Menopause is part of every woman's life, and yet many know very little about it. According to estimates, around 13 million women in the German-speaking countries (DACH) are currently in perimenopause or menopause. (Source: Deutsche Menopause Gesellschaft / Stiftung Gesundheitswissen). Many experience physical and emotional changes without knowing that they are related to menopause, how exactly they come about or how they can navigate this time well.
In fact, there is a lot that can help women in menopause deal with possible symptoms. In addition to a healthy lifestyle, mindful methods such as sound therapy, meditation and conscious breathing can also help them experience this time of change with more calm and confidence.
What is menopause?
Menopause is a natural hormonal transition in a woman's life. In this phase of life, the body gradually changes its hormone production. The ovaries gradually produce less estrogen and progesterone, which leads to the gradual cessation of menstruation.
However, the hormonal changes affect not only the cycle, but can also influence the nervous system, sleep, mood and many other bodily functions.
The entire menopausal transition is divided into four hormonal phases:
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Premenopause: the time before the hormonal changes
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Perimenopause: the transition phase, often from the early 40s
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Menopause: the last menstrual period
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Postmenopause: the years that follow
The entire transition can even take several years. Very often it extends over seven to ten years.
Although menopause is much better researched today than it was a few years ago, there are still many open questions. Why some women have hardly any symptoms while others are severely affected for years still cannot be fully explained.
What symptoms occur during menopause?
Every woman experiences menopause very differently and individually, as the decline in hormones differs from woman to woman. Some hardly notice any changes compared to before, others suffer from severe symptoms. Lifestyle, genetics and general well-being also play a decisive role.
The most common symptoms of menopause include:
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Hot flashes
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Sleep disorders
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Problems with concentration and memory
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Mood swings
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Inner restlessness or anxiety
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Heart palpitations
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Musculoskeletal complaints
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Weight gain
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Hair loss
Many of these symptoms may be related to the fact that the nervous system reacts more sensitively to stress as a result of the hormonal changes.
Why we should talk more about menopause
Although every woman goes through this phase of life, many feel alone with their questions and symptoms. We usually only talk about menopause and inform ourselves once the symptoms have already appeared. More awareness and knowledge can help women prepare for this stage of life, classify the changes better and treat each other with more understanding.
Having more awareness and knowledge about menopause helps not only women themselves: partners, families and the professional environment can also gain more understanding and support women during this phase.
What helps women during menopause?
There is no single solution that applies to every woman. A healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet, regular exercise, periods of relaxation and herbal preparations can accompany women through this time.
Some women with more severe problems also consider hormone replacement therapy prescribed by a doctor. As menopause is a natural stage of life and symptoms can also be influenced by stress, lack of sleep or other factors, an individual assessment is particularly important. Whether hormone therapy makes sense should therefore be decided together with a doctor, based on personal symptoms, state of health and a careful weighing of benefits and risks.
Often it is a combination of different measures that women find beneficial.
These can help during menopause:
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Regular exercise
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A balanced diet
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Sufficient sleep and rest
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Avoiding triggers such as alcohol, nicotine or spicy food
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Using herbal remedies
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Conscious breathing exercises
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Meditation and mindfulness
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Moments of relaxation with sound and singing bowls
Methods that calm the nervous system in particular can help restore more inner balance.
How do yoga and meditation help during menopause?
During menopause, yoga and meditation can help bring your whole system back into balance. A mindful asana practice can release tension, strengthen your body awareness and make you more sensitive to your needs. There are even special yoga styles such as hormone yoga, which aim to gently balance the hormones through dynamic movements, breathing techniques and targeted activation of the glands.
Meditation can help women in menopause find more inner calm and cope better with stress. Studies show that regular mindfulness and meditation exercises promote well-being and can have a positive effect on sleep and on dealing with hot flashes. Just a few minutes of conscious rest a day can help you relax your nervous system and find more balance in everyday life.
How singing bowls can help during menopause
As estrogen levels fall, regulatory processes in the nervous system also change. This can mean that women feel stressed more quickly, sleep more restlessly or experience hot flashes and inner restlessness more intensely.
Singing bowls can be valuable support for you during menopause. Their gentle vibrations can have a balancing effect on the autonomic nervous system and invite you to let go of everyday life for a moment and arrive fully in your own body. This can lead to less stress, better sleep and more well-being.
Some studies also suggest that the vibrations of singing bowls can reduce tension and anxiety and improve sleep and well-being. There are also promising indications that meditation or mindfulness exercises help women cope better with menopausal symptoms.
Note: Singing bowls do not replace medical treatment, but they can complement it in a meaningful way and help you regularly integrate conscious islands of calm into everyday life.
Sound exercise: trusting in change
Menopause is a time of transformation. Like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, your body is changing too, and with it new strengths, experiences and perspectives can grow.
Here's how:
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Cut a small butterfly out of a sheet of paper. Write a word on it that you want to accompany you, for example trust, serenity or lightness.
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Place the butterfly next to your singing bowl and take a moment to look at it consciously.
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Gently strike the singing bowl. While the sound rings, imagine the butterfly opening its wings and, with every tone, something within you being allowed to unfold as well.
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Then take the butterfly in your hand or place it on your heart and say slowly:
“I trust my path. I open myself to change. With every step, I discover my new strength.”
Afterward, stay in the silence for a moment and notice what shows itself within you.
Did you know: menopause in men
Men also experience hormonal changes as they get older. However, these usually progress more slowly and less markedly than in women and are often referred to as andropause or male menopause. This transition in men can lead to tiredness, decreased libido, erectile problems and mood swings.
Conclusion: menopause in women
Menopause brings changes with it: physical, emotional and hormonal. The better you and the people around you understand what happens in this phase of life, the easier it is to treat each other lovingly and with understanding. In addition to exercise, a healthy diet and herbal remedies, singing bowls can also be valuable support. This way, you can experience this time of transformation less as a loss and more as the beginning of a new phase of life.
Important studies on menopause and what helps
AWMF S3 guideline: Peri- and postmenopause, diagnostics and interventions (medical gold standard in Germany)
https://register.awmf.org/de/leitlinien/detail/015-062
Deutsche Menopause Gesellschaft e. V. (sound information on menopause, symptoms and therapy)
https://www.menopause-gesellschaft.de
Stiftung Gesundheitswissen: menopause (easy-to-understand information and statistics)
https://www.stiftung-gesundheitswissen.de
Goldsby et al. (2017): Effects of Singing Bowl Meditation on Mood, Tension, and Well-being (positive effects of singing bowls on stress, tension and well-being)
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2515690X17715437
Carmody et al. (2011): Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Perimenopausal and Early Postmenopausal Women (mindfulness can improve how women deal with hot flashes and stress)
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/1108761
Goyal et al. (2014): Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being (meta-analysis on meditation and stress reduction)
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/1809754
Cramer et al. (2018): Yoga for Menopausal Symptoms: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (yoga can have a positive influence on symptoms such as sleep problems and on psychological well-being)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29452911/
The Menopause Society (formerly North American Menopause Society, NAMS) (international professional society with evidence-based recommendations)
https://menopause.org
You can also find many scientific findings and studies on the effects of singing bowls on our website and at the International Professional Association for Sound Massage Therapy (Internationaler Fachverband Klang-Massage-Therapie e.V.).
