Traveling Tips for Women in Perimenopause and Menopause
Finally, you are ready to go on vacation with your partner and children. But a few days before the trip, you start feeling insecure – what if your insomnia and hot flashes ruin the perfect holiday? Symptoms of perimenopause and menopause vary so much from one woman to another. It is hard to say whether you will have any problems during your travels or whether everything will go smoothly. It all depends on the severity of your symptoms during your routine. To help you feel more confident, here are some tips for traveling with perimenopause and menopause.
Symptoms of Menopause that Can Bother You While Traveling
Traveling with symptoms of perimenopause and menopause involves some planning and preparation. Because your symptoms are the same throughout your transition, you should be pretty much aware of what you can expect. Here are some symptoms you might want to pay special attention to while traveling.
Hot Flashes
Hot flashes can leave you red in the face, sweaty, and generally very uncomfortable if you are around people at the time. You might also have heart palpitations and be short of breath, which might make you feel like something is seriously wrong with your health. But these can happen quite often, especially if you go for your trip to a warm place.
Erratic Periods
If you are still in perimenopause, being ready for your period is very important. Traveling on a budget might mean that you will need to take a bus sometimes, or use a public bathroom, or stay at a hostel. It is hard to plan your vacation around your periods because they are somewhat unpredictable in perimenopause. So make sure always to be prepared.
Mood Swings
Mood swings can appear out of nowhere, and this is their most uncomfortable feature. When you are on vacation, you want to enjoy the time you spend with your family or loved one. You do not want anything to upset your feelings of joy. But if you suddenly feel like you cannot focus on one thing, it’s perfectly normal. If you become outraged or irritated, know that is only a symptom. And even if you change your mind every few seconds, know that it’s all due to mood swings.
Insomnia
You have waited so long for these few weeks of vacation, dreaming about how peaceful it would be and how much rest you will get. But your insomnia decides to show up, leaving you without a wink of sleep at the wee hours of the morning. Especially if you have night sweats and wake up being too hot, then cool down and are too chilly, it can seriously disrupt your sleep.
How to Manage Traveling with Menopause Symptoms
Traveling and menopause do not seem to go well together. But if you are prepared, you can enjoy your vacation to the fullest without having to suffer from severe symptoms. Address your symptoms as soon as possible, and do not let them get in the way of your joyful times with friends and loved ones. Here are a few tips on how you can manage your symptoms while traveling.
Avoid Common Triggers
You may have your personal triggers for menopause symptoms, but there are also general things to look out for during the transition. There are common things all women should avoid in order to keep their symptoms at bay. For example, caffeine is one of the substances that can worsen your symptoms of menopause while traveling. Other common triggers of hot flashes include alcohol, sweets, and spicy foods. When you go out to a restaurant or a bar, you might still want to try a trigger drink or meal there. In that case, prepare for the following symptoms in advance.
Keep It Cool when Traveling with Menopause
Warm temperatures can provoke your hot flashes. So if you are going to a beach location, you might choose to spend more time in the ocean or pool in order to cool down. When traveling in a car or bus, keep the windows open to allow fresh air cool you down a little. Turn on air conditioning where you can, and use individual AC if you travel by plane. And of course, do not forget to wear your clothing in layers, so you can always take a layer or two off when you feel like a hot flash is coming.
Bring Natural Remedies
You might have noticed that certain herbal remedies, vitamins, and supplements help you find relief from certain symptoms of menopause. For example, such plants as sage, lemon balm, black cohosh, ginseng, red clover, ginkgo biloba, and others, were found to help in treating symptoms of menopause. If you want to bring one or a few of those to your trip but have not tried them before, make sure to try them at home several weeks before the vacation.
Exercise and Manage Stress
Yes, you go on vacation to rest and recharge. But exercise can also help deal with symptoms of menopause on your trip. By working out, you will get rid of extra stress hormones in your body, thus boosting your mood and gaining more patience to face your symptoms. Avoid stress while on your trip. Leave your worries at home. Go for a walk, swim in the pool, sign up for a massage, or get a manicure. Pamper yourself – you deserve it.
