Menopause is a condition that occurs to women when they are later 40s to their early 50s. It usually ends after a few years.
During the menopause period, it has been proven that two-thirds of women will experience menopause symptoms. Such symptoms include mood swings, tiredness, irritability, hot flashes, and night sweats. Unfortunately, most women are at risk of contracting diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis.
Below is a list of 6 natural ways to reduce menopause symptoms:
Being Active By Working Out
Currently, no enough evidence can confirm that exercises are effective for treating night sweats and flashes.
Nevertheless, there is evidence that supports other regular exercise benefits. Such benefits include decreased stress, better sleep, healthier bones and joints (6,7). A study reported that after you exercise three to four hours per week, you will improve your physical and mental health in a period of one year. Therefore, you will have an overall quality of life during your menopause period.
When you practice regularly, you will have better health, protect yourself against conditions and diseases such as stroke, heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, obesity, and high blood pressure. It is now clear that regular exercises alleviate menopause symptoms such as low mood, fatigue, anxiety, and poor sleep. It even reduces the risk of getting some diseases and weight gain.
Healthy Food Consumption
During menopause, you experience hormonal changes that weaken your body risking osteoporosis. However, Vitamin D and Calcium have been linked to helping strengthen the bone. It is necessary to have enough of these nutrients.
During the postmenopausal, adequate vitamin D intake helps lower the risks of fracture resulting from weak bones. There are many foods to supplement calcium, including daily products such as cheese, milk, and yogurt.
Moreover, green and leafy vegetables such as collard, kale greens, and spinach are good calcium sources. You can also get it from sardines, beans, tofu, among other foods.
Sunlight is a primary source of getting vitamin D since the skin will produce it after you’re exposed to the sun. When you age, the skin reduces the efficiency of making vitamin D.
If you cover your skin or not out in the sun, the best way you can supplement vitamin D is to increase food with vitamin D or take supplements. Some of the food rich in vitamin D includes eggs, oily fish, and cod liver oil. Calcium and vitamin D rich diet is essential to prevent bone loss occurring during menopause.
Drink Enough Water
Water is necessary at menopause because you experience dryness. It results from a decrease in estrogen levels. Water helps to prevent weight gain and also assists in the loss of weight. Drinking water makes you feel full or increase your metabolism. Drinking 500ml of water before a meal helps you consume fewer calories in your meal.
Taking Supplements
Many women relieve menopause symptoms by taking natural products and remedies. Many women turn to menopause supplements and remedies for relief. Research has proven that these supplements help to alleviate menopause symptoms. Some of the common natural supplements to help reduce menopause symptoms include:
Some studies have reported that black cohosh effectively alleviates hot flashes. However, there is no long-term data indicating the supplement. Phytoestrogens are consumed as supplements or natural food such as extracts from red clover. No enough evidence recommends the use of phytoestrogens to alleviate menopause symptoms.
There is scarce evidence to support the effectiveness of other common supplements such as prebiotics, probiotics, kava, evening primrose oil, and Dong Quai. Natural supplements might be the best to treat menopause symptoms, although more studies are required to report the safety and effectiveness of using them.
Eat Phytoestrogens Rich Foods
Phytoestrogens occur naturally in plants and mimic estrogen effects, which may help to balance hormones. High intake of phytoestrogens, especially in Asian countries like Japan, is a reason why most women there don’t experience hot flashes.
Many foods are rich in phytoestrogen and include flax seeds, tempeh, tofu, soy products, beans, linseeds, and sesame seeds. However, phytoestrogen content will vary depending on the method used to process.
A study reported that soy food helps to reduce blood pressure, the severity of hot flashes, night sweats, and cholesterol levels for women entering menopause. More evidence has shown that real food sources are better than processed or supplements.
Practicing Yoga
While you will get a cure for every menopause symptoms, researchers have reported that yoga practices provide immense relief of menopause symptoms. Rather than depending on regular management, you can consider yoga as a natural, comprehensive remedy.
Bottom Line
Menopause is a condition experienced by women, and it is not an illness. It naturally happens to be part of life. Nevertheless, menopause symptoms can be a hassle to deal with; therefore, you have to eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly, and drink more water. That may help to alleviate and prevent the symptoms.
Experiment with the above tips to have a more comfortable and enjoyable time during menopause.