Latest / Joyful Menopause / Episode 23: How the Gut-Brain Axis Impacts Menopause Sleep Problems, Anxiety, and Hot Flashes

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Episode 23: How the Gut-Brain Axis Impacts Menopause Sleep Problems, Anxiety, and Hot Flashes · Joyful Menopause

• 0:00
  Welcome back to the Joyful Menopause Podcast.
• 0:03
  I want to start today by asking you a question.
• 0:06
  Have you ever noticed that on days when your digestion feels off, maybe bloating, constipation, just kind of stomach upset, your mood, maybe takes a dive to, or maybe you've had nights where you're exhausted, but hot flashes at night racing thoughts or stomach discomfort keeps you awake.
• 0:25
  If you've ever wondered why menopause sleep problems, brain fog symptoms or stubborn weight gain seem to show up no matter what you try.
• 0:33
  Today's episode might just give you the missing piece.
• 0:36
  We're talking about the gut brain axis.
• 0:39
  The powerful two-way communication system between your digestion and your brain.
• 0:45
  And if you're a woman in perimenopause, menopause, or even post menopause, this connection matters more than ever.
• 0:52
  Stay with me because in this episode, you'll discover how estrogen affects weight loss and why the gut plays a surprising role, why brain fog and perimenopause isn't just in your head, how your gut health impacts menopause, insomnia, anxiety, and even hot flashes.
• 1:07
  And simple, doable strategies to support your gut brain axis starting today.
• 1:13
  So let's get started.
• 1:14
  Menopause doesn't have to feel like you are living in someone else's body.
• 1:17
  Your host, Lynda Enright, has spent the last 25 years helping women to thrive in midlife.
• 1:22
  Here you'll find science-based practical advice that you can start using today to get real results for your health.
• 1:28
  Welcome to Joyful Medicine.
• 1:32
  So first, what is the gut brain axis?
• 1:35
  It is a communication network between your digestive system and your central nervous system.
• 1:41
  Think of it as this two-way street or messages are constantly going back and forth.
• 1:45
  So here's what's really interesting about it Your gut has its own nervous system.
• 1:50
  It's called the enteric nervous system.
• 1:52
  It's even called often in the second brain.
• 1:55
  And these signals don't just control your digestion, they influence your immune system, your stress response, and even your mood.
• 2:03
  And here's the kicker for women in midlife.
• 2:06
  As estrogen levels change, this two-way street can get a little bit bumpy.
• 2:11
  Estrogen is protective.
• 2:13
  It keeps inflammation down and helps maintain the diversity of your gut microbiome.
• 2:18
  So when estrogen declines, your gut bacteria can start a shift around in ways that may make you more prone to digestive discomfort, inflammation, and again, mood swings.
• 2:28
  So if you've been wondering why brain fog in perimenopause shows up, just as your digestion seems to be more sensitive, this gut brain connection can really be helpful to explain it.
• 2:39
  Let's dig a little bit into some of the most common menopause complaints and how they connect back to the gut.
• 2:46
  So first of all, mood and anxiety.
• 2:49
  When your gut bacteria are in balance, they produce neurotransmitters, serotonin, dopamine, and GABA, chemicals that regulate mood.
• 2:57
  They help to calm your nervous system, and they help you to handle stress.
• 3:01
  But when the gut is out of balance, production of these mood boosting chemicals declines.
• 3:07
  So that's when we start seeing anxiety and just overall challenges with mood start to become more intense.
• 3:13
  Number two, sleep and insomnia.
• 3:16
  About 90% of serotonin is made in your gut.
• 3:19
  And serotonin is the building block for melatonin, your sleep hormone.
• 3:25
  So if your gut health is compromised, then melatonin production might be too.
• 3:29
  That means more sleep problems, menopause, perimenopause, or even post menopause.
• 3:35
  Weight and digestion.
• 3:36
  Number three, gut bacteria helps to regulate metabolism, blood sugar, and even how your body processes estrogen.
• 3:45
  Again, estrogen's declining and changes in the microbiome can make weight loss harder during this time of life.
• 3:53
  So this is one big reason why this eat less exercise more idea does not work the way it used to.
• 4:00
  And lastly, hot flashes and stress.
• 4:02
  Chronic stress impacts both the gut and your hormones.
• 4:06
  A gut that is stressed can drive more inflammation, and inflammation has been linked to more intense night sweats in perimenopause and hot flashes at night.
• 4:16
  So your symptoms might feel like they're random, but there actually is this web of communication that's tying it all together.
• 4:24
  So now I want to talk about one of the biggest levers you can pull, one of the biggest factors that's playing a role, nutrition.
• 4:32
  So let's jump into that.
• 4:34
  So the good news is what you eat every day can powerfully support this gut brain connection.
• 4:40
  So let's talk about the nutrients that are particularly important.
• 4:44
  Fiber.
• 4:45
  Fiber, hugely underrated nutrient in menopause.
• 4:48
  Fiber feeds the good bacteria in your gut.
• 4:51
  It helps your body to detox excess estrogen.
• 4:55
  So when your estrogen is broken down, we want it to get excreted from your body.
• 4:59
  Fiber helps that to happen, so that helps support weight balance.
• 5:03
  It helps to reduce bloating.
• 5:05
  So we're talking about things like whole grains, lots of vegetables, leafy greens, legumes, things like that.
• 5:12
  Omega threes.
• 5:14
  Omega-3 fats.
• 5:14
  These fatty acids reduce inflammation which can calm hot flashes and joint pain.
• 5:20
  You find omega threes in salmon in tuna, flax seeds, chia seeds, walnuts.
• 5:26
  All really good sources of Omega-3 fats.
• 5:29
  Probiotics.
• 5:31
  Fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, these add good bugs, add healthy bacteria to your gut, so these can really ease your digestive discomfort and even improve mood.
• 5:44
  And then lastly, polyphenols.
• 5:46
  So polyphenols are found in things like berries, tea, uh, dark chocolate, dark, dark chocolate, 70% or more cocoa.
• 5:56
  These feed healthy gut bacteria and they can help with brain fog, perimenopause symptoms by protecting your brain from oxidative stress.
• 6:05
  So imagine this, instead of skipping breakfast or grabbing a muffin, you start your day with chia pudding, topped with berries.
• 6:13
  Not only are you fueling your gut microbes, you're also setting yourself up for more stable energy, fewer cravings, and better focus.
• 6:22
  And that brings me to a story about one of my clients who made some of these shifts and saw some really big results.
• 6:29
  So Tina, she came to me.
• 6:31
  She was in her fifties, early fifties.
• 6:33
  She was feeling defeated.
• 6:34
  Frustrated for sure.
• 6:36
  She told me I'm exhausted.
• 6:38
  I wake up every night at 2:00 AM soaking wet.
• 6:41
  I can't lose weight.
• 6:43
  I've done everything.
• 6:44
  Brain fog is driving me crazy.
• 6:46
  I'm, I'm just like not pulling up information at work like I would like to.
• 6:51
  or like I used to not that long ago.
• 6:53
  So we looked at her diet.
• 6:55
  And what we found, she was eating a lot of processed foods, uh, diet sodas, things that were quick and easy'cause she was super busy.
• 7:03
  So convenience things, kind of a fair amount of these ultra processed foods, which I've talked about in other podcasts.
• 7:10
  So with that comes very little fiber.
• 7:13
  So together I helped her to shift her nutrition, adding more gut friendly foods, uh, things like overnight oats, um, with some protein, and it was helpful for her.
• 7:23
  Things with flax seeds and berries, fermented foods.
• 7:26
  We were adding fermented vegetables with her dinner and really cutting back on the processed foods, processed sugar in particular.
• 7:34
  Within just a little bit of time, Tina started sleeping better.
• 7:38
  She said she slept through the night for the first time in years.
• 7:42
  It sounds like an infant.
• 7:43
  We're so excited when they sleep through the night and we're just as excited in these years of menopause.
• 7:48
  Her energy started to feel better.
• 7:50
  Her brain fog improved, and then she started to lose some weight too.
• 7:54
  Finally, she felt like she had some momentum, for the first time during these years of perimenopause and menopause.
• 8:00
  So her story is just an explanation of, again, this gut brain axis by improving the health of her gut and getting some good fiber and some good bacteria in there.
• 8:09
  She started to feel better and she started to navigate menopause symptoms better.
• 8:14
  So let's get practical and talk about some other steps here.
• 8:17
  So here are some small things.
• 8:20
  But really impactful that you can start doing right away.
• 8:24
  So the first thing you can do is add more fiber.
• 8:27
  Think about just one extra thing.
• 8:29
  If you could add one more serving of vegetables to your lunch or dinner than you did yesterday, or then that's normal for you, you're going to get some good fiber to help build a healthy gut.
• 8:39
  Including some probiotics.
• 8:41
  You could swap out a sugary snack maybe for something like yogurt or kefir.
• 8:46
  Again, kimchi sauerkraut.
• 8:48
  You could put in, um, something else that you're having with your meals.
• 8:52
  Good quality of all these things.
• 8:53
  So we don't want a lot of added sugars.
• 8:55
  I like a plain Greek yogurt no artificial sweeteners, very little sugar if it has any at all.
• 9:02
  Any and all added sugars.
• 9:04
  The key is we don't want added sugars then number three, cut back on just sugar processed foods.
• 9:10
  They feed the bad bugs, they feed the bad bacteria, they make cravings worse, anxiety worse, hot flashes worse.
• 9:17
  So getting rid of those.
• 9:20
  Maybe a little at a time, but just starting to make a shift to cut back on these foods in your diet.
• 9:26
  Number four, staying hydrated, getting a lot of water throughout the day to keep that digestion moving.
• 9:31
  We want our bowels to move regularly throughout the day.
• 9:34
  Water is needed for that.
• 9:36
  Number five, move your body every day.
• 9:38
  Even a brisk 20 minute walk can really help your microbiome help just get everything moving around the way that it's supposed to.
• 9:46
  Helps reduce constipation, gives you energy, also helps hot flashes, also.
• 9:51
  So many reasons to move your body, manage stress, yoga, meditation, even thinking about every time you sit down to a meal, if you can just take some deep breaths.
• 10:01
  Three to five deep breaths before you begin eating.
• 10:06
  That can really help to calm your gut, calm your hormones, so it really can make a big difference.
• 10:13
  The key here is consistency.
• 10:14
  We are not aiming for perfection that is not achievable.
• 10:17
  We just want consistently to start making some shifts that's going to help fuel your gut.
• 10:23
  So the most surprising changes sometimes, like fewer hot flashes or clearer thinking come not just from hormone therapy.
• 10:31
  I mean, there's a time and place for that.
• 10:34
  But really it can also come from giving your gut the care that it needs.
• 10:38
  So today's big takeaway, your gut and your brain are always talking to each other.
• 10:44
  In menopause, when estrogen is shifting, your gut health could be the missing link to easing anxiety, calming brain fog, improving sleep, and making weight loss possible again.
• 10:55
  So.
• 10:56
  What is one gut friendly shift that you can commit to this week?
• 11:00
  Maybe it's a fiber rich breakfast, adding probiotics, or just taking a walk after dinner.
• 11:06
  If this episode resonated with you, I'd love for you to share with a friend who's also navigating menopause, and don't forget to subscribe to my menopause podcast so you never miss an episode.
• 11:16
  Together we can make menopause a time that can be joyful, a time of strength, clarity, and joy.
• 11:24
  So thanks for listening.
• 11:25
  Have a great day.