Why Perimenopause Wrecks Your Stress Resilience

By Tegan Marshall, Naturopath & Founder of Glowable

Perimenopause changes how your brain handles stress. Not just mood. The stress system itself.

Estrogen and progesterone don’t drift down smoothly. They swing. Then they fall. Those swings destabilize the HPA axis, the brain’s stress governor. Your threshold narrows. Things that felt easy now feel heavy.

Progesterone also feeds a calming neurosteroid called allopregnanolone. It supports GABA, your brake pedal. Less progesterone means less GABA tone. The brain senses more threat. You snap faster. You tire quicker. You carry tension longer.

Cortisol joins the party. It can spike, flatten, or both. That chaos drains capacity, muddles focus, and makes recovery slow. Dr Mariza Snyder often links erratic cortisol to the bone-deep fatigue and low stress margin many women report.

Dr Jolene Brighten highlights a second hit. The brain’s energy use shifts as estrogen falls. Mitochondria work harder for the same output. Brain fog and low drive follow, which makes everyday stress feel bigger.

So no, you’re not “just stressed.” Your stress hardware is being rewired. Here’s how to build it back.

My story: when the signs showed up early

After having my daughter two and a half years ago, my hormones never seemed to re-regulate. Around five or six months postpartum, I developed severe insomnia. For many months, I told myself it was just postpartum hormones. But inside, I literally felt like I was losing my mind.

The symptoms lined up perfectly with perimenopause - waking through the night unable to get back to sleep, anxiety, mood changes, brain fog, shorter cycles - but I was only 36. It didn’t make sense.

I ran a DUTCH test, which showed my estrogen and progesterone were both extremely low. But on blood testing, my master hormones, LH and FSH, were completely normal. So my brain thought everything was fine while my body was screaming otherwise.

As time went on, my cycles shortened even further, and my symptoms persisted despite every protocol I tried. Eventually, I accepted what was happening: I was in early perimenopause, but my master hormones hadn’t shifted yet. I was living with the hormonal chaos of perimenopause before the blood markers officially reflected it.

And here’s the truth - early perimenopause can start as young as 35. Most women enter it between 35 and 45. It’s not abnormal, it’s just wildly under-recognised.

So if you’re under 40 and you’re feeling like you don’t know who you are anymore… if you can’t sleep, wake drenched in sweat, or feel like your anxiety and stress tolerance are spiralling - please know, you’re not crazy (even if it feels like it at some phases of your cycle). You’re likely in the early stages of perimenopause.

The heartbreaking part? Many doctors won’t recognise it until the master hormones (LH and FSH) finally rise, and that can take years. So you’re left struggling in the meantime, being told “everything looks normal” while you feel anything but.

Finding a doctor or practitioner who truly understands perimenopause is crucial - someone who listens, stays current with research on hormone therapy, and understands how timing and dosage of progesterone and estrogen make all the difference.

1) Steady the inputs that swing hormones

• Protein at every meal. Aim for a palm or two. Stabilizes blood sugar and calms adrenaline spikes.

• Strength training 2–4 days. More muscle improves insulin handling and lowers baseline stress signaling.

• Daylight and movement early. Set your circadian rhythm. Helps cortisol peak in the morning, then fall at night.

• Caffeine cut-off by noon. Protects GABA tone and cuts the “tired and wired” cycle.

These habits support the same stress circuits affected by perimenopause. Basics first, not hacks.

2) Train your nervous system daily

• Slow nasal breathing. 4-second inhale. 6- to 8-second exhale. 5 minutes. Drops sympathetic drive fast.

• Evening off-ramp. Lights low. Screens down. A short walk, stretch, or bath. Stack the same cues nightly.

• Boundaries. Fewer yeses. More margins. Your capacity is changing. Your calendar should too.

3) Feed the GABA system

• Magnesium glycinate. Supports relaxation and muscle release.

• Prioritize food sources of B6. Think poultry, fish, potatoes, and bananas. B6 participates in GABA synthesis.

• Alcohol minimization. It fakes GABA support, then rebounds anxiety.

Mechanistically, perimenopause is partly a GABA problem. Support the pathway and the edges soften.

4) Tame cortisol patterns

• Morning light and movement. Teaches cortisol to peak early - when it's supposed to.

• Midday micro-breaks. 60–120 seconds. Breathe. Move. Hydrate.

• Evening carbs with protein. Helps lower nighttime adrenaline for some women.

Simple anchors can teach the body to find rhythm again.

5) Consider clinical options with your practitioner

• Menopausal hormone therapy (MHT/HRT). Stabilizing estradiol and progesterone can improve mood and stress handling for appropriate candidates. Review risks and benefits with a clinician.

• Sleep and mood support. If anxiety or low mood are persistent, discuss therapy, CBT-I strategies.

Estrogen variability and neurosteroid shifts drive stress sensitivity in the transition. Targeted therapy can help the system re-stabilize.

6) Be cautious with “hormone booster” supplements

DHEA is popular online. Evidence in peri- and post-menopause is mixed, with safety and efficacy still uncertain. Discuss with your doctor rather than self-experimenting.

The tight loop to build this month

1. Lift 3 days. Walk most days.

2. Protein with each meal. Hydrate.

3. Breathwork 5 minutes, twice daily.

4. Morning light. Caffeine before noon.

5. Screens off 60 minutes before bed.

6. Book a menopause-literate practitioner. Review hormones (preferably DUTCH test and bloods), iron, thyroid, B12, and ferritin.

The bottom line

Perimenopause reroutes stress biology. Estrogen swings, progesterone dips, and cortisol chaos shrink your buffer. Stabilize inputs. Train your nervous system. Support GABA. Get clinical help when needed.

And if you’re under 40, please know - early perimenopause is common, and you deserve to be taken seriously.