If you've found that your hangovers are noticeably worse since entering perimenopause, and that you feel drunk much quicker, you'll be pleased to know you're not imagining it.
Our alcohol tolerance dips in perimenopause thanks to hormonal shifts, causing our liver to become more sluggish, so it can't metabolise or detox alcohol as efficiently.
As well as impacting us differently, sobriety coach Christy Osborne explains that if we're drinking, our perimenopause symptoms can be harder to notice. "I would have never known I was in perimenopause if hadn’t stopped drinking," Christy says. Why? Because the symptoms of a wine-fuelled night are similar to perimenopause symptoms.
Here, Christy, who has been sober for five years, shares how drinking alcohol can make symptoms of perimenopause.
Masking the symptoms
Hot flashes and night sweats worsen
If you're perimenopausal, you'll be familiar with hot flushes, but Christy explains that alcohol can cause these too. "Alcohol consumption can trigger or intensify hot flashes and night sweats," she says. If you've ever woken up feeling sweaty after a big night out, you'll be able to relate! "Alcohol affects the body's ability to regulate temperature, which can lead to increased occurrences of these uncomfortable symptoms," Christy adds.
Alcohol disrupts sleep patterns
Trouble sleeping is one of the most common perimenopause symptoms, but a couple of cocktails often have the same impact, hiding the reality that you might be menopausal.
"Initially, alcohol can make you feel sleepy, but it actually disrupts our sleep cycle, especially REM sleep, which is something I would experience when I drank," Christy says. "This leads to poorer quality sleep and more frequent awakenings throughout the night. As a result, other perimenopausal symptoms, such as mood swings and fatigue, get even worse due to lack of restful sleep."
MORE FROM CHRISTY: Drinking wreaked havoc with my sleep - here’s what happened when I stopped
Alcohol increases anxiety and mood swings
"I experienced the common side effect of increased anxiety and mood swings when I drank. Alcohol affects the balance of neurotransmitters in our brain, making emotional fluctuations more pronounced.
"During perimenopause, these changes in mood are already challenging, and alcohol only amplifies them," Chrisy cautions. Plus, we may not think to attribute our mood swings to perimenopause if they're something we go through after a few glasses of wine.
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Alcohol interferes with hormonal balance
"Alcohol can interfere with our liver's ability to metabolise hormones properly, leading to imbalances that exacerbate perimenopausal symptoms," confirms Christy. "This can result in more severe and frequent issues such as irregular periods and hormonal fluctuations."
Irregular periods are a clear sign of perimenopause, but we're unlikely to connect the two if our cycle is often disrupted by alcohol anyway.
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How quitting alcohol helped me manage menopause
While alcohol can mask perimenopause symptoms, it can exacerbate them, as HELLO!'s Donna Francis, 48, found.
"In menopause, hangovers last longer, hangxiety is off the charts and brain fog intensifies," Donna says. She decided to shelve alcohol earlier this year, explaining: "It was apparent in the first few days of being alcohol-free that it was going to be a game-changer for my mood and health - mentally and physically.
"I was waking up with a spring in my step. My skin was glowing. I began working out more. I was making healthier food choices. Sleep was way better. My focus was pin sharp. My family life was better. My work was reaping the rewards from my hungover-free brain.
"I witnessed first-hand that being alcohol free was making my life so much easier. So much more joyous and rewarding. I was more productive. More present. Happier!"
DONNA'S EXPERIENCE: Dry January: menopause made me do it
If you want to follow in Donna's footsteps, or simply want to make sure alcohol isn't stopping you from noticing perimenopausal symptoms, read on for Christy's advice…
How to quit drinking, according to a sobriety coach
1. Ask yourself if alcohol is helping you reach your goals
This might take a bit of research. For example, if you are drinking to ease anxiety you may feel relief after the first drink, but after the initial dopamine spike wears off, adrenaline and cortisol take control and you end up making yourself feel more anxious than when you started.
Go through your list of why you drink one by one and do an experiment to see if alcohol is helping you achieve those things or not.
RELATED: Ask a life coach: How can I cut back on drinking?
2. Think of quitting drinking as an experiment
You never have to say forever, but if you are sober curious or considering stopping drinking set yourself a temporary challenge to see how you can feel better without it.
3. See how you're feeling without drink
When you've been alcohol-free for a few weeks, take a look at how life alcohol-free feels. That way, you can compare the two and you get to decide whether or not the alcohol is serving you.
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4. Find sober activities you enjoy
If you're worried about missing out on social interactions with people by not drinking, take a look at social activities that you can do without alcohol. Suggest different activities to your friends as they might also be interested in joining you on this and it can be a way to reframe your time together.
5. Reframe your beliefs
Many of us believe drinking makes things more fun, mainly because there is a huge social element to drinking.
Think about what your blocks are and why you feel events might not be as fun without alcohol. It can be as simple as reframing thoughts and realising you'll feel much fresher in the morning and able to remember the evening than not. It's always helpful to remember the benefits of not drinking.
Christy Osborne is a certified sobriety coach and founder of Love Life Sober, which helps empower women across the UK and US to get back in control of their relationship with alcohol.