As a woman, you're twice more prone to anxiety attacks than a man. This is because of the fluctuation of hormone levels in women thus increase the risk for anxiety attacks. In addition, the heightening of hormone imbalances during menopause may worsen the existing anxiety disorders and bring it to surface.

It's really normal to feel anxious sometimes since anxiety is often a part of natural response to life distresses and fears. However, it becomes abnormal when your anxiety prevents you from having the satisfied life you would wish to.

Some of the physical symptoms you may suffer during an anxiety attacks are shortness of breath, dizziness, chills, heart palpitations, chronic sweating, hot flashes and nausea. When anxiety reaches its highest peak, you may be hit by a panic attack. Panic attacks are enervating episodes of fear and distress that include chest pains, fear of death, and shaking.

If you experience continuous anxiety and depression during your pre menopause phase, you are more likely to suffer worse cases of anxiety in your menopause stage. This is probably due to the fact that your life-long disproportions have not been put right thus exacerbate the anxiety disorders.

On the other hand, if you live a definite life and have high self-esteem and self-confidence, you usually go through menopause easily and have lesser possibility to experience anxiety attack.

Below are some tips to help treating anxiety symptoms and eliminating the changes of anxiety attacks before, during and after menopause:

Eat a healthy diet

• Avoid excessive consumption of refined sugar, soft drinks, alcohol, and caffeine.

• Avoid alcohol. Alcohol disrupts sleep and causes mood swings thus contributing to symptoms of anxiety attacks.

• Eat complex carbohydrates to increase the production of serotonin, a calming neurotransmitter in the brain.

• Drink eight or more glasses of water daily to reduce changes of fatigue, headaches and stress.

• If needed, take multivitamins and mineral supplements daily such as calcium, magnesium and vitamin B-6.

Exercise

• Try to include a 30 minutes exercising program daily. Regular cardiovascular exercise lowers blood pressure, regulates heartbeat, prevents hyperventilation and reduces stress.

• The benefits of exercise are not limited in improving your physical condition. Your overall emotional and psychological well-being can also benefit from exercise. Exercise makes you relax, boosts your confidence, allows you to socialize and gives you an outlet to vent and cope. This will help ease anxiety symptoms.

Learn how to relax

Find and do activities that will help you to relax like listen to music, talk to a friend, solve a puzzle, read a good book, etc. This will certainly help to reduce your stress.

Have a deep sleep

Try to have some deep sleep when you're stressed or experiencing anxiety.

Take off a negative attitude

Try and avoid developing any negative feelings. Such feelings will just ruin your day.

If you fail to manage your stress and anxiety, the only means you can get back your life is by undergoing therapy. An experienced therapist can help you regain your lives and heal emotional problems.

Facing with all of the body changes, undertaking new roles, perhaps confronting many of your fears for the first time, and for the most part, realizing that "life just isn't what it used to be" are several aspects that contribute to anxiety symptoms in menopause period. Anxiety attacks in menopause can be treated and minimized by focusing and concentrating only on the positive things in life – exercise regularly, eat healthily and be positive. It's not easy but not impossible.