Menopause can be rough. Trying to juggle hot flashes with night sweats, dizziness, insomnia, irritability, and more while remembering to take estrogen supplements and monitoring ankles for swelling can be a lot while trying to manage a normal life. The great news is that there are products out there that can help to manage the myriad of symptoms that often come with menopause. If you’re in menopause or just want to be prepared for when it comes, read on for products that can help alleviate side effects and symptoms.
Ice Packs and Popsicles
Whether you’re just waking up to your first-night sweats or are far enough into menopause to know your hot flash triggers, the reality is that nothing helps with either symptom like old-fashioned cold temperatures. If you’ve just begun menopause or have years of experience with menopause symptoms, you and thousands of women before you already know all about the miracle of a simple bag of ice, ice water, ice packs, a cold shower, popsicles, or Italian ice to cool down.
Knowing what will work and being prepared for that next unexpected hot flash are different. Depending on the severity of hot flashes you regularly experience, you may want to consider picking up a few ice packs to keep in the freezer. Many women find that keeping frozen fruit, popsicles, and other freezable treats in the house helps, too. Your menopausal transition will be easier the moment you have better control over your body temperature.
Clothing and Medications
Ice alone can’t handle all the symptoms of menopause. For women who have issues with blood clots, blood pressure, or worry about traveling long distances, a great product to try is compression travel socks. Available in a variety of fun colors and different sizes, a good pair of compression socks will help ease your mind while giving you the added benefit of working to help those varicose veins. Don’t put off your next adventure over flight sock worries. Instead, ask your doctor if it’s okay to travel and pack a few pairs of compression socks with your cooler.
Estrogen supplements made from all-natural ingredients are available over the counter and online. Many women use these in substitution for traditional hormone replacement therapy. A decision you should make with your doctor, these supplements work to give you more energy and might even help with mood swings or other menopausal symptoms. Some women also experience great success with a variety of herbal supplements.
Other women swear by a natural foods diet or the Galveston Diet in order to combat the symptoms of menopause. By eating a well-balanced and organic diet, research shows that it helps your body adjust to hormonal changes. Taking a daily vitamin to replace anything you’re missing may also work too. When researching the right vitamin for you, look for vitamins for women over fifty even if you’re younger and experiencing early menopause. Because these vitamins help with bone density, they will work to help keep you stronger for longer as your body ages.
Humor and Acceptance
When all else fails, use laughter as your medicine. Believe it or not, menopause will pass. Instead of banging your head against the wall because your estrogen levels keep slipping, turn to the internet or in-person support groups to connect to other women in the same position as yourself. In online support groups for women in menopause, you’ll see not only tips and tricks but jokes about the best wines or an alcoholic beverage distributor on the market to cool you on those hot days. The truth is, talking about your last visit to a brewery or making your favorite alcoholic beverage can be a lot more fun than ruminating over poor circulation, the risk of blood clots, and sleep disturbance. By teaming up with other women as both distraction and to laugh about shared experiences, you might even begin to feel better.
If you’re having trouble accepting the natural changes that come with age, consider speaking with a licensed therapist. It’s perfectly normal to struggle with signs of aging and menopause and talking to someone trained to help you live your best life could help. A licensed therapist will help you reach acceptance with or without humor as you work through menopause symptoms. They can also help if you’re experiencing trouble in your relationship due to low libido, changes in life stages, or moods.
At the end of the day, no two women experience menopause exactly the same way. How you treat your symptoms will be different from your best friend. Where she signed up for hormone treatments and never experienced a dry mouth, you could be in much better shape when it comes to insomnia and vaginal discomfort. Because everyone is different, it’s up to you to do your research on the products that might work for you. Before making any extreme lifestyle changes because of your menopause symptoms, consider exploring options that will give you a better chance of feeling like yourself again.
