You asked about Alcohol & Menopause
When we think of alcohol we often think about feeling more confident, nights out, sore heads...what we totally forget to think about is our body's best friends.
I can't talk about alcohol without impressing the importance of the liver - at least once a week I have a conversation with women who forget about the liver and it's importance to our daily functioning. Personally, I see the liver as the body's ultimate protector to illness and disease. The liver works constantly and performs the most efficient job ever...we simply don't stop to think how amazing this organ is. So before I talk more about alcohol read my prior blog on the liver.
Alcohol, I'm Irish..I really wish we didn't have the negative relationship with alcohol that exists in this country, that is a whole other story. However for me I grew up with alcohol - My Parents own a wine shop and at the age of 12 I was thought how to taste wine in France with my Dad...did I often try to swish it longer in my mouth as opposed to spitting it into the tasting bucket...Yes I did :-). That I guess was a natural teenage instinct as I got older. To this day I still love and appreciate a good red wine.
However, this love affair is now totally one sided - it does not love me. When I was younger I could have a few glasses but today one glass is often enough to make me feel the ill effects the next day. As I have gotten older I have become more sensitive to alcohol - this is very common and happens to most people.
So what does alcohol do to your liver and your hormones ?
The liver is our storehouse of antioxidants, think Vitamin C & B Vitamins. What is generally unknown is that magnesium and iron are also stored here - these are crucial at any stage in life. Magnesium for the muscles, nervous system, sleep etc. Iron is stored in the liver as ferritin (think serum ferritin when you get your blood results), and is essential for energy. Alcohol depletes these stores and therefore depletes your body's store of these essential vitamins & minerals.
Men process alcohol through their bodies much faster than women - our bodies work it through at a slower rate and so the side effects last longer.
Alcohol is a depressant - no sugar coating this one it's a fact. Drinking alcohol puts added stress on your adrenal glands, it increases the stress hormone cortisol and after an initial rush leaves you feeling low and tired.
It disrupts your blood sugar levels which are essential in menopause. Stable blood sugar levels lead to more balanced moods, unstable can results in weight gain, increased moodiness and the increased risk of diabetes.
Lowers your body's ability to absorb calcium - another essential nutrient for our body and bones.
Sleep - sometimes women will tell me a glass of wine helps them sleep better at night. Not the case at all. It might put you to sleep quicker but you do not get the good nights sleep that you would otherwise. The REM sleep is missed - this is the sleep where you do you daily processing of events & dreaming. You need this sleep section for your emotional health. You will find too that on top of this while you fall asleep quickly you will wake up at some point in the night or next morning very quickly and then your unable to return to sleep or it’s time to get up and your feel exhausted and drained.
Dehydration - it’s very dehydrating. And if you are already getting night sweats or you’re getting hot flushes, then drinking alcohol regularly is actually going to compound the problem as well.
Increased blood pressure
Heightens the physical symptoms of menopause especially night sweats, hot flushes and anxiety. In relation to anxiety if you are experiencing any levels of anxiety I would strongly encourage you to minimise alcohol consumption, it is your biggest enemy when you are experiencing anxiety.
If you do have a big night some tips to minimise the side effects
Take a good Vitamin C like Camu Camu and ensure you have Vitamin B foods in your diet.
Drink red wine as opposed to white if you can - white has more sugar. Spirits
Don't drink on an empty stomach.
For each glass of wine you drink ensure you drink 2 glasses of water.
The next morning have water with lemon juice - will support your liver.
Try if you can to eat fresh fruit & vegetables as opposed to processed foods.
Big nights aren't our friends in midlife - it takes longer to recover and your body will just struggle for a few days to get back to where it was. Remember how you feel it will encourage you to drink less the next time.
I know it is unrealistic in many cases to say stop alcohol consumption altogether but in many cases where the symptoms are severe you do need to consider how quickly you want to feel better and get back to enjoying life. Alcohol, sugar & caffeine are nutrient robbers and I have to be honest and tell you they are not your friend in this journey.
So for me it's the 80:20 rule. It's ok to have lapses - it's making nutrition choices that you can support 80% of the time. This is a good rule to follow - we can't spend our lives good every minute so if you can adopt this rule it's a great start. Also like I said above I know my sensitivity to alcohol and we are all different - in Perimenopause no one size fits all. We are all unique in this journey, we will all experience different symptoms and challenges along the way. Listen to your own body and what it is telling you and make your choices based on these internal insignals...our bodies send us symptoms to tell us what needs attention and to help us on the journey.