Menopause is a natural part of life for women, but its daily gauntlet of symptoms can make it hard to feel like yourself. Fatigue, mood swings, insomnia, hot flashes — they’re just a few of the challenges Mother Nature likes to throw at us. Luckily, smart women everywhere have found plenty of ways to fight back and find relief, whether it comes in the form of a frozen grape or a bottle of personal lubricant.
If you could use a brief vacation from your own menopausal nightmare, try some of these creative tips:
1. Exercise Early. Exercise endorphins help balance mood, increase libido and fight fatigue. Enjoy the rewards of working out all day by starting each morning with thirty minutes of exercise
2. Be a Natural. “Natural fibers breathe better than poly, so if you wear anything at all to bed, make it light and cotton or silk,” says Good Vibrations Staff Sexologist Carol Queen. For a natural solution for vaginal dryness, try ASTROGLIDE Organix Liquid.
3. Create a Chilly Pillow. Wrap a small pillow in a plastic bag and stick it in your freezer for two hours before you go to bed. This trick will help you banish night sweats and sleep soundly!
4. Stay Away from Spice. What you eat and drink can have a serious impact on your hot flashes. To reduce the likelihood and severity of hot flashes, avoid spicy food, alcohol (especially red wine, thanks to the triggering tannins and histamines found in the skins of red grapes) and caffeine when possible.
5. Make Room for Mint. Natural peppermint soaps and lotions create a gently cooling sensation that offers quick relief from hot flashes. Try using a product with pure peppermint extract, like Dr. Bronner’s castile soap as a body wash.
6. Masturbate Before Bed. There’s no better natural sleep aid than an orgasm. So have fun on your own or with toys — and use a toy-safe personal lubricant like ASTROGLIDE X Silicone Gel to help with lubrication.
7. Create a Happiness Jar. When you’re in a bad mood, it’s hard to think of things to cheer yourself up. So plan ahead of time by creating a “happiness jar.” Fill a Mason jar with strips of paper — each one listing a fun activity or pick-me-up like calling a friend, taking the dog to the park or watching your favorite comedy. When the blues hit, pull a suggestion from your happiness jar and try it out.
8. Make a Date. “For lack of sex drive, I recommend that women make a date for sex,” says Nurse Barb Dehn, author of The Hot Guide to a Cool and Sexy Menopause. “That’s right, put it on the To Do List. Women are deliciously complicated and we need to anticipate intimacy to get into the mood.”
9. Soak Up the Sun. Vitamin D helps you maintain a healthy, balanced mood (and strong bones). All your body needs to produce your daily dose is for your skin to be exposed to sunlight for 15 minutes every day. So enjoy some gardening or a nice walk — and on cloudy days, rely on a Vitamin D supplement.
10. Learn to Do Kegels. Speaking of exercise, have you ever tried kegels? The unique exercise can help strengthen vaginal walls and improve elasticity and even lubrication (though it doesn’t hurt to keep the personal lubricant handy too, just in case).
11. Use Pulse Points. To cool down quickly, apply ice packs to the places on your body where your blood is closest to the surface — your pulse points. Squeezing an ice pack in the crook of your elbow will make a big difference fast.
12. Say Yes to Personal Lubricant. Vaginal dryness got you down? Cozy up to the magic of lube. Not only will it help you enjoy your new sexual prime, but it can make daily life more comfortable.
13. Avoid Diuretics. Almost all menopause symptoms are less severe when you’re properly hydrated, so drink plenty of water but also avoid soda, caffeine and other diuretics that can speed up fluid loss.