How the Nervous System and Hormones Interact — and Why It Matters So Much in Perimenopause

If you’ve been feeling more anxious, more tired, more irritable, or just more on edge than usual… your nervous system and hormones are likely talking to each other behind the scenes.

And during perimenopause, they’re talking loudly.

Most women describe this season of life as feeling “off” — not quite themselves. What many don’t realize is that perimenopause isn’t just a hormonal shift. It’s a full-body recalibration, especially between your endocrine system (hormones) and your nervous system (stress response).

Let’s break down what’s actually happening — and how to support your body through it.

Your Stress Response Becomes More Sensitive in Perimenopause

In other words, you start to lose your tolerance to juggle the hundreds of things on your plate each day...

As a busy mom, I put so much pressure on myself to have everything set and ready for my kids and husband every day. Then I would start work with my clients and take on all the pressure to fix every problem in their life.

Now this isn't inheritently a bad thing -- it's the reason I love what I do and helping people every day. But my empathy and need to fix everyone's problems was taking a major toll on my emotional and physical health -- and my body was signaling this through hormonal symptoms.

Why does lower stress resilience show up as hormonal imbalance?

Your Hormones and Nervous System Are Always Communicating

Your hormones and nervous system work as a team. They constantly exchange signals that influence:

• Mood

• Energy

• Sleep

• Metabolism

• Digestion

• Stress tolerance

When this communication is smooth, you feel grounded, energized, and resilient. But, when it becomes disrupted — which often happens in perimenopause — you feel it immediately. I call this the hormonal waterfall.

What Hormone Changes in Perimenopause Cause Irritability, Mood Swings, and Fatigue?

As progesterone declines and estrogen fluctuates, your HPA axis (the stress response system) becomes more reactive, which can lead to:

• Heightened stress levels

• More irritability

• Trouble falling or staying asleep

• Afternoon energy crashes

• Increased anxiety

• Brain fog

• Feeling overwhelmed over things that never used to bother you

Progesterone normally acts as a calming, stabilizing hormone. When levels drop, your nervous system loses one of its natural buffers — meaning stress hits harder and takes longer to recover from.

Estrogen also influences serotonin, GABA, dopamine, and cortisol patterns. When its levels fluctuate wildly (a hallmark of perimenopause), your brain and body can feel unstable, even without big external stressors.

Have you had an increase in food cravings lately?

One reason for this is the body wanting to boost serotonin and dopamine levels, and one of the quickest ways to do that is through processed carbs and sugar.

The good news is that we can also get a boost in these neurotransmitters with complex, fiber-rich carb sources. A mistake I see many women make is to cut carbs out of their diet completely when they see weight gain start.

But, cutting out carbs completely from your diet will only fuel your cravings and keep progesterone levels depleted.

Why Typical Advice (“Reduce Stress”) Doesn’t Work

I totally get that telling a busy woman in her 30s, 40s, or 50s to “relax more” is not a plan. Or at least not a good one. I'm right there with you in terms of a busy schedule, balancing home and work life, let alone a social life or self-care time. But I'm also here to tell you that while it feels like everything is out of your control right now -- it's not.

You can control your boundaries, your response to stress, and your mindset. You also might find you have more control over your day than you thought, when you make the decision to commit this next year to forming new, supportive habits that will empower you and optimize hormone health.

Women in perimenopause need structured support, because:

✔ Your stress response is more sensitive

✔ Your hormones are shifting faster than your nervous system can keep up

✔ Blood sugar becomes more unstable under chronic stress

✔ Sleep changes amplify cortisol irregularities

✔ Inflammation rises with both hormonal shifts and unmanaged stress

This combination makes perimenopause symptoms feel louder — even when nothing major has changed in your life.

This is why women feel like their bodies are working against them. But your body isn't working against you, it's just asking for different support and patience as it adjusts to a new level of hormones.

Ready to Feel More Regulated, Clear, and Energized? Join My Live Workshop

If you read this and thought, “Yes… this is exactly what’s happening in my body,” you’re not alone — and you don’t have to navigate it alone.

Inside my 4-Week Groundwork Workshop, we walk through the core pillars your hormones need during this season:

Week 1: Nervous system regulation

Learn how to calm your stress response, reset your cortisol rhythm, and build a stable foundation for hormone balance.

Week 2: Blood sugar + energy balance

Because stable energy is impossible when cortisol and glucose are constantly spiking and crashing.

Week 3: Mood + stress resilience

Strengthen neurotransmitter pathways and learn daily practices that help your brain feel clearer, calmer, and more capable.

Week 4: Personalized routines + long-term plan

Put everything together into a sustainable plan that supports your hormones for months and years — not just weeks.

When you support these systems, the magic happens:

✨ Clearer thinking✨ Better sleep✨ More stable mood✨ Stronger energy✨ Less overwhelm

👉 Join January's Workshop Here

Not sure if you're in perimenopause?

Most women aren't aware since perimenopause and hormone insufficiency look very similar and have the same symptoms. This workshop guides you through support whether you are in perimenopause, or if you're dealing with hormone insufficiency. Personalizing your routine, diet, and lifestyle to optimize stress resilience and hormone health.

Read more about the workshop and the transformation you can have here, lizriesen.com/workshop

Have more questions? Reach out to me at info@lizriesen.com and let's talk.