Winter and Menopause Symptoms: What You Need to Know

Menopause is already a challenging phase, and for millions of women navigating horrible perimenopause symptoms, the arrival of winter can add a whole new layer of discomfort. Unfortunately, colder temperatures and drier air can exacerbate several menopause symptoms, making this season particularly tough. Let’s dive into the physical, mental, and emotional symptoms of menopause which can be exacerbated by the winter woes.

Physical Menopause Symptoms that worsen in Winter

Menopause Joint Pain

Dehydration: Winter’s cold dry air, exacerbated by indoor central heating, reduces the synovial fluid in our joints, thereby increasing stiffness and discomfort which are common in menopause joint pain. We also drink less water and enjoy more alcohol during the festive season which further impacts the health of our joints,

Reduced Physical Activity: Cold and darker days lead to less movement. This serves to weaken the muscles that support our joints; reducing circulation and compounding stiffness. 

Vitamin D Deficiency: Limited sunlight decreases vitamin D levels which is essential for bone health and inflammation control. This further aggravates menopause joint pain. 

Stress: typically, the holiday season brings more stress and with more stress comes more acidic chemicals which affect the health of our joints. Also, unknowingly when we're stressed, our muscles become tense; causing aches and pains and sore joints.

Menopause Hot Flushes 

Temperature Triggers: Sudden shifts from cold to warm environments and wearing heavy winter layers can intensify hot flushes by trapping heat. There's literally nowhere for the heat to escape!

Stress and Cortisol: Winter stress raises our cortisol levels, disrupting the hypothalamus - the body’s temperature regulator - and this worsens hot flushes in menopause. 

Dietary Triggers: We're more tempted by comfort foods, spicy dishes, and warm caffeinated drinks like tea or coffee, and these can all act as triggers for hot flashes. 

Reduced Sunlight: Reduced exposure to sunlight makes the body more prone to menopause hot flushes due to lower vitamin D levels. 

Menopause Fatigue

Reduced Serotonin: Less sunlight decreases serotonin production, leading to lower mood, and energy levels, worsening perimenopause fatigue. 

Sleep Disruptions: Longer nights and shorter days disrupt the body’s internal clock, while elevated cortisol are also responsible for sleep problems in menopause. 

Reduced Activity: Colder weather also means we're less motivated to move our body and exercise, which is vital for energy and hormonal balance. 

Vitamin D Deficiency: Low vitamin D levels are linked to menopause fatigue and can even result in menopause exhaustion.

Holiday Stress and Diet: At this time of year, menopause nutrition matters. The motional demands of the season and reliance on sugary, carb-heavy comfort foods can cause blood sugar spikes and energy crashes which further exacerbate fatigue. 

Mental Menopause Symptoms that worsen in Winter 

Menopause Anxiety

Reduced Sunlight: this lowers our serotonin levels, a hormone that's critical for mood regulation which can then lead to heightened menopause anxiety, irritability, and even depression. 

Menopause Stress and irritability

Stress and Cortisol: The winter holiday season often brings added responsibilities, financial strain, and disrupted routines, which further taxes our emotional wellbeing and causes cortisol levels to rise and our nervous system to go into overdrive. When this happens, all hope of a positive mindset is lost.

Menopause Low mood

Dietary Triggers: It’s natural to gravitate toward carb-heavy comfort foods in winter, but following blood sugar spikes and crashes, menopause mood swings are exacerbated and can result in a persistent low mood.

Emotional Menopause Symptoms that worsen in Winter 

Low self-esteem

Shorter days / longer nights: Shorter days and longer nights can trigger or worsen Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD); leading to feelings of sadness, fatigue, and menopause low mood  - all symptoms that overlap with menopause. Shorter days and colder weather also discourages social outings, leaving some women feeling isolated. This lack of connection can amplify feelings of sadness or loneliness.

Knowledge is power

So there you have in: winter really does worsen menopause symptoms for a variety of reasons. However, whilst it can feel like a challenging season for many, with knowledge comes power, and the winter months present an opportunity to fully embrace self-care.

By understanding exactly how winter impacts your symptoms and taking steps to reduce its effects, you will be better able to navigate the season’s challenges with ease, and it may even lead to some new self-care habits.

To learn how yoga can help reduce the effects of winter by balancing physical, mental, and emotional menopause symptoms, watch this video: 

About Julie Ann Garrido:

After menopause symptoms disrupted her life, Julie Ann Garrido turned to yoga and found a natural solution that restored her energy, confidence, and wellbeing - a solution that she'd been searching for over many years.

Determined to help other women, she created My Menopause Yoga Journey, an online yoga for menopause membership that brings affordable, beginner-friendly yoga for menopause directly to their home.

Julie's mission is clear: to help women navigate menopause with yoga and other natural solutions and every October, she launches her annual FREE 31-day yoga challenge for Menopause Awareness Month.