A common theme I see with new clients is a daily glass or two of wine at the end of the day. To wind down after a day’s work. Although there’s nothing inherently “bad” about this, when you look at the science, alcohol has zero physical upsides.
There’s no way around it, regardless of how antioxidant-tinted glasses you might be wearing.
Now, super moderate social alcohol consumption might have some psychological benefits. But for most women going through menopause, the physical downsides of drinking are usually quite immediate:
– Hot flashes and nighttime sweats get worse
– Sleep quality suffers (and sleep often isn’t great to start with)
From what I’ve heard and observed, all of that makes the following day significantly less pleasant.
Should you stop drinking altogether?
I am not one for blanket statements. Instead, regardless of your current drinking habits, see what happens to your menopause symptoms if you reduce your drinking for the next few weeks. You might be positively surprised.
One of my clients has set herself a weekly goal to have 3-4 alcohol-free days a week. Or, as she calls them, AFDs. (An acronym I had to unlearn and relearn because I’ve always associated AFD with something else. And that’s not what she meant. I checked.)
On AFDs, her strategy is to stick with low-calorie sodas. That way, she still gets that feeling of social drinking without the alcohol. I am happy to report that it works for her.
One of my previous clients also used the same strategy. She subbed wine for herbal tea. And it worked for her too.
And as someone who uses sparkling water and non-alcoholic beers to achieve the same, I vouch for the effectiveness of this strategy. Even if I am neither a woman nor going through menopause right now.
-J