Episode Overview

If you've been reaching for a glass of wine or a G&T at the end of a long day, you're not alone — and you're not being judged. But if you're navigating perimenopause or menopause, it's worth asking: is alcohol actually helping, or is it quietly making your symptoms worse?

In this episode, Roberta Bass explores the connection between alcohol and menopause symptoms, why so many women use it as a coping strategy, and — most importantly — what to try instead.

What You'll Learn

• How alcohol affects key menopause symptoms including hot flushes, anxiety, sleep and brain fog
• Why alcohol feels relaxing short-term — and what it's actually doing long-term
• The difference between social drinking and using alcohol as a coping strategy
• Practical, realistic ways to reduce your intake without feeling deprived
• Healthier alternatives that give you the same relaxation and me-time benefits
• Signs that alcohol use may need professional support
• Sleep strategies to replace the nightcap habit

Key Takeaways

• Alcohol worsens hot flushes — there is evidence to show this
• Even if alcohol helps you fall asleep, it reduces sleep quality and increases night waking
• Poor sleep makes brain fog, anxiety and emotional wellbeing significantly worse
• Drinking every evening to relax is a pattern worth examining — not a personal failing
• Small reductions (choosing one drink instead of two, making a G&T weaker) can make a real difference
• 0% alternatives, mocktails and longer mixer drinks can preserve the social ritual without the hormonal impact

Who This Episode Is For

This episode is for women in perimenopause or menopause who:

• Find themselves drinking most evenings to wind down
• Wake up after drinking feeling unrefreshed or more anxious
• Use alcohol to manage stress or help get to sleep
• Want to reduce their intake but aren't sure how to replace the habit
• Are wondering whether alcohol could be making their symptoms worse

Resources Mentioned

• Free Menopause Masterclass — understand your symptoms and start making lifestyle changes (link below)
• Previous sleep episodes —
  • Setting the stage for sleep- A Menopause night time routine
  • The Science of Sleep: How Hormones, Menopause & Lifestyle Affect Your Rest

Send us Fan Mail

www.thriveandshinewomenswellness.co.uk

Free Masterclass: Is Perimenopause Causing Your Symptoms? → Click here to watch

Supporting women’s health transitions with physiotherapy, menopause mentoring, Pilates and subconscious mindset tools.

Follow, subscribe and share the Making Sense of Menopause podcast to help more women access the support they deserve.

If menopause has knocked your confidence, you're not alone. In this episode we look at why self-esteem takes such a hit during menopause — and what you can do about it at a deeper, subconscious level. Because you can wear all the right colours and still walk into a room feeling invisible.

Why menopause affects confidence Weight gain, poor sleep, hot flushes, slowing metabolism — these symptoms don't just affect us physically. They quietly erode how we feel about ourselves too.

What you'll learn Using my ESSE Framework (Explore, Evaluate, Shift, Embed), we work through how to identify the patterns holding you back and start changing them — with practical tools including journaling, visualisation, positive affirmations, posture and movement.

The key takeaway Confidence comes from how you see yourself, not just what you wear. And that can be changed.

Want more support? My Subconscious & Mindset Mini Course walks you through the ESSE Framework with a full workbook. I also offer one-to-one hypnosis sessions online. All details in the links below. 💛

Send us Fan Mail

www.thriveandshinewomenswellness.co.uk

Free Masterclass: Is Perimenopause Causing Your Symptoms? → Click here to watch

Supporting women’s health transitions with physiotherapy, menopause mentoring, Pilates and subconscious mindset tools.

Follow, subscribe and share the Making Sense of Menopause podcast to help more women access the support they deserve.

In this episode, I share my experience of going for a colour analysis and how it made me reflect on something much deeper than just clothes.

We often think confidence comes from how we look—but actually, it’s about how we feel in ourselves.

I talk about how many women, especially during perimenopause, lose confidence in their appearance, stop making the effort, and start putting themselves last. And why that isn’t about vanity—it’s about self-worth.

In this episode, I cover:

• Why we often dress for practicality rather than how we feel
• The connection between clothing, confidence, and self-perception
• How body changes during perimenopause impact self-esteem
• Why waiting to “feel better” before making an effort keeps you stuck
• The importance of dressing for yourself—not for others

Key takeaway:
You don’t need to change your body to feel better—you need to change how you treat yourself now.

A question to reflect on:
Do you dress for comfort, for fashion, or for how you feel?

And what could you tweak—even slightly—to feel a bit better in yourself?

Support & next steps:

If you’re struggling with confidence, motivation, or feeling like yourself again during perimenopause, support is available.

You don’t have to figure it all out on your own.

Send us Fan Mail

www.thriveandshinewomenswellness.co.uk

Free Masterclass: Is Perimenopause Causing Your Symptoms? → Click here to watch

Supporting women’s health transitions with physiotherapy, menopause mentoring, Pilates and subconscious mindset tools.

Follow, subscribe and share the Making Sense of Menopause podcast to help more women access the support they deserve.