Is Menopause Making Me More Hungry?

 

Many women notice that during menopause their appetite has all of a sudden increased. They find themselves snacking more and are not feeling satiated when they eat their meals. 

During menopause women become much more sensitive to insulin fluctuations and that can definitely impact your appetite. If your blood sugar drops then comes the craving for something sweet. When we eat that sweet treat especially if we are snacking throughout the day it can make things worse. Our blood sugar levels will go up and down even more. 

A woman's body will also see an increase in ghrelin and a decrease in leptin. Leptin promotes a sense of fullness. While Ghrelin is the hunger stimulating hormone. Yet another reason many women find themselves frequently hungry. 

Lack of sleep is also another common symptom that can increase your appetite. No getting enough sleep will definitely interfere with your hunger levels. Here we introduce yet again Ghrelin and Leptin both of these hormones that regulate our appetite are both impacted by lack of sleep. 

We must also mention that during this time if is very common for women to experience and increase in stress and anxiety. This can lead to emotional eating. Anxiety and stress can make you crave those sweet treats. When your appetite regulating hormones are out of balance and your insulin is going up and down, this quickly is no longer just an emotional issue but there are actually things going on within you physically as well. 

Here are some tips for that always feeling hungry during the season of menopause. 

• Stay hydrated. Making sure you are drinking enough water will also help to make sure your appetite is under control.
• Eat nourishing meals. Protein and Fiber are both needed for your nutrition and will go along way to help make you feel satiated with your meals.
• When it comes to snacking, protein snacks are great. Hardboiled egg, some nitrate free lunch meat, smoked salmon. All of these will get you some extra protein while being under 100 calories 
• avoid foods that will leave you hungrier. That would be anything that is high sugar or high salt. This could also include fruit juices and smoothies which tend to have a high sugar content. 

With menopause we are experiencing a huge change with our body and how it's functioning so we need to learn how to adapt to these changes. It's a very common experience for women to have a had great nutrition and an active lifestyle that served them well all of a sudden no longer be working for them. The great news is there are many things we can do to support ourselves during this time. I will always go back to prioritizing sleep, exercise and nutrition. That is where many of our answers will be found for the symptoms we are experiencing. And lastly if you haven't yet don't forget to schedule your well visit and bring up any concerns you have with your Doctor. 

Stress and anxiety are also another challenge for many women