervous
• Fear: feelings of doom such as something terrible might happen
• Worry: worrying about something and being unable to stop
• Irritability: becoming easily annoyed or irritated
• Restlessness: becoming unable to relax and stay still
• Panic attacks: severe and sudden anxiety attacks, panic, and fear

Physical symptoms include:

• Breathing issues: rapid breathing or shortness of breath
• Sweating: hot flashes, sweating, or jitteriness
• Heart-related symptoms: rapid heart rate, chest pain, or heart palpitations
• Headaches
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Muscle tension
• Dizziness
• Trembling
• Vaginal dryness

Causes of Increased Anxiety During Menopause

So why does menopause cause anxiety? Anxiety during menopause occurs as a result of multiple factors, hormonal fluctuations being the main cause. Causes of menopause include:

Hormonal fluctuations

During menopause, estrogen levels fluctuate greatly thus impacting mood and general emotional well-being. On its part, estrogen affects the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that plays several roles in the body such as influencing happiness.

Estrogen works to increase the activities of the enzymes required for serotonin production but blocks serotonin reuptake by the body thus serotonin levels dip. Therefore, when estrogen levels drop, serotonin levels also fall. And low serotonin levels are associated with anxiety.

Moreover, cortisol, the stress hormone may be produced in large quantities during menopause due to the physical and psychological challenges. Increased cortisol levels further magnify the feeling of anxiety.

Stress

Life stressors such as divorce, caring for aged parents, career shifts, or leaving home by adult children can elevate anxiety especially when transitioning into menopause. Since menopause comes with its own stressful symptoms, it heightens the feelings of anxiety when dealing with these life stressors.

Sleep Disruptions

Menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes may contribute to restlessness and sleep disturbances. When experiencing these night sweats, one is unable to fall or stay asleep which could exacerbate anxiety.

The Impact of Other Menopause Symptoms on Mental Health

Menopausal symptoms such as anger, irritability, low self-esteem, low mood, hot flashes, headaches, and nausea can impact your mental health negatively. These symptoms could cause mental health issues such as:

• Brain fog: some menopause-related symptoms could weaken concentration and memory. This situation is referred to as a brain fog.
• Mood swings: low estrogen and progesterone levels can cause mood swings causing you to feel irritable and unable to cope with situations.
• Menopause rage: hormonal fluctuations may amplify anger and frustration that could lead to physical or verbal outbursts.
• Depression: in some women, falling progesterone and estrogen levels can trigger depression, especially for those who have experienced depressive episodes before.
• Suicidal thoughts: menopausal symptoms could exacerbate suicidal thoughts.

Practical Management Strategies

Menopause Anxiety Relief

Daily habits to manage anxiety

If you are looking for a solution for menopause anxiety relief, a shift in your daily habits could help alleviate the symptoms. You can adopt the following habits:

Eat a balanced diet

A balanced diet that is rich in B vitamins, calcium, vitamin D, and omega-3s can help alleviate menopausal anxiety. Foods rich in folate (vitamin B9) for instance, are important in regulating serotonin levels while those in omega-3 fatty acids such as fish may help lower anxiety. Studies provide that foods rich in magnesium and zinc lower anxiety and help you feel calmer.

Regular physical activity

Engaging in regular physical activity is associated with the release of endorphins and endocannabinoids in the bloodstream. According to David Linden, Ph.D, a professor of neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, endocannabinoids are mood-improving neuromodulators.

These biochemical substances move through the cellular barrier which separates the bloodstream from the brain. They promote short-term psychoactive effects such as reduced anxiety and feeling calm.

Sufficient sleep

A good night's sleep cannot be stressed enough. While menopause brings about challenges that may hinder sleep, you can create a conducive environment that is cool, quiet, and dark to provide you with restful sleep. Also, maintain a regular sleep schedule and reduce screen exposure before bedtime.

Relaxation Techniques and Exercises

Other menopause anxiety relief techniques and exercises include:

Meditation

Menopausal anxiety keeps your mind in a frenzy of worry, fear, and doubt. And this is where meditation comes in as it serves to bring calm and mindfulness to you. Taking time to meditate not only helps you relax but also allows you to be mindful enough to control your anxiety.

Yoga

While meditation focuses on your mental calmness, yoga combines both mental focus and physical activity. It helps relieve anxiety by promoting mind-body connection thereby enhancing self-awareness and overall wellness.

Deep breathing exercises

Slow, deep breathing focuses on breathing into the abdomen, filling it with air, and then releasing it out. The 4-7-8 breathing technique is popularly used and it entails breathing in (inhale) for 4 seconds, holding your breath for 7 seconds, and breathing out (exhale) for 8 seconds.

Creating a Supportive Environment

Menopausal anxiety could be alienating; thus a supportive network could be of great help. Your support network could include family, friends, and support groups. To build this support network, you could:

• Check in on your close relations regularly
• Celebrate their achievements
• Offer support during challenges
• Attend their special events

Professional Treatments and Therapies

When to Seek Professional Help

Seek professional help if:

• You have suicidal thoughts
• You experience negative feelings for more than two weeks
• Your anxiety is limiting your daily life and duties
• Your anxiety causes you emotional distress
• You experience panic attacks

Therapy Options for Anxiety During Menopause

CBT

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a psychotherapy technique that is used in managing anxiety. It works to identify and alter negative thought patterns in patients by changing how they think and behave. This technique is based on the principle that feelings, thoughts, and behaviors are interrelated, changing one could affect the others positively.

CBT’s main goal is to help people pinpoint their unhelpful thoughts and replace them with practical self-help strategies that will lead to a change in their behaviors. CBT techniques include positive activities, thought recording, systematic desensitization, and situation exposure.

By practicing the new, acquired constructive habits will eventually provide menopausal anxiety relief.

MHT

Menopausal Hormone Therapy is the most popular in treating menopausal symptoms such as vaginal discomforts and hot flashes. This is a hormone replacement medication that supplies your body with estrogen.

There are two types of hormone therapy, systemic hormone therapy, and low-dose vaginal products. The systemic estrogen comes in the form of pills, gels, creams, skin patches, and sprays. It contains a higher dose of estrogen to be absorbed throughout the body.

As for the low-dose vaginal product, it is a low-dose vaginal preparation of estrogen available in the form of tablets, cream, or rings. It works to minimize the amount of estrogen absorbed and is used to treat menopause-related urinary and vaginal symptoms.

Medications and Supplements

Some medications and supplements promise to help alleviate menopause anxiety. Some of the medications and supplements include:

• Antidepressants
• Clonidine
• Gabapentin
• Fezolinetant

Natural supplements include:

• Ashwagandha
• Black cohosh
• Kava
• St. John’s wort

Although these medications and supplements are popular with menopausal women, be sure to consult your healthcare provider before using them.

Holistic and Alternative Approaches

Alternative Therapies

• Acupuncture: Acupuncture can reduce anxiety as well as other menopausal symptoms including hot flashes, night sweats, and sleep disturbances as per a 2022 study.
• Aromatherapy: Aromatherapy can help alleviate menopause symptoms by stimulating endorphin production, regulating temperature and pulse rate as well as reducing blood pressure. Lavender and bergamot are commonly used to reduce anxiety.
• Herbal supplements: These are herbs that contain beneficial compounds that can help lower menopausal anxiety. An example is black cohosh which is claimed to reduce hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and night sweats. Other herbal supplements are St. John’s wort, Maca, passion flower, and probiotic supplements.

Lifestyle Modifications

• Limit Alcohol: Indulging in too much alcohol can increase the severity of menopausal anxiety and other symptoms. By limiting your intake, you will feel more calm and in control of your menopause-related anxiety.
• Limit Caffeine: Your daily morning cup of coffee could be your great enemy when trying to manage menopausal anxiety. Caffeine in coffee is known to speed up body functions which can jump-start anxiety.