Menopause Related Shortness of Breath & Anxiety

Menopause is a time of extraordinary changes in a woman's body when the ovaries shut down and hormones take a multi-year roller coaster ride. And, as with all thrill rides, it's not all fun and games--but eventually it does end.
Some of the biggest complaints about menopause are anxiety, hot flashes, mood swings and heart palpitations. Symptoms such as shortness of breath and excessive sweating are side effects of those common experiences. A multi-pronged approach to menopause that combines work on both the physical and emotional symptoms can make this time of life more like a merry-go-round than a roller coaster.

Medical Overview

• Menopause occurs naturally when a woman's ovaries begin to shut down and produce less estrogen and progesterone. It can begin in a woman's 30s and usually accelerates through a woman's 40s. It's during this time that you'll begin to notice your periods become less predictable both in timing and flow. It is also during this time that a woman begins to periodically experience the side effects of these hormonal swings and decline. Symptoms such as anxiety and shortness of breath will escalate.

Function

• Progesterone and estrogen are responsible for fertility, but also other functions in the body. In a normal menstrual cycle, the progesterone released after a woman has ovulated calms the body. During menopause and perimenopause women don't ovulate as often, so their progesterone levels remain low. The body responds by continuing to release the same amount of stress hormones (such as cortisol) triggering high anxiety and panic attacks as well as their co-symptoms palpitations and shortness of breath.

Considerations

• There is not much you can do to stabilize hormones, but there are lifestyle issues that can add to the release of stress hormones. Not getting enough sleep, either because of hot flashes or a busy life; a diet high in fat and sugar; and having too much caffeine also contribute to anxiety. Shortness of breath and heart palpitations are both common symptoms of anxiety, so if you can help your anxiety, you can breathe more easily.

Prevention/Solution

• There are several ways to tame your mood swings, shortness of breath and anxiety. The most obvious is medication. Hormone-replacement therapy will balance your hormones and lessen the symptoms of menopause, and anti-anxiety medicine will calm you down. All those medications have side effects, and there are other strategies you can employ to help yourself. When you feel yourself getting anxious, tell yourself to relax your shoulders and take a deep breath, hold it for a count of six seconds, and release. Do this three or four times, and you should feel your body start to relax and your breathing become more steady.
  You can also try to remove as much stress from your life as possible, try to get seven or eight hours a sleep per night, quit smoking, and switch to decaffeinated beverages.

Diet Tip

• Consider adding yams to your diet. Some women swear that eating yams help their menopausal symptoms, although some studies have shown that yam-extract creams for topical use don't work as well.

Warning

• Anxiety and shortness of breath are symptoms of other, more dangerous conditions. Do not hesitate to contact your health-care provider to rule out endocrine issues and heart disease.