The Menopause Venn Diagram: Sleep, Pain, Bladders & More: Episode 137 with Michelle Lyons

<p>Hello &amp; Welcome!</p><p>October is Menopause Awareness month and the theme for this year&#39;s International Menopause Awareness Day (Oct18th!) is chronic pain at midlife - and I have some thoughts...</p><p>In today&#39;s episode, I&#39;m exploring the intersection of menopause, disrupted sleep, pain, mental health, and bladder function.</p><p> These issues often overlap in a multi-directional relationship, where poor sleep can increase pain sensitivity and vice versa, and then we add some inflammation, insulin resistance, constipation, bladder frequency, urgency and nocturia...</p><p>As always, I&#39;m emphasising the importance of clinicians acting as detectives to identify what is actually waking a woman up, rather than assuming a single cause. In this episode I describe the THRIVE model I&#39;m developing (more soon!) covering tissue health, hormones, rest and recovery, integrated nutrition and gut health, values and goals, and exercise, as a framework for a whole-woman approach. </p><p>Its worth noting that while hormone therapy is the gold standard for vasomotor symptoms, lifestyle strategies like morning sunlight, consistent wake times, strength training, and mindful nutrition can also support recovery. </p><p>If you&#39;re a frequent flier here, you&#39;ll know I believe that the goal of treatment should be improving overall quality of life and capacity, not just reducing individual symptoms, and empowering women through evidence based education and interventions; in other words teaching women how to be experts in their own bodies and health experiences.</p><p>in this episode, I&#39;m exploring the intersection of hormones, sleep, pain, mental health and bladder function; nighttime awakening factors, urinary symptom management, the mental health implications, sleep improvement strategies and more!</p><p>Discussion like this, where we explore the overlapping circles of different biopsychosocial systems going through menopausal changes and challenges, are drawn from the research I&#39;ve been exploring and translating into clinical practice for my online course, Flourish! The Menopausal Toolbox, which gives women&#39;s health professionals the language and structure to navigate peri to post menopause WITH the women we work with. All of the details for all of my online courses can be found at CelebrateMuliebrity.com</p><p>Prefer live online (with access to the recordings &amp; bonus material afterwards)? Join me Oct18th and Nov1 as I teach a Men