The dictionary definition of menopause is the absence of a period for about a year. It is a gradual process in which the ovaries stop producing eggs. The age at which menopause occurs varies. Usually, the age at which a woman will undergo menopause is around the age her mother went through it. Menopause is accompanied by certain physical and psychological symptoms.
Of course, these symptoms are highly individual and the extent and severity vary from woman to woman. Some women may exhibit few or no symptoms while others go through a lot more. Also, these symptoms may come and go over an extended period of time, years in some cases.
Hormonal changes are also brought about by menopause and these hormonal changes can cause dehydration in women. It is common knowledge that dehydration is a condition in which the body does have insufficient fluids to perform important functions. If you are dehydrated, the body does not have the ability to carry oxygen and nutrients to different parts of the body. Another way menopause causes dehydration is by reducing estrogen levels in the body and speeding up the aging process. All this fluid comes out of the body in the form of sweat and urine.
Certain physical symptoms that are associated with menopause are as follows:
Forgetful memory:
During menopause, the brain function is affected because of dehydration. Many women complain about moments of forgetfulness during menopause. Thus water can help you sharpen your memory and prevent these episodes of memory lags caused by dehydration.
Hot flashes and night sweats
Another symptom of menopause is a hot flash and profuse night sweating. Hence, it is fairly important to stock up on your water reserve to better handle this. When you feel like you are about to undergo a hot flash, you should have a glass of cool water. This will help regulate your body temperature.
Splashing some water on your face will help lessen the intensity of the hot flash. For night sweats, make sure you drink a glass of water and also keep some water by your bed for a middle of the night sip. If during the night you feel like you are about to start sweating, a cold glass of water will ease the symptom and make it much easier to bear.
Anxiety and Irritability
Water is known to help calm people down. That is why when someone is going through an intense emotion of grief, surprise or excitement, we offer them some water. Anxiety and irritability caused by menopause are subdued when you drink water.
Mood swings
To help counter mood swings caused by dehydration, the best remedy is to stay well hydrated. Water will help you to avoid stress, anxiety and mood swings during menopause.
Bladder and urinary tract infections
The lining of the urethra undergoes issues like dryness, thinning and reduced elasticity. Vagina shows similar symptoms as estrogen levels plummet. These cause irritation, itching, pain in general and also discomfort during sexual intercourse. Risk of vaginal and urinary tract infections is also increased. Drinking enough water will help the body efficiently eliminate toxins through urine from the body.
Dry skin
As estrogen levels fall in the body, the skin starts to wrinkle, sag and dry. You can prevent this by staying hydrated. Water will nourish your skin and keep it moisturized. It will also reduce the risk of any skin infections like rashes etc.
Urinary Incontinence
Leakage of urine is another symptom of menopause. Incontinence makes the body lose water through urine leaving the person dehydrated. This can also be compensated by keeping the body hydrated.
Conclusion
After going through this article, it is pretty self-evident that menopause brings a lot of changes in the life of a woman, some of them not very pleasant. It is a terrible stage to be at. To make the journey through menopause a smooth one, it is important that we take whatever steps we can to make it easy.
Staying hydrated clearly has a lot of advantages and not enough reasons to be ignored. Apart from the symptoms mentioned above, other symptoms like headaches, joint inflammation, and fatigue can also be countered by upping your water intake.
In addition to increasing your water intake, a healthy diet and regular exercise will help you to manage these symptoms effectively.