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Beyond the familiar hot flushes, brain fog, and mood swings, there are lesser-known signs that deserve attention
Have you ever woken up at night feeling uncomfortable, thirsty, or with an uncontrollable itch on your body? While these may be signs of something usual or not, if you are a woman and over 45 years of age, doctors believe it can be due to perimenopause. Beyond the familiar hot flushes, brain fog, and mood swings, there are lesser-known signs that deserve attention.
Perimenopause happens when your body starts transitioning to menopause, during which your ovaries begin producing fewer hormones, causing your menstrual cycle to become erratic or irregular. In perimenopause, your body is moving toward the end of your reproductive years—and is a natural and normal progression. You may have both physical and emotional symptoms.
Some of these symptoms can disrupt your life or make you uncomA few weird and unusual symptoms that you may not have heard of are important to note.
Food allergies and intolerance
There are certain foods that you would have enjoyed earlier but have developed sudden aversion or allergy that could be due to hormonal changes in your body. According to experts, worsening food sensitivities or intolerances happen mostly due to fluctuating estrogen levels, which can affect your body's response to allergens and digestive processes.
Teeth grinding
Many women start grinding their teeth while sleeping as a side effect of perimenopause. Doctors say teeth grinding, also known as bruxism, happens as the hormonal shifts bring a great deal of increased stress and anxiety. Fluctuating estrogen levels also affect various parts of the body, including the oral cavity.
Besides that, you may also have other oral health issues dry mouth, sensitive teeth, painful gums, and bleeding gums.
Itching in the ears
While it is an odd and lesser-known symptom, itching in the ears is common among women undergoing perimenopause. According to experts, the transitional period leading up to menopause, due to hormonal fluctuations and decreased estrogen levels, makes your skin dry and irritated—especially around ear canals.
According to experts, your skin, including the delicate tissue inside the ears, becomes drier due to losing natural oils, which causes a scratchy feeling.
Tinnitus
For some women, tinnitus, commonly described as ringing in the ears, either starts or becomes worse as they enter perimenopause.
Tinnitus is an extremely complex condition involving many different parts of the auditory pathways and can get exacerbated by psychological events such as mood disorders, depression, and stress—side effects of perimenopause. According to studies, low estrogen levels can also impair hearing.
Memory loss
Often described as brain fog, memory loss is one of the symptoms of perimenopause, linked to fluctuating hormone levels, particularly estrogen.
Doctors say estrogen helps the neurotransmitter systems in your brain that send signals to areas involved in memory and information processing. Many researchers also think that estrogen promotes the growth and survival of neurons, the cells that send electrical impulses. These impulses serve as messages that are crucial for making your brain and nervous system work properly.
What can you do to reduce the symptoms?
A few things you can do to help keep your symptoms or perimenopause at bay and your body functioning at its best through this time include:
Get good rest
Sleep loss contributes to mood disturbances and depression, so try to maintain a healthy sleep cycle by maintaining a regular sleep schedule, reducing caffeine intake, and making sure your room is as dark as possible.
Eat right
Food that’s bad for your heart may also be bad for your brain. This means that you should limit saturated fats and trans fats found in foods such as fried foods, battered foods, and baked goods. Instead, consume a diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, protein, and low-fat dairy.
Exercise regularly
Exercise helps stimulate your brain in areas that are critical to memory and information processing. It also improves the functioning of the hippocampus, a part of your brain responsible for different types of memory.
Experts recommend premenopausal and postmenopausal women get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise per day, five days per week.
Do bain exercises
Keeping your brain active helps stave off the effects of ageing. Try these tips to give your brain a workout.
- Do crossword puzzles and Sudoku.
- Play word games.
- Play online brain games and quizzes.
- Read books, newspapers, and magazines.
- Learn something new, like a musical instrument or a new language.
- Spend time talking and socializing with family or friends.
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