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
34. Osteoporosis
Hotties - there is light at the end of this tunnel as we approach the final symptom of the reported 34 symptoms associated with the peri/menopause journey!
However, we don’t wish to rain on your parade but do please be aware ladies that this $hit show, aka Mother Nature’s special gift to us women, will ALWAYS be on the sidelines, ready to throw a wee spanner in the works, so don’t mind us if we highlight yet ANOTHER symptom that you may or may not have been aware of. 34 isn’t a definitive number so like everything else in life - take it with a pinch of salt or pepper. Lime, tequila and/or a Bloody Mary is optional!
So has Mother Nature saved the best til last? Well, she’s most certainly saved one of the trickiest symptoms until last. Perhaps with hindsight, it’s last on the list in case we get the crap so frightened out of us early on, that we’d abandon reading, rhyme and/or reason, go stick our heads in the sand or fall face first into the nearest vat of alcohol, never to return sober, sane, or to surface again!
Fortunately, we already know by now from reading our Menopause manual that alcohol is not our best friend and that consuming it in large quantities has a negative impact on our bodies and minds, especially as it can turn us into an irrational lunatic! So with that warning light well and truly lit, let’s get down to business and tackle No.34: Osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis is a condition where your bones are less dense, causing them to break or fracture more easily.
Hormonal changes during the peri/menopause can result in a reduction in bone density which in layman's terms, means, osteoporosis is very closely related to oestrogen deficiency.
Bone density (thickness) starts to decrease as your levels of oestrogen decline in the lead-up to menopause and it continues to decrease after menopause, thus having lower levels of oestrogen increases the risk of developing osteoporosis. On average, women lose up to 10% of their bone density in the first 5 years after menopause and about one in two women over the age of 60 will experience at least one fracture due to osteoporosis.
A healthy lifestyle is enormously helpful in reducing your risk of osteoporosis. You know the drill, ladies, and if your menopause brain has descended, we’ve thoughtfully placed the drill below.
It is also recommended you get plenty of calcium and vitamin D.
Good sources of calcium include dairy, tofu, almonds, Brazil nuts, dark green leafy vegetables, and fish with edible bones (e.g. sardines). Greek yoghurt with nuts and berries is one hottie’s favourite breakfast, which can also double up as a dessert if your sweet tooth is badgering you!
Vitamin D is made in the skin following sun exposure and is also found in small quantities in some food. It helps the body absorb calcium. Remember to wear your SPF outdoors tho, even in the winter months!
If you’re worried about osteoporosis do consult your GP. 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 underlying causes, medications or other treatments that may explain the reason for or help your symptoms.
As we sign off from our Hotties Menopause Manual, having completed the 34 reported symptoms, rest assured we will be on hand every month to support and help you ladies on this voyage of discovery with our legendary sense of humour, which is a definite requirement whilst navigating this complicated journey into the unknown. But remember this hotties, above all else: we will come out the other side, stronger and wiser, like the f*cking superheroes we are!
Now let’s rock this $hit with a thumping playlist!
Tubthumping - Chumbawamba
The Only Way is Up - Yazz
I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
Things Can Only Get Better - D:Ream
Roar - Katy Perry
Scream - Usher
Reach - S Club 7
Man! I Feel Like A Woman - Shania Twain
I’m Still Standing - Elton John
Girls Just Want To Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper
I’m Every Woman - Whitney Houston
Titanium - David Guetta feat. Sia
Let’s Go - Calvin Harris feat. Ne-Yo
Set You Free - N-Trance
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