Stress isn’t just something caused by being overworked; health concerns, frequent travel, juggling parenting, mental health struggles, and even over- or under-exercising can all contribute to the stress your body feels—and then, menopause enters the mix! These stressful situations can trigger both physical and psychological stress responses, making it essential to understand how to manage them effectively.

Menopause, including both perimenopause and postmenopause, often brings a rollercoaster of emotional and physical changes. Navigating mood swings, anxiety, and stress can be overwhelming, but understanding how menopause and stress are connected can help you manage your emotional well-being and bring back a sense of calm.

Understanding Stress

What is Stress?

Stress is a natural response to a perceived threat or challenge. It’s a complex physiological and psychological state that can affect anyone, regardless of age, background, or circumstances. When we experience stress, our body’s “fight or flight” response is activated, releasing stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones prepare our body to respond to the perceived threat by increasing heart rate, blood pressure, and energy levels. While this response can be beneficial in short bursts, chronic stress can lead to a host of physical symptoms, including muscle tension, high blood pressure, and a weakened immune system. Understanding how stress affects your body is the first step in effective stress management.

Why does menopause trigger stress?

For many women, perimenopause begins in their mid 40s, and symptoms like disturbed sleep, hot flushes, and mood fluctuations start to creep in. During the menopause transition, your body’s production of estrogen and progesterone fluctuates and decreases, leading to hormonal imbalances that can directly affect your emotional health. You might find yourself reacting more intensely to stress, and feel angry, 'ragey' or anxious about things that wouldn’t have bothered you before.

Perimenopause and menopause often coincide with an already hectic and stressful time in life, where you might be balancing career demands, family responsibilities, or even caring for ageing parents. Each stressful situation, whether related to menopause or other life events, can compound the overall stress you experience. Adding menopausal symptoms to this mix only compounds the stress, creating a vicious cycle. To make matters more complicated, many of the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause—such as difficulty sleeping, irritability, or anxiety—can feel very similar to the effects of stress

so it can sometimes be hard to determine the exact cause. For example, are you having trouble sleeping due to menopausal changes or because you’re stressed at work?

The science behind stress and hormones

Stress triggers your body’s fight-or-flight response, involving the adrenal glands, which release cortisol and adrenaline—hormones that prepare you to react quickly in high-pressure situations. The autonomic nervous system, which includes the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, plays a crucial role in managing these stress responses. In the short term, this system works well, helping you stay focused and motivated when under pressure. However, long-term or chronic stress can wreak havoc on your health. Elevated cortisol levels over an extended period can interfere with digestion, weaken your immune system, and even lead to weight gain, high blood pressure, and an increased risk of heart disease. Additionally, elevated cortisol levels can alter immune system responses, making you more susceptible to illnesses.

What makes perimenopause and menopause particularly challenging is that this stress response is also influenced by declining estrogen levels. Estrogen plays a key role in regulating cortisol, so when estrogen drops, so can your ability to handle stress, leading to mood swings, increased anxiety, and brain fog, as lower estrogen levels impact the brain regions responsible for emotional regulation and memory.

Causes of Chronic Stress

Common Causes of Stress

Chronic stress can be caused by a range of factors, including:

• Work-related stress: Long working hours, high workload, lack of control, and poor work-life balance can all contribute to chronic stress. The constant pressure to perform and meet deadlines can leave you feeling overwhelmed and exhausted.
• Financial stress: Debt, financial insecurity, and lack of financial stability are significant stressors. Worrying about money can keep you up at night and affect your overall well-being.
• Relationship stress: Conflicts, lack of communication, and emotional abuse in relationships can be major sources of stress. Healthy relationships are crucial for emotional support, and when they are strained, it can take a toll on your mental health.
• Health-related stress: Chronic illness, pain, and disability can lead to ongoing stress. Managing a health condition often requires significant time, energy, and resources, which can be draining.
• Trauma: Physical or emotional abuse, neglect, and loss can have long-lasting effects on your stress levels. Traumatic experiences can trigger a prolonged stress response, affecting your mental and physical health.
• Major life changes: Events like divorce, moving, and job changes can be incredibly stressful. Even positive changes can cause stress as they require adjustment and adaptation.

These factors can contribute to chronic stress, which can have a significant impact on both mental and physical health. It’s essential to identify the causes of stress and develop effective coping strategies to manage stress and prevent chronic stress. Techniques such as relaxation techniques, mindfulness, and seeking support from a mental health professional can be invaluable in managing stress responses and improving overall well-being.

How stress affects the menopausal brain

Many women are unaware of the menopause-brain connection. According to neuroscientist Dr. Lisa Mosconi, menopause acts as a “renovation” period for the brain. The neurons that once supported ovulation are no longer needed, so the brain begins to recalibrate. While these changes are temporary, they can cause short-term disruptions, particularly in areas like the amygdala, which controls emotions, and the hippocampus, which handles memory.

The stress response system, which involves hormonal changes and activation of brain regions like the amygdala and hypothalamus, can be particularly sensitive during menopause.

The result? You may experience more frequent mood swings, bouts of anxiety, and even memory issues, often described as brain fog. Stress during this time can further amplify these symptoms, leading to poor sleep, low energy, and an overall sense of overwhelm.

In fact, the ongoing connection of stress and menopause means one often fuels the other—stress triggers hot flushes, poor sleep increases stress, and round it goes.

Practical ways to manage stress during menopause

While you can't always eliminate stress completely, you can certainly manage it by supporting your body and mind with lifestyle changes, learning to slow down, and the right nutrients. Here we've listed some practical tips that can help reduce stress and improve your mood during menopause:

1. Prioritise sleep

Getting enough restful sleep can dramatically reduce your stress levels. Create a calming bedtime routine by reducing screen time, avoiding caffeine in the late afternoon, and ensuring your bedroom is a peaceful, relaxing environment. If you still find yourself tossing and turning, try a natural sleep aid like our Sleep complex to help you drift off to sleep and break the cycle of nighttime waking.

2. Connect with others

Social connection can help alleviate feelings of stress and loneliness, which many women experience around this time of life. Reach out to a friend or family member for a chat, or consider joining a group where you can connect with like-minded people going through similar experiences.

3. Practice mindful breathing

Breathing exercises are a simple yet effective way to calm your nervous system. Try deep breathing for a few minutes each day—breathe in for four counts, hold, and exhale slowly for seven. This simple practice can be done anywhere and helps reduce feelings of anxiety, bringing your body into a more relaxed state.

4. Stay active

Exercise is a natural stress reliever. Whether it's walking, yoga, running, taking an exercise class, or even gardening, moving your body releases endorphins that can boost your mood and help you feel more in control of stress.

5. Spend time in nature

There's a growing body of research that shows spending time in nature can reduce stress and improve your overall mental health. Aim to get outside daily, whether it's for a short walk in the park or sitting in your garden.

6. Support with the right supplements

Certain nutrients and herbal actives are clinically proven to support your mind and body through stress and help restore emotional balance. St. John's Wort is a traditional Western remedy for anxiety and mood changes, with clinical trials showing it to be as effective as some medications. Similarly, Saffron has been proven to be as effective in treating mood, stress and anxiety issues as certain drug treatments. These ingredients are key components in our Daily Mood Support Supplement, designed to ease mood swings, stress, and anxiety during the menopause journey.

Left unmanaged, stress can manifest in everything from disrupted sleep to hormonal imbalances and accelerated aging. Even if you're not dealing with overwhelming stress, mood support throughout the menopause journey is important to help you feel your best. Whether your stress or low mood is mild or more significant, combining sound nutritional advice with the right lifestyle changes—and supporting your body with the right nutrients—can improve how well your body responds and help you feel more balanced.

If ongoing stress or low mood is affecting your quality of life, seeking professional guidance from your doctor or a menopause specialist is important to explore the treatment options available.Shop our Mood support supplement with an additional 15% off with our subscription service, knowing your supplements will arrive when you need them, stress-free.

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This article has been reviewed by our expert advisory team.