Healthy routine during menopause

The core work and rest logic of healthy health during menopause has never been based on the standard template of "go to bed at 10 a.m. and wake up at 6 a.m." that is widely circulated on the Internet. Instead, it should be flexibly adjusted according to the rhythm of one's own estrogen fluctuations, giving priority to stabilizing sleep rhythm, reducing emotional stress, and then targetedly making up for the gap of metabolic decline. This is the most practical summary of my 6 years of working in women's health management, and helping 37 menopausal women aged 45 to 58 years old to adjust their schedules for more than a year.

Don’t believe it, last week a 49-year-old Sister Zhang came to her and said that she forced herself to go to bed at 10 o’clock to maintain her health. As a result, she lay awake until 12 o’clock with her eyes wide open. The more she lay, the more anxious she became. She had three hot flashes in one night and half of her pillow was wet. I asked her not to force herself to fall asleep at a certain time, and to lie down whenever she feels sleepy. Even if she waits until 11:30, as long as she can fall asleep within 20 minutes after lying down, she must wake up at 7 o'clock the next day. Even if she went to bed late the day before, she should not stay in bed. After only half a month, she sent me a message saying that the number of hot flashes had been reduced by half and she was no longer groggy in the morning.

When it comes to this, someone will definitely mention that doesn’t Chinese medicine say that you should take a nap before 11 o’clock to nourish the liver and kidneys? There is actually nothing wrong with this, but it depends on the group of people it is suitable for. The amount of melatonin secreted by menopausal women is less than 1/3 of what it was when they were young. Many people are not sleepy at 10 o'clock. Lying hard will increase cortisol, and the more you lie down, the more energetic you will be, which will disrupt your sleep rhythm. To put it bluntly, both views are correct. If you go to bed at 10 o'clock, you will be too sleepy to open your eyes. Of course, it is better to go to bed before 11 o'clock. ； If you are not sleepy in the first place, there is really no need to stay in bed and count sheep, which will only burden yourself.

Besides, don’t take those five minutes seriously after you wake up. I have seen several aunts whose first reaction after waking up is to touch their mobile phones and check Moments. Either they see someone else’s grandson going to a good university compared to their own child, and they feel panicked, or they get a headache immediately after seeing the news left by the work group, and adrenaline rushes to them. They feel panicked and sweaty all morning. They thought it was because the symptoms of menopause have worsened, but in fact it was just the excitement in the first few minutes after getting up. When you wake up, lie down for 3 minutes, rub your face and ears, and then slowly sit up. This is more effective than any health tea.

Some people also say that you must exercise for half an hour on an empty stomach in the morning to be healthy. I generally advise everyone not to follow suit. If you have high blood pressure in the morning, or feel dizzy and weak as soon as you wake up, there is really no need to force yourself to go out for a run. You can rest for half an hour after breakfast, or go for a slow walk downstairs for 20 minutes. The core of exercise is to help improve your metabolism, and it is not necessary to do a certain amount of exercise to meet the standard.

As for the nap problem that everyone is struggling with, there is no unified answer. If you are so sleepy that you can't keep your eyes open as soon as 1 p.m. and you yawn to the point of tears, just find a comfortable place to squint for 15 to 20 minutes, not more than half an hour, otherwise you will be woken up in deep sleep and feel groggy all afternoon, which will also affect your ability to fall asleep at night. But if you have trouble falling asleep at night and can't fall asleep even after lying down for an hour, don't lie down at noon. Just put on a thin coat and go downstairs to bask in the sun for 10 minutes. It can not only supplement vitamin D, but also help regulate melatonin secretion, which is much more effective than taking a nap. There used to be a 52-year-old Sister Li. She used to sleep for an hour at noon every day, but she was still awake until 1 o'clock at night. Later, she changed to going to the community garden at noon to walk around the building twice and watch other people perform square dance. She was very sleepy at 11 o'clock in the evening, and her sleep quality improved to a new level.

At night, don't pile up "must-do health routines" for yourself. You must soak your feet, drink warm milk, and listen to white noise. These are all auxiliary things. The core is just one: don't do anything that can make you emotional one hour before going to bed. I met an aunt before. She was arguing with her husband about the down payment for her son's house purchase before going to bed. The two of them had a fight. As a result, she didn't sleep all night. She had hot flashes, night sweats and panic for three days in a row. It took her half a month to recover. Of course, if you are used to drinking a cup of warm milk before going to bed, it will be fine. If you are lactose intolerant and get diarrhea after drinking it, don’t force it. You can switch to warm boiled water or a small amount of light jujube kernel water. Do whatever makes you feel comfortable. Don’t make health care a task.

After all, the most taboo thing about menopausal work and rest is "competing with yourself". In the past, everyone always thought that what standard answer must be met to be healthy, but in fact, how can there be so many standards? You will feel refreshed every day when you wake up, you will not be inexplicably irritable and sweaty, and the frequency of palpitations will become less and less. This is more useful than being stuck at any time. After all, what you need to maintain your health is your own body, not a template for others to see, right?