13/07/2022
ALCOHOL & MENOPAUSE
Do they mix?
In a word, no.
Sorry but it’s true. There are lots of reasons for this….
❌Our tolerance level for drinking alcohol significantly reduces during menopause, in part due to the loss of water as we age.
❌Alcohol often makes symptoms like poor sleep, hot flushes, low mood, irritability and anxiety worse.
❌Hangovers can become much worse. As we age, our liver enzymes diminish so we don’t break down alcohol as easily as we used to.
❌Alcohol disrupts blood sugar levels. In menopause our oestrogen and progesterone levels decline. These hormones influence how insulin works in the body so when they reduce, they affect our sensitivity to insulin and changing blood sugar levels.
❌The risk of breast cancer, cardiovascular disease and ‘midlife middle’ significantly increase with high alcohol consumption.
I’ve recently had lots of special occasions to celebrate this month and in all of them, I’ve had a drink or three. I enjoyed them all but I’m paying the price now.
My sleep was erratic every night I had a drink (even if it was only one) so the cumulative effect is a very tired and snappy Tamsin 😴🤯🫣
It’s not easy to change our habits, especially when we enjoy a social drink or two so what can we do?
✅Drink in moderation (no more than one small drink a day)
✅Spread the drinks out rather than binge them
✅Choose specific times to drink - for example only the weekend or when you go to a restaurant
✅If you tend punctuate the end of the day with a drink or use it as a way to unwind, perhaps try substituting drinking with something else you find relaxing instead. Dark chocolate, 10 minutes of yoga / meditation / dancing / singing or anything else you enjoy
✅Increase accountability by committing to reduce alcohol consumption with a friend and do it together.
You can find out about other lifestyle tips for managing menopause through bendy yoga menopause workshops and retreats. Link at linktr.ee/bendyyoga
Tamsin x
