Do you know one of the top questions I get asked by women over 40? (Maybe you’ve asked it as well.)
It is “Why am I so tired, have trouble sleeping, can’t seem to lose weight, and don’t seem to think well anymore?”
Is that you? If so, you’re not alone.
Many women over 40 feel tired, have sleep issues, fuzzy thinking, and have trouble keeping off weight. But why?
Several factors may be contributing to your symptoms, but here are the top three:
- Hormones
- Nutritional Deficiencies
- Lifestyle Factors
Hormones
If you’re over 40, you could be dealing with perimenopause. If you’re in your late 40s or 50s, it could be menopause. During both of these stages, your hormones are irregular which can cause many of these symptoms. In perimenopause you’re in the beginning stages of hormone fluctuations, sometimes having a menstrual cycle and sometimes not. Once you have not had a period for 12 months, most doctors consider you in menopause. Low levels of estrogen can be a primary cause during both perimenopause and menopause in your mood changes, night sweats, hot flashes, fatigue, poor sleep, and weight gain (especially in your belly).
In addition, your thyroid may not be functioning optimally. If you have hypothyroidism (or low functioning thyroid), your thyroid doesn’t create and send enough thyroid hormone into your bloodstream so your metabolism slows down. Remember in this case, low equals slow. So your body functions slow down which can cause you to feel tired, gain weight, have slow or poor digestion (and feel bloated), feel cold all the time, and have mental slowness and trouble concentrating, and feel moody and irritable. One of the first things you can do is ask your doctor to run a complete thyroid panel lab test. Sometimes people with hypothyroidism need medication. But there are other things you can do (see below).
Nutritional Deficiencies
There are numerous reasons why you may be having nutritional deficiencies, and poor functioning hormones (as noted above) is one due to malabsorption. You could be eating a poor diet with processed and sugary foods. If you eat most of your foods from packages and boxes or going to drive through most nights, you are probably not getting enough nutrients for your body and mind to function. Or you could be eating a healthy diet; however, your body is not digesting or absorbing the nutrients due to dysbiosis, infections, viruses, or parasites. You could have an overgrowth of bad bacteria which prevents the good bacteria from breaking down your food and sending it into your bloodstream to every cell in your body. And so if you have nutritional deficiencies, you might experience symptoms like bloating, gas, extra weight, diarrhea, constipation, reflux or heartburn, fatigue, or food sensitivities.
And if you aren’t getting the right nutrients (proteins, healthy fats and carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants), then it could be due to other chronic medical conditions. So I always recommend you check with your doctor to rule out anything more serious.
Lifestyle Factors
The good news is no matter what is causing your symptoms, you do have control over many lifestyle factors including the following.
- Eating a healthy, anti-inflammatory diet
- Getting enough sleep
- Stress and emotion management
- Being physically active
- Maintaining a healthy body weight
- Not smoking
- Limiting or eliminating alcohol
- Having a spiritual life
- Finding your purpose and joy in life
So What Can You Do Today?
- Get a checkup and labs by your medical practitioner.
- Look at what you’ve been eating and make one small change to your diet each day.
- Pick one of the other lifestyle factors and make one small change this week.
- Reach out for help from a professional like myself who can help you with figuring out what may be causing your symptoms, setting goals, daily behavioral change, and helping you remain accountable.
I hope this is helpful to you. Remember life and your health is not a sprint but a marathon. You didn’t get here where you are in one day or even one month. So changing is going to take a little time as well. But don’t give up. You can do this!
Leah Cheshire is a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach and a speech-language pathologist. She has experienced fatigue, joint pain, brain fog, weight issues, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, and IBS as well as anxiety and depression. She has also worked with clients who have had similar symptoms. Using nutrition and lifestyle modifications, she and her clients have been able to decrease symptoms and increase their energy and joy. And you can as well. Contact her here to talk about how she can help you.
