Menopause is something that all women expect to happen in their lives. Most women share the same fear of facing the dreaded symptoms like weight gain, anxiety, depression, insomnia, hair loss, severe headaches and more. There is an awful long list of symptoms that is present during the menopausal stage.

As we all grow older, our bodies experience some changes and we start to have a decline in hormone production. And since menopause is inevitable, women can cope up and even fight these symptoms by following some tips. Here are some of the things you can do to maintain a balanced hormone levels even as your body undergo menopause.

Tips to Combat Hormonal Imbalance in Menopausal Women

1. Get enough sleep. Have you ever noticed yourself overeating after sleeping so little the night before? This is because too little sleep can cause your body to have low levels of leptin, a hormone that signals your brain that you’ve had enough food for the time being. Aside from making you prone to overeating, having too little of this hormone in your system also slows down your metabolism. Do your best to get sufficient sleep every night to encourage your body to produce leptin and lessen the risk of contracting health problems linked to overeating.
2. Don’t stress yourself out.Chronic stress is by no means good for your body or mind. Stress and lack of sleep increase your cortisol, a hormone that affects your stress-coping mechanism and important body functions such as bone formation, wound healing, and blood pressure. Cortisol also affects your sleep pattern; if you’re having a particularly stressful day, you can sometimes expect difficulty in falling asleep. Having high cortisol levels on a regular basis is linked to diseases such as diabetes and osteoporosis.
   
3. Cut down on sweets.Everyone knows that too much of the sweet stuff can harm your body. Remember leptin, the hormone that tells your brain that you’re already full? Too many sweets in your diet can cause you to have leptin resistance. This condition makes your brain ignore the fact that your stomach is already full, causing you eat beyond what you need. Insulin resistance, another condition that can be brought about by eating too many sweets, can lead to diabetes and hypertension.Have you read? Hey lady. Five Signs MENOPAUSE is Knocking on your Door
4. Minimize coffee and alcohol intake.Caffeine intake and alcohol consumption increase cortisol levels, regardless if you’re under stress or not. At this point, you are already well aware of how having chronically high cortisol levels is bad for the body. It is a good practice to limit the cups of coffee or glasses of alcohol you consume in a day, especially when you’re celebrating special occasions with the rest of the family.
5. Exercise regularly.Menopausal women can greatly benefit from regular physical activity. Exercise helps relieve stress and, in turn, helps negate the effects of the stress hormone cortisol. Regular strength training also burns calories and reduces body fat. Scheduling a 30-minute walk after dinner is a good way to integrate regular exercise to your daily routine. Remember, too, to warm up and cool down before and after physical activity, and to drink plenty of water.
6. Take your daily dose of vitamin C. Vitamin C has been proven to help your body produce progesterone, one of the hormones that take a significant dip during menopause. Low progesterone levels have been linked to anxiety, poor sleep, night sweats, and other menopausal symptoms. In addition, vitamin C also helps boost your immunity.

You can include one or all of these tips on your daily routine and not let menopause get the best of you. Life is what we make it and everybody should enjoy and be healthy.