Menopause Anxiety – Is It Real And How To Combat It

Menopause anxiety – is it a real thing? What is the link between menopause and poor mental health? Why are women far more likely to experience menopause and anxiety disorder at the same time?

Let’s take a look at the reality of anxiety in perimenopause and menopause.

Is anxiety a symptom of menopause?

Unfortunately, anxiety is pretty common when you’re menopausal, impacting anywhere from 15 – 50% of people. Menopause anxiety (and perimenopause anxiety) will vary in terms of severity.

One of the most frequent concerns that women have during menopause is whether this anxiety will ever go away. Even though it can feel like it’ll never leave, there are ways to manage it.

What is menopause anxiety – the definition

Menopause anxiety is exactly what it sounds like: anxiety during menopause. Let’s be clear, though: you can also have perimenopause anxiety. Menopause anxiety isn’t something you can get when – and only when – you hit menopause. So, let’s zoom in: what is anxiety?

Let’s make one thing clear: some level of anxiety is actually normal and can be a healthy emotion to feel. However, when your day to day life is affected, that’s when anxiety can be crippling.

Mild anxiety, which is something you can manage yourself, feels like you’re on edge and a little unsettled. Severe anxiety, on the other hand, can severely impact your day-to-day life. In more extreme cases, this can hinder the way you process your emotions and, therefore, your behaviour, and can cause some physical symptoms, too.

What does anxiety feel like?

Anxiety is not a black and white thing. Everyone experiences it slightly differently, which is why it’s so tricky to diagnose.

For many, anxiety can manifest by experiencing feelings of extreme fear, tension and panic.

The physical symptoms of anxiety can include:

• Shortness of breath (otherwise described as a panic attack)
• Exhaustion
• Dizziness
• Changes in body temperature, specifically chills
• Heart palpitations
• Sweating and flushing
• Sickness and nausea
• Muscle aches
• Shaking
• Higher blood pressure
• Rapid heartbeat
• Anxiety night sweats

How common is menopause anxiety?

Recent studies show that 1 in 4 women experience some menopause anxiety symptoms, which can coexist with depression symptoms.

According to research, if you’ve experienced postnatal depression or history of PMS (premenstrual syndrome), you’re at a higher risk of having some form of anxiety and its symptoms during menopause and perimenopause.

Why is it important to understand menopause anxiety?

Don’t underestimate how much of a challenge anxiety can be. It can cause some severe mental, emotional and physical symptoms and make day-to-day living trickier. When you consider the many symptoms of menopause, too, anxiety heightens the severity of the symptoms, which is why there’s such a strong link between anxiety disorder and night sweats.

Whether you’re going through menopause or approaching it in perimenopause, or you’re reading this to learn how to support someone you care about, anxiety is a real symptom. Gaining support is truly one of the most important parts of getting through, which is why it’s so important to understand menopause anxiety.

Causes of menopause anxiety

So what causes anxiety in menopause? There are a few things that work in tandem to create or worsen an anxiety disorder. Let’s take a look at each of the culprits.

Hormonal changes in menopause

As with so many menopause symptoms, hormonal changes play a huge role in anxiety during menopause. It’s true, too, that anxiety can also occur in perimenopause.

When your oestrogen levels fall, the way your brain function will change too. Studies have concluded that oestrogen is tied to your serotonin levels (affectionately known as the happy hormone). Not to mention, oestrogen is also linked to your cortisol levels (unaffectionately known as the stress hormone.)

So, declining oestrogen levels? It impacts so much, including a sharp incline of cortisol and a drop in serotonin. Put this on a whiteboard and it’s like algebra!

Less oestrogen = more cortisol (stress) + less serotonin (happiness)

(What a sucky sum, am I right?)

Here’s the thing, though: we’re all different. With that in mind, everyone’s brain is slightly different, too. Some brains are going to be more susceptible to the change of hormones than others. That’s why, as mentioned above, you’re more likely to experience mood changes and anxiety if you’ve had postnatal depression.

How anxiety creates physical symptoms

Anxiety – whether that’s anxiety in perimenopause or menopause or at any other time – can cause physical symptoms. Despite the stigma (are we not past the whole “if you can’t see it, it’s not happening” approach?!), anxiety can be debilitating.

Menopause anxiety can manifest as physical symptoms such as:

• Faster heart rate and palpitations
• Sickness and/or nausea
• Trembling
• Temperature changes, sweating and chills (often resulting in anxiety night sweats)
• Dry mouth
• Pain in the chest
• Migraines and headaches
• Uneven and faster breathing
• Panic attacks

As with so many forms of anxiety, it’s a bit of a vicious cycle. Physical symptoms of the menopause, such as disturbed or a lack of sleep for an extended period of time and unbearable hot flushes could trigger anxiety. Likewise, anxiety can trigger a panic attack, which could – in turn – trigger flushes and anxiety night sweats.

With so many physical and emotional symptoms happening at the same time in such a drastic way, it’s unsurprising that anxiety is such a common condition – especially during perimenopause and menopause.

Symptoms of anxiety in menopause

We’ve looked at a range of anxiety symptoms, but let’s take a look at the list of emotional ones.

Common emotional menopause symptoms

The emotional rollercoaster of menopause brings with it some core emotional symptoms:

• Feelings of sudden anger, crankiness and frustration
• Feelings of sudden sadness
• Loss of interests and hobbies
• Loss of self-confidence and self-esteem
• Anxiety, of course, and panic attacks
• Finding it tricky to concentrate
• Forgetfulness
• Exhaustion
• Extreme mood swings

Coping strategies for menopause and perimenopause anxiety

If you’re asking yourself how can I cope with the emotional changes of menopause and more specifically, the coping strategies for menopause anxiety, there are ways to navigate through.

Lifestyle changes to prevent menopause and perimenopause anxiety

The good news is that a lot of these lifestyle changes will help reduce the severity of your menopause symptoms as a whole (which, of course, includes anxiety.)

These lifestyle changes may seem obvious, but despite them being obvious, many people overlook them. Don’t make that mistake.

1. Eat properly: healthy foods without skipping meals

While this article is about preventing anxiety, another one of the most common menopause symptoms is weight gain. This lifestyle swap will help with weight management as well as anxiety.

You should try to cut back (note: cut back, not necessarily cut out. It’s all about moderation) on foods that are high in sugar and are highly processed.

Instead, let’s opt for foods dense in nutrients. We’re talking lean meats, vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, seeds and fish.

2. Get moving and exercise regularly

Routine exercise is good for both body and mind, no matter what age. Make sure you find an exercise that you enjoy. From walking to swimming to horse riding and rock climbing, there are no rules for what you have to do. You’re far more likely to stick to an exercise routine if you enjoy it.

Another note is to make sure you give yourself rest days and go into exercise gradually. If you’ve never exercised before, start with a short daily walk, and ramp up from there. Listen to your body.

3. Don’t forget about breathing exercises

Breathing exercises are a common and effective method against anxiety and panic attacks. Deep breathing helps to activate part of your nervous system, which sends signals to your brain to tell the anxious area that you’re in no danger. That the fight, flight or freeze response isn’t needed.

4. Meditate for ten minutes every day

Meditation isn’t a woo-woo technique. It genuinely does help reduce high levels of anxiety. Meditation helps wash a sense of calmness over you. If you’re dedicated to it and stay consistent with it, meditation helps to keep you centred and tranquil, reducing tension and anxiety.

Plus, remember that a lack of sleep or sleep disturbance is a common menopause symptom. When you also have anxiety, night sweats often come along for the ride. Meditation will help you drift off to a better night’s sleep, too, so it’s a win-win!

Menopause anxiety: the role of family and friends

Whether you suffer from anxiety or not, simply transitioning from perimenopause to menopause can feel confusing, frustrating and isolating.

That’s where your support network comes in. The saying “a shoulder to cry on” is apt here.

You might feel uncomfortable sharing about your menopause to your friends and/or family. That’s probably down to how we have viewed menopause (and women’s health as a whole) as a society. The thing is, we are getting better. While we’re not ‘there’ yet, the only way to get there is by talking openly about our experiences.

That’s why it’s so important to talk to the people you trust about your menopause and menopause anxiety. Only then are they able to help and support you through it. Just opening up can help smash down the brick wall of isolation, allowing you to manage symptoms far more effectively because you no longer feel alone.

To sum up: menopause and perimenopause anxiety in a nutshell

Menopause and perimenopause anxiety is a real thing, and it can be a very difficult menopause side effect to deal with. That said, there are things you can do to help reduce the severity of it throughout perimenopause and menopause.

From focusing on your diet and exercise to meditation and breathing, natural lifestyle changes, menopause anxiety doesn’t have to rule your life.

A huge way to tackle anxiety is to open up to the people you trust. While this can be overwhelming and daunting to begin with, once you are able to talk about how you feel, you no longer feel lonely. The people you trust, too, are able to support you once they know how you’re feeling.

Menopause and perimenopause anxiety is common but it doesn’t have to impact daily life. Being aware of what it is, why it happens and how to manage it is the first step in overcoming anxiety.

The next steps? Implement strategies to cope with anxiety and be consistent with them. You got this! 💪