Menopausal Hotties
The hottest topic in town: Hottie’s Menopause Manual
The Emma Heaven magazine is proud to present the Hottie’s Menopause Manual..
Did you know that there are - brace yourselves - 34 reported symptoms associated with the menopausal journey?
Ohhh yes hotties you read that right! Not 3 to 4 but a goddamn 34 of the cheeky little blighters. You may want to make a cuppa or pour yourself a large glass, and sit comfortably as it’s a looooong list.
Do not fear though warrior hotties, as we are going to take them in our stride and steadily work our way through them.
Hopefully this will arm you with the knowledge, power and humour required in order to deal with the emotional and physical minefield that is the menopause.
We continue with…
3: Night Sweats
Well, hotties we are steadily getting through our list of 34 reported symptoms of the menopause.
Remember, you may experience them all or none at all, but for the majority of us, we will have at least several of these to varying degrees.
This month we focus on ‘Night Fever’, or more commonly known as Night Sweats. Believe me it’s not half as much fun as getting on the dance 🕺 floor to bust out some John Travolta moves. But you may find yourself doing a less than cool night time ritual.
So what causes night sweats?
According to good ol’ Google and Mother Nature:
“Night sweats occur before and during menopause because of changing hormone levels, including estrogen and progesterone, affecting the body's temperature control which is regulated by the hypothalamus.”
Even slight changes in our female hormone levels affect the action of other hormones, and the hypothalamus is responsible for regulating the body's temperature. It’s Mother Nature's way of cooling us down.
Sheesh Mum, you’re all heart! I can think of better, less sweatier ways, can’t you hotties?
A tell-tale sign that you're experiencing night sweats is that when you rise from your slumber - if you’ve managed to get any at all - and you find a soggy outline imprint of your body on your bedsheets, creating what I like to affectionately call ‘body sweat art’.
You may also feel like you’ve had the mother of all workouts as you’ve been performing the Hokey Cokey bed dance, all night long. You know the one that goes a little like this - you put your left leg in, left leg out, in out, in out you shake it all about. Hotties everywhere will know exactly what we’re talking about with THAT dance routine...
So what can you do? Well, there are lots and lots of pieces of advice out there. So take your pick and see if any of them work for you:
- Natural fibre bed clothes and bed linen - cotton is good for staying and keeping cool; avoid if possible man made fibres - they all too easily can cause, attract and retain sweat.
- Keep a fan or magazine nearby to help circulate the air over your body.
- Stay hydrated - water is your new BFF - and avoid alcohol or caffeine drinks close to bedtime.
- Keep the room cool and have plenty of fresh air circulating.
- Several herbal supplements and remedies such as clary sage and peppermint oil are reported by some to help stay cool. Yeah baby! Although always check first with your GP/pharmacist that there are no contraindications.
- Medications and hormone boosters such as HRT and certain food types can be an option too. Boost me up please…
It’s not a ‘one size fits all’ I’m afraid Hotties - it’s as individual a journey as you are - and oh my, what a voyage of discovery this is becoming!.
All that’s left to say Hotties is ‘stay true to you’. It’s a journey we are on but we will get to our destination. No sweat!!
Stay cool, stay beautiful…
Love
Julie x
Hottie’s Menopause Manual
30. Hayfever & Allergies
“I’ll be back” - those famous immortal words uttered by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Terminator films could have been specifically (m)uttered about the peri/menopause!
Why/how you may ask…?
Well, just when you thought you were about to make it through to the other side, to escape the onslaught of symptoms thrown at you daily, then lo and behold, they come back at you, sometimes stronger than before, sometimes loaded with a new arsenal of weapons, ready to attack again; and - like Arnie - these symptoms are bloody relentless! Those pesky menopause symptoms need to be terminated once and for all.
Unfortunately for us hotties, we have to patiently wait out our ‘dark fate’ and soldier on as best as we can, waiting for ‘salvation’, when lo and behold, (yet) ANOTHER symptom rears its ugly head.
It’s ‘judgment day’ for hayfever & allergies.
When our immune system comes under stress, it releases histamines, which cause allergic reactions. Due to the intimate connection between our hormones and our immune system, it is not unusual to notice some changes to our allergy profile during the peri/menopause.
The hormonal changes of peri/menopause affect the nervous system, digestion and sleep thus causing significant fatigue, all of which leads to a weakened immune system, which can make us hotties prone to hayfever and allergies, even if we have not been previously affected by them.
The most common symptoms of histamine in peri/menopause are rashes, itching, flushing, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), indigestion, breathlessness, palpitations, migraine, dizziness, anxiety/panic, joint aches and nasal congestion.
So, how do we go about terminating this (not so) little list of goodies?
- Keep an eye out for what’s triggering your allergies. Forewarned is forearmed
- Staying well-hydrated will help by reducing the concentration of histamines in your system
- Plenty of sleep will help take the stress off your immune system
Most importantly, don’t forget the peri/menopause drill and our helpful playlist of kick-ass tunes to terminate those menopause blues and stick two fingers up to whatever symptoms you are currently experiencing.
As with anything related to our bodies and our health, if you are experiencing difficulties, it makes sense to seek advice from your GP or health professional to see if there are any medications or other treatments that may help your symptoms.
So listen up hotties - this famous quote from Terminator is bang on the money and we should take inspiration from it:
"The future has not been written.
There's no fate but what we make for ourselves"
The menopause is going to take its course in some form or another whether we like it or not; but how we deal with it is entirely up to us. We can either sit there, let it take over and wreck our lives, or we can rise up, stare it in the face, look it in the eye, and tell it to back the f*ck off!
It will not defeat us - because what doesn’t kill us only makes us stronger.
A sense of humour is vital for dealing with this erratic and occasionally overwhelming period of our lives and armed with important information, knowledge, understanding and support, then we can kick this Terminator's arse and cheekily bid it adios - hasta la vista, baby!
Uprising - Muse
Titanium - David Guetta feat. Sia
Eye of the Tiger - Survivor
Survivor - Destiny’s Child
Fuck You - Lily Allen
I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
I’m Still Standing - Elton John
Set You Free - N-Trance
Rise - Katy Perry
Roar - Katy Perry
Take On Me - A-Ha
Things Can Only Get Better - D’Ream
The Only Way Is Up - Yazz and the Plastic Population
Let’s Go - Calvin Harris feat. Ne-Yo
Everybody (Backstreet’s Back) - Backstreet Boys
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tags: Menopausal Hotties
