Can coffee be causing my menopause symptoms to be worse?
The answer is yes, possibly.
Ok, so hold on a minute I am not saying never to drink coffee…..
I know how that gets people all riled up. Please don’t take away my coffee. I need it to survive, and everyone seems to have a very personal relationship with it. So let me clarify that I am not going to take away your coffee. I am going to tell you a few things you can do to make the coffee process in the body more manageable and not mess with your hormones which could be making your menstrual and menopause symptoms worse.
Drinking coffee first thing in the morning before you have had anything to eat is one of the hardest things on your digestive system, blood sugar and hormone levels. If this is your routine and you have problems with low energy during the day or have lots of bloating, heartburn, mood swings, hot flashes or anxiety, this information is for you.
When you first wake up, your body is dehydrated from 8 hours without drinking any water. Starting with a cup of coffee drains you even more and brings you more cravings for coffee throughout the day. It also spikes your blood sugar levels which is why you have that big crash in the afternoon and feel exhausted around 2 pm after you eat your lunch.
Here are some tips I suggest before you take your first cup of coffee first thing in the morning to help your menopause symptoms.
- Drink a big glass of room temperature water first thing in the morning, two if you would like
- Have something to eat; drinking coffee on an empty stomach affects your blood sugar and hormone levels. It can set you up for a day of mood swings and energy crashes if you don’t eat something first and also can cause heartburn.
- Make sure you have a snack on hand after you have finished your coffee to get ahead of the blood sugar crash.
- Drink a cup of water after you finish your coffee; it is a diuretic and dehydrating. Dehydration can make your hot flashes worse so staying hydrated is very important.
- If you straight up don’t like drinking water, then adding foods with water in it can be a great way to hydrate and cool the body down if you are having hot flashes, night sweats or heartburn. Some great foods are watermelon, cucumber, celery, mint and radishes.
- If you are a woman that tends to get moody or has anxiety just before you menstruate ( that is, if you are still having a regular cycle), adding caffeine to the mix stimulates the sympathetic nervous system and causes the release of adrenaline. So long story short if you add caffeine at a time when you already have anxiety, it is just fueling the fire. So try cutting back on coffee a few days before you menstruate and see how you feel.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, coffee is a warming, stimulating diuretic. It has a bitter/sweet flavour and is a purgative. It has been considered a mental stimulant and is high in acidity.
If you are having these menopause symptoms hot flashes, insomnia, heartburn, night sweats or anxiety, you might want to consider changing your coffee habits. It can make all the difference in how you start and end your day.
