I’m really pleased I decided to
document my perimenopausal journey,it started as something to pass on to my daughters but it has become a really good way to look at my symptoms separately , which may seem strange but has made it easier to see when I suffer from certain symptoms and what makes them worse . Since I've decided to get though this time in my life naturally I'm trying diffrent things from changing my diet , essiential oils and excercise .
This month is about how coffee and alcohol affects us, plus symptoms that I've been having that I never knew was to do with the menopause which I am going to make into a monthly feature called
DID YOU KNOW? COS I DIDN'T this months symptom is menopausal mouth, yes ladies this menopausal thing affects every part of your body .
NEW YEAR NEW START
So the new year didn't start great menopausaly speaking the first few weeks of january I suffered really bad with the hot flushes and the good old night sweats my sleep was none existant which made me irritable and tired , not how I wanted to start the new year as I'd just enrolled in a 30 day yoga journey and wanted to start the new year of right . Like all of us I got lots of chocoltes and alcohol for christmas , so I was ending the day with a glass or two of wine and a layer of chocolates , which I now know was not helpping my symptoms . As I,ve never had to watch what I eat looking at my diet is something I've never done it never occured to me changing what you ate and drank would have such an affect . I've also never had to give anything up as I have never dieted , smoked and don't normally drink much if I do have more than a couple of glasses I feel so rough I don't drink for a while after , I'm quite alight weight .
What I did discover is I do have an addiction to coffee and over christmas I was drinking alot with being at home more , I couldn't pass the kettle without switching it on . My biggest problem is I don't do cold drinks , thats why I always go back to red wine as my alcohol choice as you can drink that at room temperature . My over all liquid intake over christmas and new year was coffee and red wine , probably like most people I know but they are the two things in all the articles and blogs I've read say to avoid when perimenopausal as they make hot flushes , night sweats and insomnia worse .
COFFEE
Coffee for me is like a comfort hug in a mug ,it picks me up . Just like coffee does but the pick me up doesn't last very long and before I know it the kettle is on again . I found I use it so I take a break from what ever I'm doing or before I start something , my coffee is my excuse to rest [coffee break]
The problem with coffee is the caffine and caffine is a stimulant , it winds up your nervous system and when your perimenopausal your nervous system is already stressed because of all the hormone changes going on . So this is why you get symotoms like hot flushes, palpitations, headaches and it interferes with your sleep . The later you drink it the longer it takes the caffine to leave your system and as you go to bed the caffine is still there so no sleep .
SUBSTITUTES
Decaffeinaded is better but full of chemicals from extracting process of caffine so you get a little pollution from the actual coffee, I've decided if I'm cutting my coffee intake down I might as well make it count with good quality coffee and the health benifits are better .
Coffee and chocolate which are both my downfalls are probably the highest sprayed crops on the planet and we get residue of that in our normal coffee, good quality or organic are much better for you and make it a luxury moment too
TEA
To much tea can be as bad as coffee ,tea washes out the minerals like calcium and magnesium these are some of the most important things we need when going through the menopause as they help with bone health, moods and for sleep so we don't want to loose any more of these .
Magnesium is also really good to calm you down especialy at bedtime . So drinking tea even good one's before bed can take the magnesium away .
GREEN TEA
Green tea is full of lots of good stuff , but contains caffine so although you can use it as a coffee subsititue in the day not good for your evening drink . If you are looking for a warm beaverage before bed herb is the way to go .
ALCOHOL
As I said I don't drink that much but I do like a glass of red wine now and again especially on thusday night, my husband and I started it as a kind of date night when the kids were little , but even one glass and I start to sweating and I either lay there waiting for sleep or fall staight away but awake by 3am and thats it .
Alcohol is a depressant so you only need one small glass to feel relaxed ,but its like caffine its a passing feeling as it may knock you out but stops REM sleep which you need REM sleep for your emotional health and once the alcohol wears off you go from a deep sleep to wide awake and that can feel worse than no sleep at all .
Its also dehydrating which can make your night sweats and hot flushes worse .
One article I read said if you do want a drink its best to do it earlier in the day , so mimosa's for breakfast ladies , I think it said maybe a glass of wine with lunch or early dinner as drinking with food slows down the rate of alcohol that is absorbed into the bloodstream and the rate of which you drink while eating is also slower .
Red wine particular is a instant trigger for hot fludhes and night sweats it relaxes the blood vessels and brings more blood to the skin surface . I've been avoiding red wine if I do fancy a drink I have gin it's helped with the hot sweats but not the sleep and if I do fancy a glass of the red stuff I have it with dinner . Hopefully this menopausal thing want last forever .
As I've been doing my research I discovered symptoms I didn't know I was experiencing because of perimenopause The hot flushes, night sweats and insomnia everyone kind of excepts but there are many synptoms that are common but we ignore and mouth related are some of them . For example bleeding gums , burning tounge , sensitvity ,aching teeth and jaw ,dry mouth even the loss of taste .
So here's what I've learned about your menopausal mouth .
Hormones seem to change everything and your mouth is one of them . I've been experiencing bleeding gums and a burning tounge for a while and my teeth have been aching and at times feel like they are becoming loose , I just thought it was because I don't go to the dentist enough .
It turns out 40% of menopausal women experience this . The common symptoms are .
BURNING MOUTH SYNDROME
This is something than can come and go I thought mine was because I ate my food when it was really hot and always drink my coffee straight away . But it's caused by many diffrent things nutritional deficiency is one which is hightened durring the menopause . So looking at your diet could help , for example you could be low on iron .
Iron deficiency is caused by stress and anxiety which is a given with imbalanced hormones but can also be caused by heavy periods that happen when yours start stopping and starting . My periods have always been very light and only last a few days but have started to become heavy and longer than normal . I have been experiencing dizzyness and a burning tounge , it was my mum that said it could be a loss of iron that could be making me feel dizzy and after discovering this is also what could be the cause of my burning tounge I've just made an appointment to get my iron checked .
Your periods don't even have to be heavy when they start to become close together this can have the same affect as a heavy one . So if you are feeling weak or having dizzy spellls its a good idea to get your iron level checked .
GUMS /TEETH
A lot of women suffer with gum and teeth problems , the drop in hormone oestergen that happens during menopause can make gums feel sensitive , inflamed and even bleed .
Your teeth can also become sore or jaw can ache ,the teeth can also feel like they are becoming loose this is called teeth shifting it happens between the ages of 40 and 50 , this is were you lose bone which makes your top teeth look shorter so you will show more of your bottom teeth ,the first two front teeth start to move as early as your 20's ,when the lower teeth shift they hit your upper front teeth ,this can make you grind your teeth which makes them shift and wear away hence your teeth feel loose .
This is why it's important to take care of your mouth especially during menopausal years with regular dental checks and cleaning . Checking your toothpaste your using is also a good idea as certain chemicals can trigger symptoms maybe look at a natural toothpaste and mouthwash .
Remember although all the symptoms can be to do with hormone changes if you are concerned about any symptoms please see a doctor as self diagnosis is never good
DRY MOUTH
This is one I haven't experienced but as we are talking about mouth issues I thought I'd add it in .
Dry mouth is caused by your body not creating as much moisture, your mouth can become very dry and painful it can also change your taste buds , this can cause food sensitivity from spicy , citrus, caffine and alcohol . You may also start not liking certain food you liked before but the plus side is your might start enjoying diffrent foods . Just another symptom to look forward to .
SO what I learned over all is coffee and red wine is bad and your mouth goes into melt down during perimenopause . The remedies seem to be cut out the caffine and alcohol, up your intake of magnesium and iron . The dentist looks like he will become your bestfriend and update your oral hyginene . The more I look into the menopause it surprises me what a big deal this time is for us women . I hope this has been helpful and you have found out some things you didn't know .
untill next time .
