“The menopause arrives, seeking out our vulnerabilities like a guided missile, just as we need all our strength to cope with daily life.” Susie Orbac
It’s estimated that 13 million women in the UK today are living with the menopause, and every one of those women will experience the symptoms, of what is a natural process, uniquely.
Some of the symptoms will be psychological – things such as memory fog, fatigue, anxiety, low mood, difficulty sleeping or a loss of confidence. Others will be physical – headaches, changes in hair, itchy eyes, mouth soreness, a lack of energy or digestive issues. It can be an overwhelming time and especially hard to vocalise how we feel.
But thanks to the campaigning efforts of middle-aged women, on social media, on podcasts and in newspapers, the menopause is being talked about a great deal more than it used to be, which means knowledge and understanding is growing, and we can access support faster.
There are certain obvious steps we can put in place to help alleviate the symptoms. Eating well and looking after our gut health is key at this time. So is daily exercise, yoga and rest.
Alongside, using good quality CBD has also proved beneficial for some during menopause, helping to reduce inflammatory symptoms and alleviate feelings of stress and anxiety, which in turn helps us to sleep more soundly.
CBD is made from hemp, a variety of the cannabis plant which is low in the ‘high’ inducing THC.
In the right dose and form, CBD may help manage menopause symptoms and a huge range of other health issues. That’s because CBD (short for cannabidiol) works on the endocannabinoid system, the body and brain’s main balancing system.
Researchers believe that this system plays an essential role in many bodily functions and other aspects of health, including:
• Mood regulation
• Immune functions
• Pain and inflammation
• Sleep disruptions / insomnia
• Temperature regulation / hot flash or flush
Oestrogen is important to the endocannabinoid system because it regulates fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), which breaks down certain endocannabinoids. So, if there are lower (or fluctuating) levels of oestrogen in your body, this can affect your endocannabinoid system, which in turn may partly explain some of the effects of perimenopause/menopause such as anxiety, mood swings and difficulty sleeping.
While studies on CBD and menopause are still limited, there is some evidence that high-quality CBD products may help combat associated menopause symptoms and if that’s the case, it’s got to be worth trying!
Learn more about the endocannibinoid system here.
