Welcome to Dishing Up Nutrition, brought to you by nutritional weight and wellness.

Today's topic is the connection between anxiety and menopause.

More specifically, perimenopause. And if you're in the 35 plus crowd,

this may feel very relevant. What many women are beginning to learn is that menopause symptoms

can begin long before you officially reach menopause. Menopause itself is defined as one single day,

the day you've gone a full 12 months, 365 days without a menstrual period. Once you hit that day,

you are considered postmenopausal. Everything before that day falls under perimenopause, and it often lasts much longer

than people realize, on average, 5 to 10 years, and sometimes even longer. Hormonal changes during

this transition can start gradually and quietly, yet have powerful effects on mood, anxiety,

sleep, and overall well-being. So if you're a woman entering your late 30s or 40s and noticing new or worsening anxiety, you're not imagining it,

and you're certainly not alone. That's not to exclude our postmenopausal ladies. They certainly

can still feel that sudden or not so sudden onset of anxiety.

For many women, though, it starts with no clear reason and it can be confusing.

Where is this coming from and why is this happening to me? Or maybe your heart starts racing, your mind feels on edge, and you can't tell if it's stress,

hormones, or something else entirely.

Perhaps you're feeling more overwhelmed, more irritable, or less like yourself than you used to.

Maybe sleep isn't what it used to be.

And now everything just feels a little harder to handle.

And if you've ever wondered, is this just anxiety? Or is it menopause?

Because if you've been asking those questions, you are definitely not alone. Today, we're unpacking a bit of what's happening in your body during perimenopause and why anxiety can show up in ways that

feel confusing, intense, and sometimes

even scary. We'll walk through what's causing it, how to recognize it, and most importantly,

...