Slower metabolism
As you get older, your metabolism naturally slows down. But in menopausal women, this can happen at a faster rate because of lower estrogen levels.
Estrogen plays a significant role in helping to control appetite, energy levels and body fat. It sends signals to your brain to boost physical activity and encourages your body to burn more energy.
Low estrogen levels can make you less motivated to be physically active, slowing the rate at which you burn calories, and increasing fat storage; all of which slow your metabolism.
Changes in body composition
Menopausal women tend to have more fat and less muscle mass. Estrogen controls how your body stores fat, and low levels cause more fat to be stored, especially around your abdomen and hips.
Estrogen also promotes the production of muscle tissue and prevents it from breaking down. When estrogen levels drop, this process is disrupted, leading to muscle loss and possibly sarcopenia – a condition characterized by age-related loss of muscle mass.
Since muscle burns up to three times more energy than fat, losing muscle mass can slow your metabolism, causing weight gain.
Sleep problems
While menopause doesn’t directly cause sleep issues, up to 47% of perimenopausal women and 60% of postmenopausal women have reported problems with sleep. Symptoms like night sweats, hot flashes and headaches can make it difficult to get good quality sleep.
Without proper sleep, your body can't function optimally, leading to unbalanced hormones and dysfunctional bodily processes.
Insufficient sleep can make you feel hungrier, too, as your levels of ghrelin (a hormone that increases appetite) go up. This often results in overeating and heightens your cravings for high-calorie, unhealthy foods.
And lastly, a lack of sleep can affect your metabolism, making it harder to burn calories and increasing fat storage. It’ll also make you more tired during the day, so you're less motivated to exercise.
Unregulated blood sugar levels
A study found that mice used less oxygen and burned less energy without estrogen, which led to weight gain and increased levels of body fat. When estrogen was then given to the same mice, they burned energy more efficiently and had improved insulin sensitivity.
Improved insulin sensitivity equals better blood sugar control. When your blood has excess sugar, most of the sugar is stored as fat, so you're more likely to gain weight.
