Bloating, reflux, nausea and new food sensitivities can become more noticeable during perimenopause. From a classical Chinese medicine perspective, these digestive changes may reflect shifts in the balance between moisture, dryness and the body’s ability to transform and distribute nourishment.

Sleep can change significantly during perimenopause. In classical Chinese medicine, this is often connected to Yang no longer descending and storing as smoothly at night, alongside changes in blood, digestion, heat, and rest.

Feeling cold much of the time but still having hot flashes can seem contradictory. In classical Chinese medicine, this can reflect heat floating upward while cold and stagnation remain lower in the body.

Burnout and perimenopause can share many of the same symptoms. Here’s how we often see them present differently in clinic.