Managing Anxiety, Mood Swings, and Sleep Issues During Menopause
Author: Dr. Kolin Durrant, Integrative Care Director, Doctor of Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine
Menopause is a natural stage in a woman’s life, but it often brings a wide range of emotional and physical challenges that can disrupt daily functioning and long-term wellbeing. While hot flashes and hormonal shifts are the most commonly recognized symptoms, the psychological and neurological effects such as anxiety, mood instability, and sleep disruption often have a deeper impact on a woman’s quality of life.
For many women, these changes can feel unmooring. According to the National Institutes of Health, nearly 60 percent of women experience new or worsening anxiety and sleep disturbances during menopause. This is largely attributed to fluctuating levels of estrogen and progesterone (Menopause and Mental Health: NIH Women’s Health Research).
Understanding how these symptoms develop, and more importantly how to manage them through holistic, integrative healthcare, is essential for maintaining emotional balance and physical vitality through this pivotal transition.
Hormones, Neurotransmitters, and Emotional Health
The hormonal changes that occur during menopause directly affect brain chemistry. Estrogen plays a significant role in regulating neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, and GABA, which all influence mood, sleep patterns, and stress responses. As estrogen declines, the brain becomes more vulnerable to imbalances that contribute to irritability, emotional reactivity, and anxiety.
A 2022 study published in The Lancet Psychiatry reported that women in the perimenopausal phase are twice as likely to experience anxiety or depressive symptoms compared to premenopausal women (Hormonal Transitions and Mental Health Across the Lifespan).
These changes are not signs of personal weakness. They are physiological shifts that respond well to intentional, whole-person care. When addressed through an integrative lens, the brain and body can return to a state of resilience.
Anxiety During Menopause: When Hormones Heighten Stress
Menopausal anxiety is often the result of hormonal changes that elevate cortisol and destabilize the body’s internal stress regulation systems. This may present as persistent worry, restlessness, racing thoughts, or a sensation of internal agitation.
External factors such as caretaking responsibilities, career transitions, or changes in self-identity may amplify this inner tension. Together, internal physiology and external pressure create a loop that must be interrupted with therapeutic support.
Evidence-Based Solutions
Mind-Body Therapies
Acupuncture, breathwork, and meditation help regulate the autonomic nervous system. Clinical research in The Journal of Women’s Health demonstrates that acupuncture lowers cortisol levels and supports serotonin modulation, reducing the severity of anxiety in menopausal women (Complementary Therapies for Menopause-Related Anxiety).
Nutritional and Herbal Support
Integrating phytoestrogen-rich foods such as flaxseed, legumes, and fermented soy can offer gentle endocrine support. Herbal adaptogens and nervine tonics like ashwagandha, passionflower, and rhodiola may support adrenal health and improve emotional resilience.
Professional Collaboration
A practitioner-guided holistic plan allows for customized interventions that target the root cause of anxiety. This includes nutritional rebalancing, stress-reduction therapies, and tools for emotional regulation that are aligned with your life stage and health goals.
Mood Swings: Restoring Emotional Stability
Estrogen affects the brain’s emotional centers, and its decline can disrupt serotonin and dopamine signaling. This results in emotional lability, irritability, and sudden shifts in mood that can feel out of proportion or unprovoked.
When compounded by sleep loss, blood sugar fluctuations, or unresolved stress, these emotional swings become more frequent and difficult to regulate.
Interventions for Emotional Stability
Acupuncture and Energetic Balance
Targeted Acupuncture supports the nervous and endocrine systems simultaneously. Treatment protocols often focus on liver, heart, and kidney meridians to address both emotional congestion and hormonal imbalance.
Cognitive and Somatic Therapies
Combining cognitive therapies with body-based techniques such as mindfulness or breathwork allows for greater emotional regulation. Studies in Frontiers in Psychology show that mindfulness-based stress reduction significantly improves emotional steadiness in perimenopausal women (Mindfulness and Emotional Regulation During Menopause).
Lifestyle Recommendations
Commit to regular physical activity, ideally in nature
Prioritize nutrient-dense meals that regulate blood sugar
Limit alcohol and caffeine intake
Cultivate social connection and reduce isolation
These small but strategic practices form the foundation for greater emotional adaptability and peace of mind.
Sleep Issues: Restoring Restorative Rest
Sleep disturbances are among the most disruptive menopausal symptoms. Hot flashes, night sweats, and anxiety can lead to fragmented or shallow sleep. The Sleep Foundation reports that up to 60 percent of women in menopause struggle with chronic insomnia, which impairs cognitive clarity, mood regulation, and overall recovery (Sleep and Menopause: How Hormones Affect Rest).
Over time, sleep deprivation also increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic imbalance, and immune dysfunction.
Tools to Restore Restorative Sleep
Acupuncture for Circadian Rhythm Regulation
Acupuncture stimulates melatonin production and parasympathetic activation. Treatment reduces the frequency of night sweats and supports deeper, more restorative sleep cycles.
Nutritional and Herbal Support
Calming herbal formulas containing valerian, chamomile, and magnesium glycinate can support the body in both initiating and maintaining sleep. Evening meals that include complex carbohydrates and healthy fats can help stabilize blood sugar overnight.
Sleep Hygiene and Environmental Practices
Keep bedroom temperature cool and consistent
Avoid screens and artificial light in the hour before bedtime
Use lavender, ylang ylang, or sandalwood for aromatherapeutic calming
Implement a consistent wind-down ritual such as journaling or breathwork
Consistency in these habits retrains the brain and body toward restful, rejuvenating sleep.
The Role of Holistic Healthcare in Menopause Management
Menopause affects the entire ecosystem of a woman’s body and life. It influences neurochemistry, hormonal balance, identity, energy levels, and emotional health. A fragmented approach that targets symptoms in isolation rarely provides lasting relief.
Holistic care integrates physical medicine with emotional support and spiritual renewal. By treating the whole person—body, mind, and spirit—we create conditions for healing and self-discovery.
At Saffron & Sage, we specialize in guiding women through this transformative life stage using an integrative framework. Our approach may include:
Acupuncture and Eastern medical diagnostics
Nutritional therapy and gut-hormone support
Nervous system regulation through breathwork and somatic therapy
Personalized herbal and nutraceutical interventions
This model empowers women to reclaim agency, vitality, and confidence.
Knowing When to Seek Support
If menopausal symptoms are interfering with your ability to focus, work, sleep, or connect meaningfully with others, it is time to seek support. No one is meant to navigate this process alone. When addressed early, many symptoms can be reduced significantly through holistic, non-pharmaceutical strategies.
Our team at Saffron & Sage brings together licensed acupuncturists, nutritionists, therapists, and physicians who collaborate to develop personalized, high-impact care plans. We are here to help you feel supported, resourced, and balanced.
Building a Personalized Wellbeing Plan
Every woman experiences menopause uniquely. The right approach should reflect your goals, history, constitution, and current needs. A personalized care plan will typically include:
Tracking symptoms, triggers, and energy patterns
Combining therapies that support endocrine and emotional health
Focusing on sustainable, attainable lifestyle changes
Revisiting your plan regularly to adjust for evolving needs
Menopause is not a diagnosis to manage. It is a passage to honor.
Embracing Menopause as a Time of Renewal
Menopause invites us to step into a deeper relationship with the body, to release old patterns, and to step into wisdom and empowerment. Though anxiety, mood shifts, and disrupted sleep may arise, they can be met with powerful tools rooted in both ancient medicine and modern science.
With the right care, menopause becomes an opportunity to restore balance, expand self-awareness, and step into the next chapter of life with clarity and vitality.
Partner with Saffron & Sage for Holistic Menopause Care
At Saffron & Sage, our mission is to redefine women’s health through integrative, science-based holistic healthcare. Our experienced holistic health practitioners specialize in therapies that address menopause-related anxiety, emotional changes, and sleep disruption.
Through personalized acupuncture sessions, nutritional counseling, and mindfulness therapy, we help women restore balance and improve overall wellbeing—naturally and sustainably.
If you’re experiencing emotional or sleep challenges during menopause, our San Diego team is here to guide you.
Contact Saffron & Sage at 619-933-2340 to learn more about our menopause support programs and discover how holistic therapies can help you thrive in every phase of life.