Menopause can drive Women Mad - But it Doesn't Have to!!
If you made a list of everything that drains your energy and/or stresses you out in a day or a week, what would be on your list?
The factors you may be facing at work, at home, and in the work/life balance can all be overwhelming. But did you add peri or menopause symptoms to your list?
It took me a long time to understand that overdoing exercise on top of running a busy household, business, and studying, were all ‘crushing my adrenals’. And this can have dire consequences as women head toward menopause. Once in menopause the ovaries no longer produce estrogen and the adrenal glands become the major source of the sex hormones circulating through the body.
Your adrenals also secrete hormones that have a protective function against inflammation – an important consideration for women as they age. When the adrenals are working hard with so much going on in your life and the fact that you may not be sleeping, What ensues are a host of symptoms that I’m sure some of you may recognise:
Poor sleep and difficulty getting up in the morning.
Hot flushes
Anxiety/ Racing heart rate
Feelings of over-whelm and powerlessness
Foggy brain/ Forgetfulness
Fatigue that stays with you – especially in your muscles and/or joints
Reliance on caffeine, alcohol, tobacco or sugar and salt
Frequent colds and flu
Hair loss (including eyebrows!)
Decreased libido
Decreased ability to handle stress
L-Theanine is a unique, non-protein, amino acid and is a prominent compound found in green tea. It can be an excellent friend for overburdened adrenals.
L-Theanine crosses the blood-brain barrier and increases the secretion and function of neurotransmitters, especially serotonin, dopamine, and gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) encouraging relaxation.
If your adrenals are suffering, the body thinks that it’s in a constant panic, or fight-or-flight mode, and can have difficulty shutting off agitation or nervousness pathways.
GABA tells the brain (which passes it along to the rest of your body) that everything is going to be okay and that you can relax. It doesn’t typically make people sleepy, and it promotes a sense of well-being and calm.
I’ve had great results in clients with the powdered dose given directly onto the tongue and gets into your bloodstream very quickly.
There are four basic brain wave patterns (alpha, beta, delta, and theta), each of which is associated with different mental states and states of consciousness. Alpha-brain waves typically indicate a relaxed but alert state. L-Theanine induces detectable alpha-brain wave activity after 30 to 40 minutes, providing a relaxed, yet alert, state of mind without causing drowsiness or sedation. Your adrenals can then get on with hormone production
If your experiencing hormonal symptoms, anxiety, overwhelm, or sleep issues adding a little lavender to the L-Theanine mix can be the blessing your system needs. Lavender can act like the estrogen molecule in your body and in certain quantities lavender can impact your body's estrogenic pathways. For women experiencing menopause, this can be highly beneficial but as with most things, this will depend on your unique estrogen balance.
If L-theanine or Lavender or both interest you, comment below for individual guidelines on dosing and product recommendations ♡