Supporting Mood, Sleep, and Balance Through the Menopause

October 18th marks World Menopause Awareness Day, a moment dedicated to open conversation, education, and empowerment. This year’s theme — Lifestyle Medicine — encourages women to take charge of their wellbeing through everyday choices that nurture physical and emotional balance.

From nutrition and movement to sleep and mindful drinking, lifestyle changes can make a real difference in how women experience perimenopause and menopause. At SENTIA, we believe these years can be a time of renewal — and that what’s in your glass can play a meaningful role in navigating the ups and downs of the menopause.

Why the Menopause Happens

The menopause is a natural part of life, marking the time when a woman’s ovaries stop releasing eggs and menstrual periods end. It’s officially diagnosed after 12 months without a period, though the years leading up to it — known as perimenopause — can bring their own shifts and challenges.

Hormone levels fluctuate unpredictably during this phase. Oestrogen (which supports everything from bone strength to brain function) and progesterone (which helps regulate mood and sleep) stop following their monthly rhythm. This hormonal ebb and flow can lead to hot flushes, disrupted sleep, mood changes, and reduced stress resilience — all entirely natural, but sometimes difficult to manage.

The Role of GABA – The Brain’s Calming Messenger

To understand why menopause affects mood, sleep, and emotional balance, it helps to look at GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) — the brain’s main calming chemical.

During the reproductive years, progesterone supports GABA signalling. When progesterone breaks down in the body, it produces allopregnanolone, which enhances GABA’s soothing effect. Together, they help keep emotions stable, reduce anxiety, and promote restful sleep.

As progesterone levels fall during perimenopause and menopause, this natural support for GABA weakens. The brain’s “calm and steady” signal becomes less efficient, leaving many women more vulnerable to anxiety, irritability, and sleep disturbances.

Current Treatments — and Their Limits

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) remains the most widely used treatment for menopause symptoms, providing effective relief for many women.

However, it’s not suitable for everyone. Some experience side effects or prefer not to take hormones due to health concerns or personal choice. Antidepressants such as SSRIs are sometimes prescribed for mood symptoms but can cause nausea, headaches, or fatigue.

Lifestyle Medicine: The Broader Picture

The International Menopause Society’s 2025 White Paper on Lifestyle Medicine in Menopausal Health, lays out an evidence-based, non-pharmacological framework built around six key pillars: healthy eating, physical activity, mental well-being, avoidance of risky substances, restorative sleep, and healthy relationships.

Integrating these habits into daily life has been shown to reduce hot flushes, improve sleep and mood, support healthy weight regulation, and lower long-term risks of heart disease and osteoporosis. Unlike medicalised approaches that rely solely on treatment, lifestyle medicine promotes a holistic, person-centred model — one that empowers women to manage their transition through simple, sustainable choices that strengthen both physical and emotional resilience.

Rethinking Daily Habits During Menopause

Alcohol can make menopause symptoms worse — intensifying hot flushes, raising anxiety, and disturbing sleep. Yet many women still enjoy the ritual and relaxation of a drink.

That’s why alcohol-free living and functional alternatives are becoming central to the conversation around menopause wellbeing. Choosing drinks, foods, and routines that support restorative sleep and calm rather than disrupt them fits squarely within the Lifestyle Medicine philosophy — empowering women to make small, meaningful changes that protect long-term health and vitality.

Rethinking What’s in Your Glass

Alcohol can make menopause symptoms worse — intensifying hot flushes, raising anxiety, and disturbing sleep. Yet many women still enjoy the ritual and relaxation of a drink.

That’s why SENTIA was created — an alcohol-free, GABA-based alternative designed to support sociability and calm, without the downsides of ethanol.

• GABA Red, in particular, blends rhodiola and passionflower, two botanicals traditionally known to support mood balance and better sleep — common struggles during perimenopause and menopause.
• Rhodiola is often used to help the body adapt to stress, while passionflower has long been recognised for aiding relaxation and supporting healthy sleep.

New Avenues of Research

Modern research continues to explore natural compounds that can support hormonal and neurological balance.

• Phytoestrogens (from foods like soy and flax) can mimic some oestrogen effects and may ease hot flushes.
• Flavonoids found in herbs and teas are being studied for their ability to enhance GABA activity and reduce anxiety.
• The gut microbiome, which influences mood through the gut–brain axis, is another area of interest, as menopause has been linked with changes in beneficial bacteria — including those that produce GABA.

The Takeaway

Menopause isn’t a decline or a disruption — it’s a transition, one that touches every woman differently, shaped by lifestyle, genetics, and more.

While treatments like HRT or medication can play an important role, ‘Lifestyle Medicine’ empowers women to take ownership of their health in gentler, more sustainable ways.

Making lifestyle changes, supporting the brain’s natural GABA pathways, prioritising sleep, and replacing alcohol with functional, alcohol-free options like GABA Red can help restore calm, connection, and confidence — not just on October 18th, but every day.