Menopause Anxiety

For many women, heightened anxiety can strike during the years approaching and after menopause. Rattled nerves, endless cycles of worry, and even full-blown panic attacks can onset due to fluctuations in brain chemistry and hormones.

Definition of Menopause Anxiety

Anxiety during menopause describes the intense, pandemic and spiraling state of fear and worry that can overtake women during their premenopause, perimenopause, or post-menopause years.

Symptoms of Menopause Joint Aches

Menopause anxiety may be indicated by the onset of panic attacks, difficulty breathing, profuse sweating, clammy hands, and cold extremities. Heartbeat generally becomes racing (tachycardia) or erratic (arrhythmia). Thoughts may likewise race, bouncing around from fear to fear. Some individuals become so anxious that they develop phobias, and in some cases cannot bring themselves to leave the house or perform daily responsibilities. Anxiety can also lead to indecisiveness, depression, and difficulty focusing.
Browse through other menopause anxiety symptoms.

Causes of Anxiety

During menopause, declines in estrogen can lead to changes in the brain’s levels of neurotransmitters – chemical messengers that regulate energy and mood. As levels of such neurotransmitters – such as dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine – become altered, mood changes occur. Anxiety often occurs as the body’s “fight or flight” reaction becomes activated, preparing the brain and body to respond to a crisis. Unfortunately, as these chemical changes take place, the brain and body often prepare for a crisis when there is no present threat.
Other causes of anxiety can include trauma survival, generalized anxiety disorder, stress overload , and a host of other psychological and physical conditions.

Treatment of Anxiety

Menopause anxiety can be treated from a variety of different angles, so menopause anxiety treatment can be psychological or physical in nature. Psychologists and therapists can work with patients to reduce fears and improve responses to traumatic stimuli – though often such measures will be less than fully effective if the cause for anxiety is more physical. Anxiolytic medications or antidepressants can also improve anxiety, though many carry side effects for users. Menopause anxiety natural treatment can also be taken, in an attempt to alleviate symptoms of menopause without the risks of HRT.

Anxiety FAQs

Q: What are some things I can do to calm menopause anxiety?

A: Anxiety can be managed by medication or medicines that attempt to regulate hormone levels. However, women can also take advantage of mind-body exercises such as meditation, visualization, yoga, tai chi, and qi gong in an attempt to center themselves. Naming objects aloud can have a grounding effect for those experiencing a panic attack, and many women benefit from talk therapy and anxiolytic medication in extreme cases.

Risks of Anxiety

Q: What are some things I can do to calm anxiety?

Menopause anxiety can carry a few important risks to menopausal women. First, anxiety can raise stress levels, causing the body to hold on to even more weight – an issue already created by dropping estrogen levels. Additionally, anxiety can lead to increased cardiac risk, weakening of the heart walls as chronic panic attacks take place. Anxiety attacks can also cause sudden reactions of verbal or physical violence, in extreme cases.