Train your nervous system, not just your body during perimenopause

For decades, conversations about women’s fitness have centered almost exclusively on the physical-weight loss, muscle tone, cardiovascular endurance.

- TAMANNA SINGH

But as science catches up with what many women have been experiencing quietly for years, a more important question is beginning to surface: What happens to the system that regulates stress response, sleep patterns, mood, and hormonal rhythm which is mostly overloaded? For women in perimenopause, this is autonomic nervous system that deserves far more attention than it's getting.

WHAT'S BEHIND THE BODY'S UNEXPECTED CHANGES?

Perimenopause is a transitional phase that can start as early as your late thirties and stretch well into your mid-fifties. It is more than just a preamble to menopause as it is a completely different stage in a woman's life, characterized by the erratic fluctuations of estrogen and progesterone that impact not only the reproductive system, but also the nervous system.

These hormones play a critical role in regulating the nervous system's ability to recover from stress. When these hormone levels fluctuate erratically, the body loses its capacity to transition from an alert “fight or flight” state to a deep state of “rest and digest.”