When it comes to thinking about health problems in menopause, many of us focus on the common symptoms: hot flushes, night sweats and poor sleep.
Fewer of us think about the health of the organ that’s powering our bodies: the heart.
Keeping your heart healthy matters at every age. Women in menopause and beyond are at a higher risk of heart health issues than pre-menopausal women. So menopause is a key time to assess your heart health.
It’s also a great time to address risk factors that you can control.
Here, we’ll help you understand what’s happening with your heart health during menopause. You’ll also discover quality tips for promoting good heart health in menopause: by managing your diet, your movement and even your sleep!
Understanding Heart Health and Menopause
The risk of heart disease increases as we age. And menopause is a critical time of change in cardiovascular risk for women. Over 500,000 Aussie women have heart disease, with the risk of heart disease increasing in women following menopause.
This is partly due to the declining amount of the hormone oestrogen circulating in your body.
You can think of oestrogen as a guardian of heart health. Oestrogen is known to protect cardiovascular health by:
- Helping balance lipid levels: Oestrogen may play a role in balancing ‘good’ and bad cholesterol. As women go through menopause, the levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol may rise.
- Keeping blood vessels supple. Oestrogen can help blood vessel walls be more elastic, making it easier for the heart to pump blood around your body. As oestrogen decreases, vessels can get stiffer and may put stress on the heart.
- Keeping inflammation low: Oestrogen may reduce inflammation, which irritates your blood vessel tissue and potentially leads to blockages.
As oestrogen dissipates as you progress through menopause, so does its protective effects. That’s why it’s so important to adopt more heart-healthy habits as you pass through menopause.
Dietary Tips for a Healthy Heart
To keep your heart healthy, you need to look at what’s on your dinner plate. Do you have a balanced diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein? Or are you relying on heavily processed foods?
Make sure your diet contains:
- Healthy fat sources such as omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon, and healthier sources of fat like nuts and avocados.
- Plenty of fibre, which you can get from fruits, vegetables, legumes, and wholegrains. Aim for five portions of fruit and veg each day to help reduce your risk of heart health issues.
- Lean protein sources include poultry, seafood, and eggs. Red meat is a great source of iron, but it can often contain a lot of saturated fats. Choose lean options of red meat where possible.
Avoid refined grains, such as white rice and flour, as well as highly processed foods. Highly processed foods contain an overabundance of salt, sugars, and bad fats (saturated fats, LDL cholesterol and trans fats). None of these ingredients promote good heart health. Plus, high fat and high sugar foods make it easy to put on excess weight. Being overweight increases the risk of heart disease.
Don’t forget to stay hydrated! Good hydration helps your heart function more easily, pumping blood more efficiently to the tissues that need it.
Exercise for Cardiovascular Health
As we get older, moving our bodies gets harder to prioritise. But it’s possible to make exercise a regular part of your daily and weekly schedule.
Overall, you should aim for about 150 minutes of moderately intense exercise each week.
You can easily reach this target by walking 30 minutes each day. Make sure to walk at a brisk pace, so that you’re a little out of breath and sweat a bit. Walking is a great exercise, especially with a friend or loved one, not only for companionship but also accountability.
Don’t worry if you can’t yet manage 150 minutes a week, even 75 minutes is better for your heart than zero minutes! If you’re starting out, you may find it easier to add a movement here and there in your daily schedule. Any bit of activity helps:
- Consider some form of resistance exercises such as lifting weights, or body-weight squats, lunges and push-ups. These exercises help maintain your muscle mass. Aim for two sessions of strength exercises per week.
- Try something different, such as tai chi, yoga, or pilates. These can be excellent for balance and relaxation.
- Try something new. You could try ballroom dancing, Zumba or other forms of dancing. These can be fun, and the social aspect of these types of activities may help you stick with them.
- Try water-based activities. Swimming is a great low-impact workout. But if getting your head underwater isn’t your thing, aqua-aerobics can get your heart pumping and can be a great way to develop strength using water as resistance.
Whatever movement you choose to add, make sure it’s at a time and place that makes it easiest for you to keep your exercise habit going.
Improving Sleep to Support Heart Health
One of the most common and frustrating symptoms of menopause is sleep problems. Poor sleep can include trouble falling asleep at first, waking up during the night, or rising earlier than you’d like.
Poor sleeping patterns can increase your risk of heart health issues.
Experts recommend that adults aim for 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night.
You can improve your sleep quality by:
- Optimising your bedtime routine and try to keep your bedtime and wake times as consistent as possible.
- Reducing sleep-disrupting foods, drinks, and activities, such as reducing coffee intake, heavy late-night meals, and using screens in the hours before bed.
- Incorporating more exercise and relaxation techniques into your day.
In addition to your lifestyle changes for heart health in menopause, you can consider treatment options like Sleep by Remifemin, to help induce sleep and relieve restlessness. Check with your doctor if this product is right for you.
Learn more about managing sleep problems in menopause.
Lifestyle Changes for a Healthier Heart
Aside from sleep, exercise and diet, there are a few other important lifestyle changes that can support your heart health during menopause and beyond.
- Quit smoking: Smoking damages your heart and blood vessels, making coronary heart disease more likely.
- Cut back on alcohol: Drinking too much alcohol raises blood pressure, causes irregular heartbeats, and can weaken the heart.
- Get regular heart health checks: Regular check-ups can help spot heart problems early, often before you feel any symptoms. This lets you take action to prevent serious issues.
In Australia, Medicare covers an annual heart health check for women over 45 years of age (or Aboriginal or Indigenous women over 30).
Heart health checks typically involve monitoring blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels. High blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol usually don’t cause visible symptoms, but greatly increase the risk of heart disease. Regular check-ups can help catch problems early and keep your heart healthy.
