Daily Mail journalists select and curate the products that feature on our site. If you make a purchase via links on this page we will earn commission – learn more
With a potential roll call of symptoms from fatigue, anxiety and hot flushes to sleepless nights and so many more, is it any wonder that women experiencing perimenopause and menopause are said to be spending an average of £1,800 a year on products including tech, HRT and supplements?
As co-author of Cracking the Menopause with Mariella Frostrup and a director of campaign group Menopause Mandate, I can tell you now that you emphatically do not need to invest in masses of over-priced gadgets and personalised vitamins. Here’s my guide on some of the most up-to-date and low-cost tech and gadgets that will see you through these turbulent years, helping you deal with sleep, exercise and hot flushes for a fraction of the cost….
I can tell you now that you emphatically do not need to invest in masses of over-priced gadgets and personalised vitamins, writes Alice Smellie
PRICELESS TRACKING
Health and Her Menopause app, free
Femtech is just what is says on the box; technology to support women’s health and wellbeing and it’s revolutionising menopause care.
The free-to-use Health and Her Menopause app is, they say, like a personal trainer but for your menopause journey. For starters, like many women struggling with this transition, it’s often hard to know whether you are in peri or menopause and also, what solutions might help ease symptoms.
Keep track by noting down timings of periods, the number of hot flushes and other symptoms that are associated with peri and menopause, from headaches, to bloating, anxiety, sleeping problems, skin changes, and palpitations. This easy-to-navigate app helps you follow symptoms and develop lifestyle habits such as pelvic floor training to support you through this time. It even reminds you to check your breasts on a regular basis – which is always important.
A free downloadable pdf is available at menopausemandate.com. This list of 21 symptoms can be filled in to take to your GP.
COOL DOWN
Managing hot flushes during the day can be a killer – sitting sweating at your desk can be extremely uncomfortable. Just remember that although you might be acutely aware of your suddenly fiery hot face and body, nobody else is likely to notice, and take consolation in the fact that you are not alone; around 80 per cent of women will experience the feeling of sitting in the middle of a brightly burning sun rather than in a temperature controlled office environment.
The first line treatment NICE recommends for many menopause symptoms, including hot flushes, is HRT, and if you invest in an NHS HRT pre-payment certificate, this will only cost you £19.80 a year. There are masses of non hormonal solutions available from your GP or menopause specialist too.
Should you still need to cool down, try this magical little fan. I thought it looked gimmicky, but am genuinely pleased to report that if your face suddenly feels as though it’s been stuck in a microwave, the wonderfully cooling air blasts your neck and and face instantly relieves the heat. It’s less obvious than a large desk fan (though why should you conceal it?) and reasonably priced. It is hands-free has three speeds and is – perhaps obviously – bladeless!
SLEEP EASY
This weighted blanket is made from cooling fabric, which means it is ideal for over-heated menopausal women who are tossing and turning through the night. Do I love a weighted blanket? So much. If the house caught fire in the middle of the night, I’d be lugging my weighted blanket with me.
It’s suggested that around 60 per cent of women going through menopause struggle with sleep. This can be because of lower oestrogen and also progesterone, which is associated with the production of the neurotransmitter GABA, which helps reduce brain activity and contributes to a restful night. Night sweats can disturb sleep as can stress and anxiety.
There is some excellent science around weighted blankets helping to reduce anxiety. For example, the pressure of the blanket activates your parasympathetic nervous system and calms it down. Another bonus: it makes you feel as though you’re being held or hugged.
DON’T BE A DUMMY, GET LIFTING
Kate Rowe-Ham is a women’s health coach with a particular interest in menopause fitness and nutrition, as well as author of the bestselling Owning Your Menopause, Fitter, Calmer, Stronger. She says that the absolute must-do for all menopausal women is strength training to maintain muscle mass and bone density.
So invest in your own dumbbells. Start small – 3kg is absolutely fine, and join an app, such as Kate’s Owning Your Menopause App for £16.99 a month – I love the early morning routines that start at 6.30 am so you can achieve something before breakfast! You can choose your programme – from beginners upwards.
Or find a YouTube or online workout that suits you. If time is really tight, don’t be disheartened, I highly recommend the Lucy Wyndham-Read 7 Minute Workouts on YouTube, which are free and brilliant for squeezing in a short but highly effective workout. My favourite is the 7 Minute Belly Workout. (Ask a healthcare professional if you have any issues or injuries).
SWIPE RIGHT
Collagen, that vital protein that keeps skin smooth and prevents joints from creaking, starts depleting from our mid-twenties by an estimated one per cent a year, However, collagen falls off a cliff in the first five years after menopause – plummeting by around 30 per cent, meaning that skin will probably sag and wrinkle. A good way of giving your face a boost (literally) is with Gua Sha, a traditional Chinese technique using a handheld curved quartz stone. I find that the feeling of cool stone and the sweeping massage action makes me feel more awake in the morning as I move the stone up my face – working on chin, cheeks, neck and forehead – stimulating circulation and lifting. It has some clinical evidence for microcirculation and elasticity as well as helping with lymphatic drainage and easing morning puffiness.
KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON
Headspace App, headspace.com (14 days free and then £49.99 annually/£9.99 a month)
I have never been any good at solo meditation; my mind wanders off and makes to-do lists. But I’ve found meditation apps such as Headspace and Calm invaluable when trying to destress or get back to sleep.
Meditation has been shown to help lift depression and irritability, ease stress and alleviate symptoms. A 2020 study showed that regular meditation actually changed menopausal women’s blood chemistry; glucose and cholesterol both went down.
The Headspace App offers a dedicated Women’s Collection with a section specifically focused on menopause, providing meditation and mindfulness exercises that are designed to help support specific areas of this time of life; stress, ageing, wellbeing and sleep as well as self-empowerment. I use apps sporadically, but when especially stressed last year and unable to sleep, I found the guided sleep meditations invaluable in the middle of the night.
BOOBY PRIZE
A quirky idea, but one that makes eminent sense. I have to admit, I’ve not tried these, but the concept made me laugh like a drain. Convenient and discreet, these cooling bra inserts rapidly pull heat from the body as you experience the the flaming and sudden heat of a hot flush.
Place directly onto skin; the material returns to solid at room temperature so they’re ideal for storing in a handbag or gym bag. Pop in the fridge for extra cooling. After use, you can reuse again and again.