8 Ways Menopause Can Cause Painful Muscles

Muscle problems such as aches and pains, cramps, and stiffness can often occur during menopause as your estrogen levels fluctuate and fall.
Other common issues during menopause affecting your muscles include low magnesium, low iron, excessive sweating, weight gain, poor sleep, and anxiety.

So why does this happen?

Cortisol
As your estrogen hormone levels drop, the level of cortisol in your body can increase.
High cortisol can increase anxiety and is the reason why many women suffer anxiety during menopause.
High levels of cortisol can lead to muscle mass loss and an accumulation of fat, causing muscle tension and muscle pain.
Lastly, high levels of cortisol will increase your sensitivity to pain and you might feel pain more keenly.
Source: therapitylino.co.uk – why do I have muscle pain

Progesterone
Progesterone is a muscle relaxant, helping your body to relax.As progesterone starts to decrease during menopause, it can cause more muscle tension.
Source: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov – daily fluctuations of progesterone

Low magnesium
Magnesium is vital for proper muscle function.
If you don’t have enough magnesium in your diet or have problems absorbing magnesium, then that will affect muscle function.
Low magnesium will also cause more muscle aches.
Source: clevelandclinic.org – what to do about magnesium deficiency

Excessive sweating
If you have a lot of hot flushes or night sweats, you can lose minerals such as magnesium and potassium through sweat.
This again will compound muscle aches and pains as well as cramps.

Low iron
If you are approaching menopause and your periods become heavier or last longer, you can end up with anemia.
Low iron means that less oxygen is being transported to the muscles.
If you are exercising, but not getting enough oxygen to the muscles, that will result in muscle pain.
Source: mayoclinic.org – anemia symptoms and causes
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov – iron deficiency muscle pain

Weight gain
Putting on weight during menopause can have a direct effect on your muscles because your muscles then need to carry that extra weight, especially the leg muscles, leading to muscle fatigue.

 

Poor sleep
Not only can poor quality sleep trigger anxiety, but anxiety can also make it harder to fall asleep.
Poor sleep increases your anxiety levels, which can affect muscle function, causing muscle tension and pain.

Arthritis
Women are prone to arthritis as they approach menopause, causing joints to be affected, which can also contribute to muscle aches and pains.
Source: arthritis.org – musculoskeletal pain and arthritis

There are plenty of things you can do to help your muscles during menopause, including:
magnesium and iron

• Make sure you are getting plenty of magnesium because it can restore muscle function very quickly, including alleviating cramps and restless legs
• Add magnesium-rich foods to your diet such as nuts, and seeds and dark green leafy vegetables
• Consider taking supplements, as this is an easy way to increase your magnesium and your iron if you need it

Exercise regularly
Exercise is really important during menopause to maintain muscle tone and strength.
Stretching exercises such as yoga, tai chi, and Pilates can help keep the muscles supple.

Eat plenty of protein
Make sure that you’re getting enough protein in your diet as your protein needs increase during menopause.
If you are low on protein, it will affect your muscle function.

Stay hydrated
Are you drinking enough water?
Dehydration plays a factor in muscle function, especially if you exercise and sweat regularly.

De-stress
Try and manage your stress levels as this helps to keep cortisol levels down, which not only helps muscle growth but also prevents muscle tension caused by tensing up when stressed or anxious.
Sources
sutterhealth.org – menopause with joint muscle pain
therapitylino.co.uk – why do I have muscle pain