I wouldn't have known I was perimenopausal if I hadn't quit drinking

I spoke to Hello magazine about my journey with perimenopause and how quitting alcohol changed everything for me. As a sobriety coach, I’ve seen firsthand how alcohol can mask these symptoms.

Perimenopause brings hormonal shifts that reduce our alcohol tolerance, making hangovers worse 🍷 and causing us to feel drunk quicker 🍾. Our liver becomes less efficient at metabolizing alcohol, exacerbating these effects.

The symptoms of a wine-fueled night are strikingly similar to perimenopause: hot flashes, night sweats, disrupted sleep 🛏, mood swings 😡, and fatigue 💤. "Alcohol can trigger or intensify hot flashes and night sweats," I explained. It affects the body's ability to regulate temperature, leading to more frequent occurrences of these uncomfortable symptoms.

Initially, alcohol might make you feel sleepy, but it disrupts your sleep cycle, especially REM sleep. This lack of restful sleep worsens perimenopausal symptoms like mood swings and fatigue.

Anxiety and mood swings are common during perimenopause, but alcohol amplifies these effects. Alcohol affects the balance of neurotransmitters in our brain, making emotional fluctuations more pronounced. We might not attribute these mood swings to perimenopause if they occur after a few glasses of wine 🍷.

Alcohol also interferes with our liver's ability to metabolize hormones properly, leading to imbalances that worsen perimenopausal symptoms. This can result in irregular periods and more severe hormonal fluctuations.

By quitting alcohol, I uncovered the true nature of my symptoms and managed them more effectively. If you’re experiencing similar issues, consider how alcohol might be affecting you.

One of the biggest gifts of living life AF is the ability to listen and understand our body's needs.

Can you relate?