Everyday tips

Keep your bedroom cool and layer light bedding you can throw off — small temperature drops ease night sweats.

Notice your triggers: alcohol, caffeine, spicy food, and a hot room close to bedtime commonly set off flashes.

Slow, paced breathing during a flash won't stop it, but it can make it feel less overwhelming.

Anchor a consistent wake-up time — even on weekends — to steady a sleep pattern that perimenopause has knocked off course.

If night sweats wake you, treating the flashes often improves the sleep, not the other way around.

A wind-down routine — dim lights, screens off, something calming — signals your body it's time to sleep.

Persistent low mood, anxiety, or loss of interest lasting two weeks or more is worth raising with a clinician — it's common and treatable.

CBT has good evidence for low mood and anxiety around menopause, and it can make hot flashes feel less distressing.

Brain fog is common and usually improves after the transition — sleep, movement, and stress management help most.

Do some strength work twice a week — it protects the muscle and bone that decline faster around menopause.

Get enough calcium and vitamin D for bone health — from food where you can, and a check if you're unsure.

Ask whether you're due a DEXA scan — it's recommended for all women from 65, and earlier with risk factors.

Know your numbers: blood pressure and cholesterol both matter more after menopause, when heart risk rises.

Aim for about 150 minutes of moderate activity a week — it helps heart, mood, sleep, and weight all at once.

Prioritise protein at each meal to help hold onto muscle, which the body loses more readily at midlife.

A Mediterranean-style pattern — vegetables, whole grains, legumes, olive oil, oily fish — has the most consistent evidence.

Most marketed menopause supplements have weak evidence — check what a claim is actually based on before you buy.

Bring a short symptom summary to appointments — it makes a rushed visit far more useful.

Track symptoms for a few weeks before deciding anything — patterns you can see are easier to act on.

Any bleeding after 12 months with no period should always be checked, even if it seems minor.

Vaginal dryness is common and very treatable — low-dose vaginal estrogen works locally with little absorbed.

Thyroid symptoms overlap with menopause — if things don't add up, a simple TSH test can help sort it out.