Nicky Dear Health Coach

Many women struggle with headaches and Migraines during their menopause transition. Often their GP’s do not make the connection between Menopause and the fact that changing hormones in conjunction with ageing can cause vascular stiffness (where the walls of our arteries and veins become less elastic due to decline in Oestrogen levels) this is turn can result in an increase in blood pressure. But medication is not the only solution, in fact you may be able to make changes which mean you will get far fewer or even not get any without taking medication.

We need to take a holistic approach to our health as we age and indeed through our Menopause transition, because our changing hormones effect so many of our bodies’ systems. The Gut microbiome is now considered to be one factor influencing various potential diseases. Oxidative stress and inflammation which I have talked about in previous blogs have a huge impact on many of our systems and changes to our gut health can cause hardening of our our arteries. In turn this can cause an increase in headaches & migraines with the increased blood pressure. Declining Oestrogen also impacts our nervous systems because the Myelin sheath which forms the outer layer of our nerves has to adjust and the exchange of Potassium & Sodium (which helps move the electrical currents along our nerves slows down).

As a result of all these factors headaches and migraines can become more frequent, and whilst relatively little research has been done on the patterns of migraines in peri and post menopause despite the link between falling Oestrogen levels and migraines was made over 40 years ago.

During my studies with Dr Wendy Sweet PhD, she put together some tips to help you if you suffer from headaches and or migraines and I know she won’t mind if I share them here with you.

1. Help your blood pressure remain low.

Dietary Nitrates are something I learnt about during my years in the food industry, but I only understood the importance of their impact on our Cardiovascular health thanks to Dr Wendy Sweet when she explained the impact they have on endothelial function of our blood vessels. Vegetables such as Celery, Beetroot, Spinach, Carrots and Parsley are thought to increase vasodilation (increasing the diameter of our blood vessels allowing more blood to flow and thus reducing blood pressure) they are also believed to reduce platelet clumping (or aggregation) and reduce inflammation.

2. Keep your eyes healthy

Your eyes are full of tiny blood vessels and nerves. If you are getting migraines then you will know the debilitating effect they have on your eyes, but if you are peri-menopausal and you know that your migraines are worse in the days leading up to your period then you can mitigate this by wearing low blue light glasses especially when working on a computer all day.

Also by getting natural light into your eyes first thing in the morning which will help the natural circadian rhythm of your blood vessels (see my blog on sleep) taking care of your eyes through nutrition is also important, so the inclusion of foods high in Vitamins A, E & C are all important for general eye health. So add Carrots, Blueberries, Citrus fruits, Leafy Greens, Almonds, Wild Salmon to your shopping list and Tomatoes which are high in Lutein (an antioxidant which helps keep your eyes healthy). Clarence Court eggs are also high in Lutein as their chicken are fed on Marigold extract which is why they are such a gorgeous colour and taste delicious (Other eggs are available !!)

3. Breathing

Because we know that migraines are more than just headaches and are in fact a disorder of the central nervous system, it is important to improve your breathing in order to slow down both your heart rate and your respiratory rate. Both Yoga and Aerobic exercise can both help with migraine prevention and have been found to improve endothelial function and Nitric oxide availability (which is important for dilation of blood vessels including those in your brain) and reducing over activity of your sympathetic nervous system (flight or flight stress system). Stress is a known trigger for migraine and Yoga is known to reduce the stress response.

A combination of Nutrition and Lifestyle solutions can really help to mitigate the symptoms of Menopause, but it is not always easy to make the necessary changes and make them into sustainable habits on your own, especially when you are not feeling at your best and may have lost a lot of self confidence.

That is why I am passionate about helping women to embed these changes and make sustainable changes to their current & future health.

If you are interested in working with me on my 12 week program give me a shout for a free no obligation chat.

Email : Nicky@nickydearhealthcoach.com

Or call me /text or Whats App me whichever you feel more comfortable with 07407281148