The Stress Connection

We have been led to believe that during perimenopause, our stress and anxiety levels go up due to hormonal fluctuations. Often, women are prescribed medications that neither help nor address the core issues. There is much more to this story. Stress, anxiety and trauma actually change the way your body produces hormones, making our experience of menopause more difficult than it needs to be. Let’s look at this holistically. 

Research indicates stress can exacerbate manifestations of perimenopause and menopause. Key findings include:

• Hormonal Interactions: During perimenopause, the adrenal glands play a greater role in producing estrogen. Elevated stress levels lead to increased cortisol production, which can hinder the adrenal glands' ability to produce sufficient estrogen and progesterone, intensifying menopausal manifestations such as hot flashes, sleep disturbances, mood swings, and weight gain.
  This is an area where things such as breath work, self-care rituals, aromatherapy, slow exercise such as yoga, time in nature, and baths can have a huge impact. This is a great time to explore herbal teas that reduce anxiety, such as lemon balm or linden blossom. We have to learn to soothe and create space for ourselves.

• Impact of Past Trauma: Women with histories of physical or sexual abuse, or financial instability, report more severe menopausal manifestations and poorer overall well-being during midlife. These psychosocial stressors are linked to increased psychological and somatic manifestations and an earlier onset of menopause.
  Perimenopause is a wake-up call to heal. During this time, we begin to scrutinize our lives. There is no better time to find a qualified therapist who specializes in trauma, so that you can begin to do the work and process your past. It’s not easy, but the rewards are profound. During perimenopause, you are giving birth to the most empowered version of yourself. The past wants to be resolved, so that you can move through pain, learn, grow, and finally put it to rest. Don’t let this pain sit inside you any longer. You have come too far for that. 

• Gastrointestinal Manifestations and Stress: Increased perceived stress and gastrointestinal issues, such as constipation, are associated with more severe menopausal manifestations. This suggests that stress and gut health may play a role in the intensity of menopause-related discomforts.
  The gut-brain connection is real, and as a holistic practitioner, when someone comes to me with digestive complaints, we begin to look at what is going on emotionally first. It is important to care for the vagus. This “wandering nerve” is part of the parasympathetic nervous system, connecting the brain to major organs, including the gut. It regulates digestion, gut motility, and inflammation, playing a key role in the gut-brain axis. A healthy vagus nerve supports digestion and a balanced gut microbiome, while dysfunction can lead to issues like IBS, bloating, and constipation. We can care for the vagus nerve by doing what we can to support vagal tone. Things you can do are deep breathing, time in nature, chanting, singing, and humming.

• Stressful Events: Experiencing stressful events correlates with an increase in vasomotor manifestations (VMS), like hot flashes and night sweats. Next time you have a hot flash, pay close attention to the emotions you were feeling just prior to when it began. You will likely begin to see a connection between the two. You can then use hot flashes as a somatic barometer, which tells you what areas of your life need to be adjusted.

There is so much we can do to reduce stress and even work through past traumas. At The Way Apothecary, our number one priority is helping you create rituals that will bring relaxation and ease into your life through education, intentional self-care and the healing arts of aromatherapy and herbalism. If you begin to manage your stress and past traumas through therapy and other methods, your experience with perimenopause and menopausal manifestations will become more fluid and put simply, easier. Creating this breathing room allows you to hold space for yourself while you tend to the mental and spiritual growth that is are our right to experience as we walk along this path.