Feeling Tired All the Time?
We’re continuing our perimenopause experience (symptom) journey. The past couple of weeks, I talked about hot flashes and grief.
Today we’re talking about fatigue, or feeling like you don’t have adequate energy to get through the day. I’m feeling that way myself today, likely compounded by the intense heat.
From an Ayurveda standpoint, in perimenopause we’re moving from pitta time of life to vata time of life.
Vata accumulation can happen because of any big transition or changes- air + ether= feeling ungrounded, overwhelmed, and general depletion.
This may originate from:
Not getting enough sleep or good quality sleep (see hot flashes and overwhelm)
Not getting enough exercise OR, OVERexercise (this is really important to pay attention to in middle age– we often need less, not MORE doing)
Vitamin B12 deficiency- ask your doc to check you, very common in middle age
Vitamin D deficiency- see above
Inadequate nourishment from the types of foods you’re eating (ideally this would be cooked, whole foods)
These things are all connected back to the changing and erratic hormone levels of the perimenopause time. You may have been able to handle some of the above in your younger years without feeling so tired.
Some tips for helping with fatigue/low energy levels:
#1- Pause and rest (I know, right?? Crazy)
Practice yoga nidra
The yogis say that every hour of yoga nidra is akin to getting four hours of sleep
Check out https://www.yoganidranetwork.org/
I lay down and do 20 minutes a day when I feel exhausted and it is a GAME changer
Give up caffeine (seriously- it’s depleting you further)
Legs up the wall for ten minutes
This is a restorative, cooling inversion that returns energy to the body
Practice 5-10 minutes of alternate nostril breathing- video here
Take breaks (islands of serenity) when moving from one task to the next - this could be a break to do one of the above, if even for five minutes
Add ghee to your meals and/or cook with ghee
As always, if you need help instituting these changes in your life, I’m here to help. Start by booking a complimentary 20 minute clarity call with me.