Do you find yourself worrying about having a drink on date night or whilst out with the girls? Because you know hot flushes will start to occur and worsen, along with other symptoms you may have.
alcohol can worsen the symptoms of menopause, and cause anxiety around drinking and socialising.
In this blog I’m going to tell you a little about the effects of alcohol (they’re not pretty) but im also not suggesting you cut it out if you genuinely enjoy it because…balance. its life. enjoy it. But also understanding the adverse effects can allow us to make decisions on how we approach Christmas, social events, weddings with alcohol etc.
DID YOU KNOW :
Compared to men women have less water in their blood to dilute alcohol so the alcohol we do drink will be much more concentrated in the body.
which means brains and organs are exposed to alcohol fo longer, therefore even moderate consumption can lead to risk of nuerodegenerative processes damaging the brain cells and tissue.
women also have lower levels of key enzymes that metabolize alcohol, so itll stay in our system for longer. So combine that with a smaller body size on average women face higher health risks than men.
Older women are effected by alcohol, differently to younger women.
likely to have as much body water
more likely to be takign prescription medication
which means higher blood alcohol concentration…again adverse effects.
SO WHAT ARE MY SUGGESTIONS?! I work with a lot of women facing menopause, some are more effected than others.
- we’ve tried experimenting with the type of alcohol, if they’re used to drinking wine, and its just not doing them a solid anymore, we’ve experiments with 1 wine and a few clear liquor drinks, or changing the wine and diluting it with a soft drink (white wine spritz)
- we’ve experimented with hydration and food. as mentioned above older women have less water, therefore increasing water / fluid intake prior and after drinking could reduce some negative symptoms of alcohol and its effects (not to mention the hangover)
- timings ! if you’re used to a late night drink, but night sweats are awful when drinking, try bringing the drink forward a little, early evening rather than late, as alcohol effects out sleep quality regardless of how much we have, and lack of sleep worsens hormonal fluctuations it makes sense to try and get as good of quality sleep as possible. The longer between drinking and bedtime means the alcohol will be more diluted.
- if youre open to reducing alcohol intake, me and my clients work out social events they’re willing to reduce alcohol around, or drink 1 alcoholic drink to 1 soft drink or (alcohol free) if you want to hide it. That way you don’t miss out on socials, youre meeting yourself half way. Another thing we look at is reducing alcohol in the week, and finding another way to soothe either stress, boredom or change the habit.
I hope you’ve found this interesting. If you want help making lifestyle changes, having more knowledge on how to approach Weightloss, menopause and general health and fitness please reach out and email me for more information on how I can help you 🙂
Jas
