Brain Changes With Aging
|
|
|
News
Navigating the Waves of Perimenopause
Embarking on the journey through perimenopause and menopause can be a tumultuous and bewildering experience for women as they navigate the shifting tides of hormonal changes, physical symptoms, and emotional fluctuations. It’s a phase marked by both challenges and opportunities, where women may grapple with hot flashes, mood swings, insomnia, and other discomforts while also confronting broader existential questions about aging, identity, and purpose. Amidst this turbulence, there’s often a sense of transition, of shedding the old and embracing the new, as women redefine themselves and their lives in the context of this natural yet profound biological shift.
Founder Mary Beth Perrone understands this intimately, having faced the challenges herself. In Perrone’s words, “You’re not crazy; it’s your hormones.” This realization became the driving force behind the establishment of Radiate Wellness, a beacon of support for women navigating the often uncharted waters of hormonal changes.
Radiate Wellness stands out in the crowded landscape of wellness products by offering transdermal creams. These creams, physician-formulated and plant-based, exemplify the pinnacle of clean beauty. The emphasis on quality distinguishes Radiate Wellness from other products in the market. Their commitment to providing a high standard of clean beauty is evident in products like Radiate Calm and Radiate Sexy. These formulations are a testament to the meticulous approach Radiate Wellness takes in crafting solutions for women’s well-being.
Radiate Wellness’s mission is clear: to support women through perimenopause and menopause with clean, affordable, physician-formulated products, community, and education. Perrone’s personal journey has fueled this mission. Feeling like she was losing control during perimenopause, she sought answers and relief. The pivotal moment came when a friend nonchalantly attributed her symptoms to hormones, marking the beginning of a transformative journey. Perrone’s dedication to making perimenopause a household term underscores her commitment to sparing other women unnecessary suffering. Radiate Wellness doesn’t just offer products; it provides a holistic approach to navigating the challenges of hormonal transitions.
Mary Beth Perrone’s journey through perimenopause unfolded with unexpected twists and turns. At 38, she found herself grappling with anxiety, unbearable periods, and weight gain. The revelation that these were symptoms of perimenopause left her initially in disbelief. Seeking professional help, Perrone consulted a doctor in hormone health. The reassurance that her experiences were normal brought tears of relief. This transformative encounter led Perrone to advocate for widespread access to natural progesterone creams. Radiate Wellness was born from her determination to offer clean and affordable alternatives, making perimenopause a more manageable phase for every woman.
To further engage with Radiate Wellness, one can explore their products and insights on Radiate Wellness. Additionally, their presence on social media platforms, including Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Facebook, provides a community-driven space for shared experiences and valuable information.
Radiate Wellness and its founder, Mary Beth Perrone, stand as advocates for women facing the challenges of perimenopause and menopause. Their commitment to clean, affordable, and physician-formulated products reflects a holistic approach to women’s well-being. By sharing her personal journey, Perrone has become a beacon of hope for those navigating the complex landscape of hormonal transitions. Radiate Wellness is more than a brand; it is a community and a source of education for women seeking support and understanding during a pivotal phase in their lives.
Midlife Sleep Challenges: How to (Finally) Get the ZZZZs You Need!
Midlife Sleep Challenges: How to (Finally) Get the ZZZZs You Need!
I woke up again, kicking off the blankets, my silk nightgown damp against my skin, the back of my neck and hair wet with sweat. I tried not to look at the clock, but I did anyway, and groaned when I saw the time. I rolled to the edge of the bed, trying to find a cool spot on the sheet, exhausted and already starting to feel depressed. I was worn out by the pattern of waking up every night, over and over again. Whether it was hot flush, a kid needing a hug after a bad dream, or the dog whining to go out, it felt like I would never feel rested again.
About 40% to 60% of women in menopause have trouble sleeping. Some researchers speculate that poor sleep is a core challenge of menopause that contributes to many other perimenopause and menopause symptoms.
The most common menopause sleep problems are trouble falling asleep or trouble staying asleep (or both). Hot flushes, body temperature changes, and bladder issues can all disrupt sleep. I used to drag myself out of bed in the morning, already feeling angry that I was stuck on a relentless wheel of tiredness. I blamed my husband for breathing too loudly, I blamed myself for drinking a glass of wine with dinner (alcohol can increase hot flushes and disrupt sleep), I even blamed the neighbor for his security light shining in my bedroom window.
The side effects of sleep deprivation include:
- Compromised cognition
- Worsened mood swings and mental health struggles
- Increased stress
- Disrupted appetite and weight gain
- Slow recovery from exercise
- Worsened overall metabolic health
In other words, the less we sleep, the worse we feel, and we end up hungrier, foggier, and crankier each day. Hormonal changes already make a peri/menopausal woman feel like she is on a roller coaster. Add in lack of sleep, and it easily amplifies our symptoms. Poor sleep is a powerful stressor. I used to lay awake early in the morning, thinking how much my tiredness would affect the day ahead, from a slower reaction time on my morning commute, to my mood with my family, to my memory recall at the office.
Lack of sleep can make normal stressful life events feel even more stressful than they would be to someone who isn’t sleep deprived. The stress hormones triggered by poor sleep lead to increased sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity.
It’s helpful to think of sleep as the body’s re-set process. Most of us need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep to function optimally. The different phases of sleep (light sleep, deep sleep, REM sleep, etc) enable our brains to recharge and replenish energy stores needed to function. To break the stress cycle and get our hormones working well again, we must find a way to counterbalance stress with parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) “rest and digest” recovery time.
It wasn’t until I consistently used a combination of melatonin and magnesium that I finally started to sleep longer and more soundly. Radiate Wellness has created yet another game-changing cream supplement: Radiate Rest, a topical melatonin and magnesium lotion designed to support your quest for better, longer, deeper, sleep.
Ingredients in Radiate Rest:
- Melatonin- Improves sleep, and known to help with seasonal depression and reduce anxiety.
- Magnesium - A naturally-derived anti-inflammatory, known to soothe and counteract stress.
- L-Theanine - Derived from green tea, this amino acid promotes relaxation and alertness.
We encourage you to create a short bedtime ritual that also doubles as stress relief and self-care. Allow yourself at least 30 minutes to relax before bed (even if you start with 10 minutes, and slowly increase the time, your body and mind will thank you). Keep your bedroom cool and dark, and when you awake, get about 10 minutes of light in the morning to help re-set your your circadian rhythm.
If you are ready to resolve your peri/menopause sleep challenges, give Radiate Rest a try!
3 Ideas that Completely Changed the Way I Think About Menopause
The year I turned 44, I felt like I was either going to explode or disintegrate. Mostly explode, though, because I felt emotionally stirred up in a way I couldn’t remember ever having experienced, even in adolescence. I wanted to run wild, go travel the world, start everything all over again, or just blow up my normal life.
Of course, I knew I couldn’t run away or light any bonfires — I’m happily married, I have two school-aged kids (late marriage, late parenting). At the time, I had a non-existent budget for far-flung adventure, no time to myself, and had just started over in a new career, where I was struggling to advance. When I looked in the mirror, I saw the softening of my jawline, the permanent lines on my forehead. Everything felt mucked up, disappointing, and gray.
What was wrong with me? Turns out…it was just Peri-Menopause. Turns out, mid-life is the ultimate portal for reclaiming your life. Wait, what? Let me explain.
For women, Peri-Menopause is an 8-year lead-in to Menopause, which is official after twelve consecutive months with no menstrual cycle, average age 51. But this dry definition fails to explain the ground-shifting perspective-altering changes that often happen to women as they travel through the dark forest of Peri-Menopause and emerge into the new terrain of Menopause.
When I was growing up in the 80s and 90s, practically no one thought of “The Change” as anything other than an absolute drag. We’ve all seen way too many memes and bad jokes about hot flashes and night sweats. Menopause was seen as the end of life, when women dried up and gave up. Now that perspective strikes me as sexist — and worse, perhaps, is that it completely misses the point.
- It’s Not a MidLife Crisis — It’s an Opportunity
One of the first articles I read that showed me how to see my experience as something more than a burdensome hormone-fueled mood disorder, was Brene Brown’s The Midlife Unraveling. In it, she describes everything I was feeling, but not as a crisis, instead as a slow and necessary “unraveling,” and ultimately as a rebirth. As she points out, many people think midlife challenges are about the fear of death, and certainly there is an element of that. But it’s more like you have the let the “old” you die to become the authentic YOU that you need to be, before you actually die. It’s not about reclaiming your youth with tattoos or wild binge nights out (unless that’s what you truly desire!). It’s about reclaiming your mature true self, including the parts of you that may have gotten lost along the way, as you tended to your career, or supported your spouse’s career, or raised your children, or took care of your aging parents.
Women who hear the invitation to “unravel,” as I have, can either ignore it, or embrace it. It tends to hit just when you think you have it all figured out. Suddenly, you’re restless inside, and you may think you already “have it all,” so what’s the problem? You can ignore it. You can take anti-anxiety meds, the sleeping pills, the injections that hide the frown lines, you can take on more responsibility at work, seek out the accolades. But if the midlife unraveling has you by the hair, yes, the voice inside you may settle into a hoarse whisper— but it won’t stop calling you completely. Don’t ignore it! It’s your chance to get down deep to your mature authentic self before time literally runs out.
2. You’re a Mother, Not a Maiden
Since I first started researching women’s mid-life experiences in books and articles, and talking to other women I know, another idea has rung true: we can discover self-love in our 40s, in far greater measure than we did in our younger years. In my youth, I was full of energy and beauty, but I was also self-absorbed, insecure, and hyper-focused on the accumulation of knowledge about my place and how to exist in the world. That meant desperately seeking out a career path that was acceptable to my parents, but also, testing my boundaries, navigating sexual relationships. It was a completely different time of life, one I don’t identify so much with anymore.
Every 40-something woman I know has stated unequivocally that she does not wish to be in her 20s again. Why is that? I’ve been following feminist leader Sarah Durham Wilson on social media; she is the creator of the The MotherSpirit and the archetypal Maiden to Mother movement, which is based on the Celtic archetypes of Maiden, Mother, and Crone. She writes that in our 20s we were “maidens” who were taught by patriarchal stereotypes to be pleasing and pretty and eager for male attention. But as we move into our “mother” years (which is about the mature feminine, not necessarily actually mothering offspring), we embrace our true power. Wilson frames women’s aging not as a loss, but as a rite of passage that is deeply powerful and needed in the world. Her writing makes me want to move through this passage to show up more fully human and own my power at a level that is sacred and transcendent.
Learning more about women’s psychological archetypes is a mind-blowing window into the history of women’s rites of passage, which we have long forgotten. Clarissa Pinkola Estés writes about the Wild Woman archtype, the female soul, and the recognition of her gives us all the instincts and knowings we need for our lives.
3. Do It For the Daughters (and Sons)
Last year I read Glennon Doyle’s bestseller, Untamed. I teared up every couple of pages, because her book gives voice to so many truths. One impactful part for me was when she writes about how much freedom she allows herself — or not — and how that affects her children. She writes that she asked herself, “Is the decision to continue abandoning yourself really what your children need from you?” Abandoning yourself is something no one intends, but the “mental load” of being a woman in the 21st century world can sometimes cause us to bury our needs and forget what really makes us happy. Or maybe what makes us happy starts to change inside, while our outward lives stay the same.
Doyle writes, “What if a responsible mother is not one who shows her children how to slowly die but how to stay wildly alive until the day she dies?” This is the refrain that I think of every day: My children will believe they have permission to live only as fully as their mother has allowed herself to live. So I have to resurrect my dreams, reclaim my power, step into my strength, and show them what that looks like.
How you navigate your passage through Peri-Menopause and into the mature feminine stage of your life can be a lesson in how to own your power. Show the children in your life how to unravel into your best self, (even if you are single and the only children you know are your cousin’s kids you see at the holidays). Seeing a woman bravely excavate her truth from the castle she has created of her life is Real Representation.
As I am nearing my 47th birthday, I don’t have it all figured out. I’m in the middle of Peri-Menopause, wandering through the forest looking for tasty truffles or patches of sunlight, building forts, and following new paths that look promising. My inner compass was spinning three years ago, but the dial has started to slow, and I know my true north is discoverable. I will not walk out of the woods as the same women who stumbled in. I am ready to continue the journey.
Magnesium Helps with Sleep and Anxiety: Radiate Calm for Self-Care
I used to wake up in the middle of the night with my heart racing and my eyes wide open. I could hear my husband snoring softly next to me, and I would listen hard to make sure my kids weren’t calling me, awake from a bad dream. When I could sense that everyone was asleep — except me — that’s when all my worries came flooding into my mind like a tsunami. They say that we each have 83 problems, but at night it feels as if there are 83,000 problems swirling in our minds!
Can you relate? For those of us 30+ and older, getting quality sleep is a big deal. Being a woman in the 21st century is not easy — from the “mental load” to the glass ceilings, we’ve got a lot going on. That’s exactly why we created Radiate Calm! It’s a magnesium cream that you can apply by day to soothe stress and anxiety, and when applied at night, it can also help you sleep more soundly. Let me tell you why you need more magnesium in your life!
Magnesium Is Essential
Magnesium is an essential nutrient that our bodies require to be healthy. It is the most abundant mineral in our bodies, and is involved in hundreds of important processes, from regulating muscle and nerve function, to maintaining blood sugar levels, to bone formation and strength, detoxification of the liver, and more. Some magnesium is found naturally in dark leafy greens, nuts, seeds, legumes, and whole grains.
Low Magnesium Levels are Common
Even if you eat a wide variety of whole fruits and vegetables, you still may not have enough magnesium — and you are not alone. Millions of people have less than optimal levels of magnesium. Because of changes in farming over the last century, there are less nutrients available in the soils, and that means less magnesium is available in fruits and vegetables you eat. Food processing also strips away nutrients like magnesium (another good reason to avoid those types of meals). Some common medications also deplete magnesium levels in your body.
Signs of Low Magnesium
Common symptoms that may indicate your magnesium levels are low include: restless legs, insomnia, high blood pressure, muscle pain, anxiety, fatigue, migraine headaches, and osteoporosis. Magnesium acts as a “co-enzyme” for over 300 processes or reactions in the body, meaning that it is a partner along with other nutrients. When magnesium isn’t present, or isn’t present in high enough amounts, that process cannot happen. Calcium and magnesium are a good example: magnesium helps convert vitamin D into an active form that increases calcium absorption. Getting enough calcium is necessary because your bones are constantly rebuilding, and you need magnesium’s help to make sure that the calcium you get from other sources is useable.
Magnesium Soothes Anxiety & Aids Sleep
Magnesium has been shown to help reduce anxiety, stress, relieve insomnia, and improve relaxation because of its effect on the HPA axis. The HPA axis is our central stress response system that connects our brains to our endocrine systems. It’s where the brain and the stress-regulating hormones talk to one another, and it’s how stress is carried between our minds and our bodies. Magnesium is a genius at regulating this system. It turns out that magnesium interacts with GABA receptors, and helps maintain healthy amounts of serotonin. The body even needs magnesium to create neurotransmitters! Scientists are finding more and more benefits of magnesium as research into this important mineral continues.
How to Use Radiate Calm
When you don’t have time for a luxurious soak in Epsom salts (I sure can’t do it every day!), Radiate Calm is a quick calming treatment that you can apply between business meetings or while carting the kids around during carpool. Just a pump or two on thin-skinned areas, like your hands, arms, chest, or the backs of your knees, will do the trick.
Before bed, you can apply Radiate Calm directly to your legs if you are struggling with restless legs at night. Try it every night for about a week, and you will likely notice a difference!
And did you know that dark chocolate with a high cocoa content is a good source of magnesium? If you’ve ever craved chocolate before your period, it makes sense why. If you are already using Radiate Balance for PMS, you can add Radiate Calm as well, to see if your chocolate cravings and anxiety melt away during your next period. Give it a try and let us know how it goes!
Dänika Randolph Oliverio
A Collagen Cream that Actually Works: Radiate Beauty
Can Radiate Balance Progesterone Cream Help with PMS?
Gratitude Attitude
Is it PMS... Or PreMenopause?
