Did you know breathlessness can be a sign/symptom of menopause?
According to a study in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care, breathlessness can be due to inflammation in the body, and, in some cases, estrogen can play a role in inflammation. As you are likely aware, estrogen levels fluctuate during a woman’s cycle and can be more dramatic as she moves through perimenopause and into menopause.
Also, on a concurrent note, a study by the journal Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, was done on regularly menstruating females to determine their CO2 sensitivity during the phases of their cycles. It found that a woman’s sensitivity to CO2 increased during the luteal phase, or the phase leading up to her menses. Progesterone levels rise during the luteal phase, and progesterone is a respiratory stimulant. In other words, breath rate can change during the phases of a woman’s cycle as hormones fluctuate. If progesterone can stimulate a faster breath cycle, this can drop the CO2 levels, and in a woman who is sensitive to the CO2 level drop, she can be in a state of relative hyperventilation, leading to an increase in anxiety & pain, which we know as Fit Pros can impact her exercise regimen.
What does one have to do with the other?
As a woman moves through perimenopause and menopause, the hormone balance between progesterone and estrogen (among other hormones) begins to fluctuate with greater imbalances, thus, impacting a woman’s respiratory function.
As the Fit Pro, you can complement what your client’s healthcare provider is doing to address these issues AND remain within your scope of practice by utilizing our #1 strategy–BREATH.
Not just any breath. Optimal 3-dimensional breath.
Optimal breathing helps balance O2 & CO2 exchange, which can potentially mitigate the CO2 sensitivity and its link to pain. Optimal breathing can mitigate hyperventilation by slowing down the breath, allowing for a longer exhale vs. inhale. Optimal breathing helps with the ABC’s of human movement.. Alignment of the joints. Breathing to help release and activate the superficial and deep myofascial systems. Optimal Control of movement.
To view how to breathe optimally, so you can practice on yourself and be able to teach it to your clients, click the link. Insert link to optimal 3-D breath breakdown
To discover how to incorporate 3-dimensional breathwork into your perimenopausal/menopausal client’s exercises, register for the upcoming webinar Best Exercises for Clients Experiencing Perimenopause/Menopause. For more details, click below.
*PLEASE NOTE- if a client complains of breathlessness during your sessions together, STOP. Guide her to a seat. Call 911 if necessary and/or have your client contact her healthcare provider for further evaluation.
