Simple Ways to Sail Through Menopause!

B-vitamins help offset episodes of menopausal fatigue. A good B-vitamin supplement, reducing caffeine and a blood sugar balancing diet could stop you getting all hot and bothered about the menopause.

Considering nearly all women go through the menopause it’s staggering just how many women are under prepared for this time of life! For most women the perimenopause (initial phase of the menopause) begins around the age of 50 but some women will start a little earlier at 45 and some much later at 55. 

Those who get clued-up and make the effort to get a few dietary and lifestyle changes in place during their 40’s are more likely to experience a milder, shorter (4-year) and more manageable menopause.

However, those women who bury their heads in the sand are likely to have a much longer (10-year) and more troublesome menopause that interferes with their day-to-day life.

Hormonal changes

During the menopause the ovaries shut down the production of oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone. This shutting down phase tends to be a bit bumpy and there are days when hormone levels crash for no apparent reason causing the hypothalamus gland to become stressed.

The hypothalamus gland is in charge of your internal thermostat and the stress caused by falling hormone levels creates disturbances causing the hypothalamus to believe that the body is over-heating and reacting by triggering hot flushes, sweats and night sweats in an attempt to cool the body down.

Fluctuating energy levels

These fluctuations in oestrogen and progesterone also impact on your metabolism, thyroid function and energy systems often creating days of unexplained and extreme fatigue. This type of fatigue is unresolved by rest or sleep leaving you feeling like even the smallest of tasks is too overwhelming and exhausting and causing your day-to-day life to be put on pause!

There are several dietary and lifestyle factors such as drinking lots of caffeine and alcohol and being inactive that can make these days of fatigue more pronounced.

Swapping the coffee for herbal teas, cutting back on sugar and become more active or taking up a regular exercise class are all steps in the right direction.

B-vitamins to the rescue

If there’s one group of vitamins that can help to re-charge and re-boot your energy – it’s the B-vitamins! These vitamins act as co-factors in the enzyme reactions that convert carbohydrates from our food into units of energy called ATP which all our cells can use.

The problem is that the body can’t store these vitamins as they are water soluble so we need a good daily intake to keep our energy and metabolism fired-up!

The B-vitamins are mainly found in complex or unrefined carbohydrates such as brown rice, brown bread, wholegrains and pulses. If you tend to opt for refined carbs such as white rice, white pasta, white bread, cakes, biscuits and pastries and sugary breakfast cereals then you might not be getting all the B-vitamins you need during the phase of your life leaving you vulnerable to episodes of menopausal fatigue.

Liposomal B-Vitamins

One of the smartest ways to give your body a big ‘B’ boost is to take a supplement that contains a liposomal form of B-vitamins like Altrient’s Vitamin B Complex.

This highly bioavailable product surpasses many other standard B complex products due to its high-quality formulation, advanced liposomal delivery system and carefully chosen supporting nutrients; Chromium, Selenium and Zinc.

It’s the liposomal factor that helps transform these essential vitamins into an easy-to-absorb and fast-acting supplement that quickly and effectively reaches tired and frazzled body cells.

What’s more is that B-vitamins are also important for a healthy mood, mind and memory which are also vulnerable as you go through the menopause.

Written by Susie Perry Debice