Menopause Fatigue – What To Do About Exhaustion in Menopause

Menopause fatigue is more than just feeling a little bit tired. For some women, this strand of exhaustion is debilitating, resulting in low motivation and poor mental health. This extreme fatigue can lead to anxiety, depression and panic attacks, and – let’s just admit it – it’s not the way we want to experience life.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at menopause fatigue – why it could be happening, how common it is and what simple things you can do at home to combat the tiredness and feel like you again.

How to recognise menopause fatigue

The first and most important thing to remember is that menopause fatigue is a real condition. It’s not just yawning a few times and feeling a little bit tired.

So, what sets it apart from tiredness? How can you recognise that you’re suffering from menopause fatigue in particular?

People who are struggling with menopause exhaustion will find that they have low energy. They may need to take more breaks than usual – whether that’s in the workplace or even during the standard household chores.

Walking up the stairs or exercise can feel much more of a challenge, and you may need longer to recover before starting a new task.

On top of these physical signs of menopause fatigue, consider your mental health, too.

Menopause exhaustion can cause or worsen brain fog (another typical sign of menopause and perimenopause.) You may, too, struggle to stay focused, to remember things or make decisions.

That said, it’s really important to remember that the same symptoms of menopause fatigue are applicable, too, for many physical or mental conditions.

That’s why you should always speak with your doctor so they can rule out other conditions.

How common is menopause fatigue?

Now that we know how to recognise menopause tiredness, let’s answer the question is menopause fatigue normal?

Exhaustion and fatigue is absolutely a common symptom of menopause and perimenopause. For many, it’s one of the first signs of perimenopause.

One study that monitored 300 women discovered that fatigue became more pronounced in the later stages of menopause. In this study, it was found that menopause fatigue affected:

• 85.3% of women in post-menopause
• 46.5% of women in perimenopause
• 19.7% of women who have not yet reached perimenopause

If you are struggling with menopause tiredness, these statistics prove that you are absolutely not alone.

Why does menopause fatigue happen? Why am I so tired?

So, why does menopause tiredness happen in the first place? Why are you exhausted from the moment you open your eyes?

Before we look at the things you can do about menopause fatigue, let’s first explore what’s causing your exhaustion.

Changing oestrogen levels

As your hormone levels adjust during perimenopause and thereafter, the way your brain works changes, too. This can cause extreme fatigue.

On top of this, as your oestrogen levels fall in perimenopause and menopause, your cortisol levels – the stress hormone – rise. One of the byproducts of this is exhaustion.

Poor sleep quality

While tiredness can happen for people of all ages, sexes and genders, there’s a huge link between menopause and exhaustion. This link is heavily related to other menopause and perimenopause symptoms which can cause mayhem when it comes to your sleep.

Sleep quality is key for your mental and physical health. If you are suffering from night sweats, bladder problems, insomnia or other sleep disturbances (such as not being able to stay asleep for very long,) your chances of getting a decent night’s sleep lower.

Stress and poor mental health

Unfortunately, this becomes a little bit of a vicious cycle. If you are struggling with depression or anxiety in menopause – sometimes due to falling hormone levels – this can impact your sleep quality.

While changing hormone levels can result in mood swings and poor mental health, external factors matter too.

Big changes to your life and work stress can, too, lead to poor sleep quality.

Low thyroid function

The risk of developing issues with your thyroid increases with age, and is around 10 times more common in women than in men. In fact, stats show that roughly 12 – 20% of women over the age of 60 show signs of an underactive thyroid.

This, in turn, can cause exhaustion, especially when it’s in tandem with other menopause symptoms and overall stress.

Changing levels of testosterone

As you enter perimenopause and menopause, just like your oestrogen levels, your testosterone levels dip, too.

Lowering testosterone levels often show themselves by:

• Decreasing your libido
• Extreme tiredness (hence menopause fatigue)
• Finding it difficult to concentrate

How to combat menopause fatigue

So, what can you do about menopause fatigue? How can you boost your energy during perimenopause and beyond?

Let’s take a look.

1. Make sure you have a good sleep routine

The most obvious way to combat menopause fatigue is to get some good quality sleep.

This is often easier said than done.

First up – your sleep schedule.

A solid sleep schedule has 3 main components:

1. Wake up time
2. Bedtime
3. Sleep duration

You should make sure you are going to sleep and waking up at the same time each day – even during the weekend.

If you wake up at the same time each day, you’re helping solidify your body clock (known as circadian rhythm.) Doing this, too, means that your body becomes naturally sleepy so that you can unwind at the same time every day, allowing you a healthy sleeping window.

2. Make time for regular exercise

If you’re suffering from menopause fatigue, exercise may feel like the last thing you want to do. If this is the case, force yourself to get moving; even if it’s gentle.

Physical activity helps to actually boost your energy levels. On top of this, you’ll be protecting your heart, bettering your sleep quality and improving your mental health, too. Not to mention, routine exercise can aid with bone and muscle strength. Seeing as a loss of bone density is common during perimenopause and menopause, exercise can truly work wonders.

When your energy levels allow, the best type of exercise for menopause fatigue is strength training, such as lifting weights. However, if your motivation is low, match your energy levels while still pushing them with exercises like swimming, pilates and yoga.

3. Put strategies in place to avoid night sweats

Night sweats are one of the more common contributors towards menopause fatigue.

Caused by a drop in oestrogen and progesterone, night sweats may look like:

• A spreading of intense heat over your face and body during the night
• Bedsheets that are wet with sweat, causing you to wake up
• Waking up covered in sweat yourself

To reduce night sweats during menopause and perimenopause, try the following:

• Wear loosely fitted and lightweight nightwear to bed
• Keep your bedroom window(s) open
• Keep a fan on
• Swap a heavy duvet for layers of thin blankets. You can layer them if you’re cold rather than sweating under a thick duvet
• Work on menopause weight loss if needed. Being overweight often makes many menopause symptoms worse, including night sweats.

4. Avoid eating too close to bed time

Make sure you don’t eat for a minimum of two hours (though three hours would be best) before bed time. This gives your body sufficient time to digest your meals and work alongside your body’s circadian rhythm.

Eating too close to sleeping can cause problems with digestion and hinder sleep quality. Plus, it encourages weight gain, so it’s best to stay away from food for 2-3 hours before getting your shut-eye.

5. Make time for self care

The concept of “self care” has become a little bit of a buzz-term. However, it truly is crucial during menopause, especially if you’re struggling with menopause exhaustion.

It’s so important to make the time for activities and hobbies that you find enjoyable and important to you. Anything that brings you joy will help bring energy, so lean into that.

Perhaps, for example, you enjoy yoga and meditation. Or even reading a few chapters of your favourite book. Singing in the shower – anything that brings you pleasure.

It can be difficult to find time and, for many women, self care is ranked low on their list of priorities. However, should you be struggling with menopause symptoms like fatigue and poor mental health, self care can be revolutionary.

6. Avoid caffeine, alcohol and nicotine

Caffeine, alcohol and nicotine are triggers for many menopause symptoms, including night sweats and hot flashes, menopause fatigue and even weight gain.

If you’re a smoker, perimenopause and menopause is an excellent time to quit the habit. Studies have shown that smokers experience menopause 2 years sooner than those who don’t smoke. Smokers, too, are at a higher risk of heart disease, further bone density loss, lung problems and more extreme menopause skin.

Both alcohol and caffeine can cause sleep disruption, adding to menopause fatigue. It’s been seen in studies that caffeine can trigger hot flashes.

Try to lessen your alcohol and caffeine intake to improve sleep quality and reduce menopause exhaustion.

7. Speak to your doctor about menopause fatigue

Remember, as is the case for all perimenopause and menopause symptoms, your doctor is there to help you.

You should never feel ashamed of seeking help. Menopause and perimenopause can be a rollercoaster.

While everybody experiences this transitional period in their own unique way, your doctor is likely to have helped hundreds of women with the same symptoms.

Don’t wait until it becomes unbearable and speak with your doctor when you start noticing signs of menopause fatigue.

Menopause fatigue – in a nutshell

Clearly, menopause exhaustion is more than a few yawns. It absolutely is not laziness.

As your hormone levels change in perimenopause, menopause and beyond, your body is put under a lot of stress. This, in turn, shows itself through different symptoms including menopause fatigue. Other symptoms, such as mental health issues, hot flashes, and weight gain can all contribute to more severe exhaustion.

However, there are ways you can boost your energy levels in menopause.

A healthy sleep routine, regular exercise, cooling your room and body down throughout the night, eating at the right time, prioritising self care and avoiding trigger substances like alcohol, caffeine and nicotine can improve menopause fatigue.

Lastly, make sure you keep your doctor in the loop. Your GP is there to give you the menopause help you need, so if you’re struggling, lean on their skills and expertise.