Hot flashes. Night sweats. Sleep problems. Weight gain.
Menopause can seem like a rollercoaster with symptoms that can make life challenging.
Could that glass of wine or cocktail be making menopausal symptoms even worse?
Yes, according to experts.
Dr. Juliana Kling with Mayo Clinic’s Women’s Health Center in Arizona says that alcohol use during menopause can worsen symptoms and increase a woman’s risk for serious health conditions, like heart disease and osteoporosis.
Kling warns that for many women, alcohol and menopause can be a dangerous mix.
- Alcohol, hot flashes and night sweats
One of the biggest complaints by women during menopause are vasomotor symptoms, more commonly known as hot flashes and night sweats. About 80 percent of women have hot flashes, night sweats and 30 percent will have those symptoms severely. “A lot of women will describe it as kind of a flushing throughout their body maybe generated through their chest,” says Kling. “It is associated with sweating and can be extremely disruptive during the day, but also at night when you’re sleeping. Hot flashes are due to a disruption of the body’s thermoregulatory zone. Kling says alcohol can exacerbate symptoms.
“A lot of women have different triggers and for some alcohol may trigger their symptoms. They may naturally avoid alcohol, because they noticed that their hot flashes and night sweats get worse.”
- Sleep, alcohol and menopause
Sleep problems are also commonly associated with menopause. Kling says in some people, alcohol can make it harder to get a good night’s sleep. “While many people think a glass of wine might be nice to make them sleepy, it just disrupts your quality of sleep,” says Kling. “This is something to be mindful of and perhaps cut back on or eliminate your alcohol use before bedtime.”
