Fatigue Depression
 Many women begin to have prolonged feelings of exhaustion and lack of energy in their late 40s and early 50s. This "fatigue" is a very common menopausal symptom. Because fatigue puts pressure on your work and daily life, it can disrupt your relationships with others and even lead to feelings of depression. The feeling of being tired all the time is a result of the body trying to adjust to the demands of your changing body. Luckily, there are a range of strategies available to help battle fatigue and depression, as outlined in the following paragraphs.
What exactly is fatigue and what is the relationship with menopause?
Fatigue describes a range of symptoms related to lethargy and general tiredness. It can be physical and mental, and is characterized by the inability to function at the level of your normal abilities. The easiest sign that you are fatigued is a feeling of sleepiness.
As a woman goes through menopause her body gradually begins to circulate less estrogen, starting changes (and provoking symptoms) throughout the whole system that can interrupt sleep and make it harder to fall and stay asleep. The most severe kind of fatigue during this time is called crashing fatigue.
 Fatigue can also be influenced by a lack of a woman's progesterone. Progesterone is the hormone that keeps women energized and accounts for a woman's sexual drive. When menopause hits, the levels of this hormone lower dramatically. This hormonal imbalance often causes women to lose their liveliness, sex drive and leaves them feeling exhausted or sick.
Menopausal fatigue and depression
Research has shown that menopausal women are at triple the risk of experiencing disruptive changes in their breathing when asleep. Night sweats and anxiety can also interrupt sleep patterns. Frequent interruptions to sleep patterns can not only decrease quality of life, but lead to other serious health conditions such as high blood pressure and depression. The latter being the result of many factors, including the fact that constantly fatigued people tend to be more vulnerable to periods of mental depression.
How can I overcome fatigue and depression?
Because menopause fatigue and depression is closely linked to the problems of hormonal imbalance, the easiest and most logical solution for restoring lost energy levels is by returning estrogen levels to normal. This can be done in a variety of natural ways, including:
 . Getting adequate sleep every night.
. Performing exercise regularly to reduce stress.
. Maintaining a personal schedule.
. Taking regular holidays.
. Limiting your intake of alcohol, drugs and nicotine.
. Maintaining a healthy and well-balanced diet.
. Drinking adequate water during the day.
In addition to these tips there are a range of alternative medicine treatments that help stimulate the body´s internal hormonal production system and combat fatigue and depression. The use of alternative medicines is increasingly popular for dealing with menopause side effects such as fatigue, given that they are not tainted with the array of side effects that occur in artificial estrogen supplements.
For more information about treatments for fatigue and depression click here.
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