Hot And Healthy With Nicole Van Hattem | Mindset | Nutrition | Success | Fitness | Health | Lifestyle

Many women are surprised when anxiety suddenly appears during perimenopause and menopause — even if they've never struggled with it before. Racing thoughts. A sense of dread. Heart palpitations. Feeling overwhelmed by things that never used to bother you. In this episode of Hot & Healthy Menopause, Nicole explores why anxiety becomes more common during the menopause transition and what's actually happening inside the menopausal brain. Fluctuating and declining hormones — particularly estrogen and progesterone — directly affect neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and GABA, which regulate mood, sleep, and the body's stress response. When these hormones shift, the brain becomes more sensitive to stress, which can amplify feelings of fear, uncertainty, and emotional vulnerability. At the same time, midlife often brings major life transitions — children leaving home, relationship changes, career shifts, ageing parents, or health concerns — all of which can add additional pressure to an already sensitiv