Blog - Luke Clarke

March 19, 2026 by access@conversiondigital.com.au Leave a Comment

Can Perimenopause Cause Bloating? Understanding the Gut-Hormone Connection

If you’ve reached your 40s or early 50s and suddenly feel more bloated than usual, you’re not imagining it. For many women, perimenopause can bring a wave of changes that affect far more than periods alone. Digestive discomfort, abdominal bloating, constipation, changes in appetite, poor sleep and heightened stress can all start to appear around the same time, which is why this stage can feel so confusing. Perimenopause is also commonly associated with irregular periods, mood changes, brain fog and sleep disruption, all of which can influence how you feel day to day.

So, can perimenopause cause bloating? In many cases, yes. Hormonal fluctuations during the menopause transition can affect fluid balance, digestion and bowel habits. At the same time, lifestyle factors such as stress, reduced exercise, alcohol, poor sleep and changes in eating patterns can make digestive symptoms feel worse. This means bloating during perimenopause is often driven by a mix of hormone changes and gut-related triggers rather than one single cause.

Another reason bloating can become more noticeable at this stage is that many women already have an underlying digestive sensitivity that becomes harder to ignore. If you have a history of IBS, constipation, food intolerance or stress-related gut symptoms, perimenopause can make those patterns feel more intense. Bloating is also commonly linked with altered bowel habits, gas and abdominal discomfort, so it is worth looking at the full symptom picture rather than assuming hormones are the only explanation.

This is where a broader functional medicine lens can be useful. Instead of treating bloating as an isolated issue, it helps to ask what else is happening at the same time. Are you sleeping poorly? Feeling more wired or anxious? Noticing more food reactivity? Going longer between bowel motions? Experiencing more stress than usual? The gut and brain are closely connected, and stress is a well-recognised trigger for digestive symptoms, especially where IBS-type patterns are involved.

There are also practical steps that can help reduce bloating during perimenopause. Eating regular meals, slowing down at meal times, staying hydrated, moving your body consistently and improving sleep can all support digestion. It can also be helpful to track when symptoms flare. For example, does bloating feel worse before a period, after alcohol, after poor sleep, or after certain foods? Identifying patterns can help separate occasional bloating from something more persistent that needs closer attention.

Importantly, not all bloating should be dismissed as “just hormones”. If symptoms are frequent, worsening, or accompanied by pain, blood in the stool, unexplained weight loss, vomiting, loss of appetite or major changes in bowel habits, it’s important to seek medical advice. Persistent bloating deserves proper assessment, especially when it’s new or noticeably different from your usual baseline.

If you’re dealing with bloating alongside hormonal changes, fatigue, stress or digestive issues, a personalised approach can help uncover what is really driving your symptoms. Perimenopause can absolutely be part of the picture, but it may also be highlighting an existing gut issue that needs support. Looking at hormones, digestion, stress and lifestyle together can often provide a clearer path forward.

If you’d like support with bloating, gut symptoms or hormonal health, Luke Clarke takes a personalised functional medicine approach that looks beyond the surface symptoms to help identify what may be contributing to the bigger picture.

Optional FAQ block

Can perimenopause cause bloating every day?
It can contribute to frequent bloating, but daily bloating may also point to diet, constipation, IBS, stress or another digestive issue.

Why does my stomach feel more sensitive during perimenopause?
Hormonal changes, poor sleep, stress and changes in routine can all affect digestion and bowel habits.

When should bloating be checked by a professional?
If it is persistent, worsening, painful, or comes with red-flag symptoms such as blood in the stool, vomiting or unexplained weight loss.

March 18, 2024 by Luke 2 Comments

Is Poor Sleep Putting You at Risk of Diabetes, Heart Disease or Other Chronic Disease?

Experiencing the World Through Bleary Eyes

Have you ever felt the effects of a disrupted or poor night’s sleep? It’s not uncommon for your concentration, alertness, energy, appetite and mood to be affected the next day. In this “fog” you may find yourself driving straight past your turn off, heading to the vending machine for a 3 pm pick me up, forgetting that key item at the shops, or trailing off mid-sentence with your mind going blank…

While these days may be few and far between for some, for others who suffer with insomnia, the negative side effects unfortunately don’t stop there. Beyond reduced concentration, more serious metabolic and cardiovascular health issues can start to develop when insomnia becomes chronic. These conditions are often harder to notice or even attribute to poor sleep, as they are insidious and develop over longer periods of time.

Let’s explore the reasons why quality sleep is an essential factor for your wellbeing, and discuss natural remedies and tools you can employ to get your sleep (and health) back on track.

When Sleep Dips, Blood Sugar Rises

Whilst we can’t necessarily feel it, testing and research shows our blood sugar levels are hugely influenced by our sleep. In fact, adults reporting five hours of sleep or less per night were 2.5 times more likely to have diabetes compared to those who slept the recommended seven to eight hours per night.

Whilst the exact link between poor sleep and diabetes isn’t definitely clear, it’s suggested that sleep deprivation may lead to increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system (the fight or flight response), which goes on to negatively influence several hormonal pathways that govern our metabolism.

The Heart Aches for Sleep

This fight or flight response is also a main reason why long term sleep issues are associated with cardiovascular diseases such as high blood pressure and heart attack. Here, due to the physical stress poor sleep creates, the body starts to produce elevated levels of ‘stress’ hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. The corresponding side effects of this are increases in blood pressure, heart rate and contraction, increasing the risk of cardiac diseases.

This was shown in a decade long study, demonstrating five hours of sleep or less per night resulted in a 45% increased risk of heart attack. Another study found that sleep loss can activate inflammatory pathways in the body that are also linked with cardiovascular disease.

A Lack of Zzz’s Cause an Increase in Kg’s

Similarly, when it comes to weight, the more sleep loss you experience, the greater the risk of becoming overweight or obese. It appears a primary reason for this is that dysfunctional sleep increases appetite levels. Specifically, sleep loss was found to decrease levels of our appetite supressing hormone, leptin, and increase levels of our appetite-stimulating compound, called ghrelin.

This can make us desire more food, and have more difficulty stopping eating, leading us to consume more calories than we need.

Sleep loss was found to decrease levels of our appetite supressing hormone, leptin, and increase levels of our appetite-stimulating compound, called ghrelin.

Restoring Sleep, Restoring Health

It’s easy to understand why getting a good night’s sleep is so important for a healthy body. Rest assured, if your sleep needs a little TLC, there’s a multitude of natural remedies and lifestyle tools that can help restore a full and restful night’s sleep.

Here are my top four:

Light in the morning and darkness at night. Each of us have an inbuilt body clock, called the circadian rhythm. When you are exposed to the sun each morning, your circadian rhythm triggers the production of the stimulating hormone cortisol, and upon nightfall, triggers the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin. However, when we spend most of our time exposed to the artificial lights in our homes, on public transport, in our workplaces and/or by using electronic devices, our bodies miss these environmental queues; causing our circadian rhythm, and hence our sleep, to become disrupted. In particular, the blue light emitted from digital devices, such as phones, tablets, computers and TVs is especially stimulating to your body. This blue light convinces your brain it’s day time and that it is appropriate to be awake and alert! However, many of us use these devices into the evening, which is the exact time we should be winding down and exposing ourselves to gentler lighting, so we can encourage our melatonin to rise and sleep to come easily. Therefore, increasing your exposure to sunlight in the early morning and throughout your day, using candles or yellow/orange coloured lighting in the evening, and turning off the digital devices at least an hour before bedtime will all help to restore your body’s natural, sleep-promoting circadian rhythm.
Magnesium can reduce muscle tightness, helping the body relax into a more restful sleep, which is especially useful after a busy day. This vital mineral can also reduce cortisol and increase melatonin levels, and has shown to support the onset of deep sleep cycles, which are essential for your sleep to be restorative and healing.
Lutein and zeaxanthin. These antioxidant nutrients known as carotenoids are found naturally within the eye. Supplementing with these can help the eyes to filter and offset the negative effects of blue light, and further improve your circadian rhythm and sleep quality by increasing the production of melatonin in the eye.
California poppy. This herb has a long history of being used as a sedative in traditional herbal medicine, with modern research confirming it works via increasing the activity of our principle calming neurotransmitter, called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). A great antidote for those times you feel too stimulated or stressed to sleep, this herb can be used to help calm your mind and body heading into bedtime.

Increasing your exposure to sunlight in the early morning and throughout your day, using candles or yellow/orange coloured lighting in the evening, and turning off the digital devices at least an hour before bedtime will all help to restore your body’s natural, sleep-promoting circadian rhythm.

Let’s Get Sleepy

Whilst ongoing sleep dysfunction can increase the risk of developing conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity, addressing disruptions to your circadian rhythm will re-establish healthy sleep patterns, having many positive effects on your long-term health. Use the supplemental and lifestyle suggestions shared above to get started, and consider talking to a Practitioner for a holistic plan tailored specifically for getting your sleep back on track. Your blood sugar, heart and waistline will thank you!

December 9, 2023 by Luke Leave a Comment

Christmas Closure and Important Dates

Luke Clarke Functional Medicine will be closed from Friday the 22nd of December 2023 and re-open on Wednesday the 10th of January 2024.

To schedule an appointment and for product orders please:

Phone 038820 0010
Email an order to info@lukeclarke.com.au
Visit www.lukeclarke.com.au

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas and a safe holiday season.

Warm regards

Luke Clarke

December 9, 2023 by Luke Leave a Comment

Surviving the Holiday Eating Splurge

Christmas is coming, and that means parties, celebrations and lots of delicious festive food. Whilst holidays can come and go in a blink of an eye, the extra kilos that result from over indulging can be a little harder shift. So whether you’re dieting currently, or just wish to avoid that festive weight gain, here are my insights into enjoying the silly season without gaining weight at the same time.

The ice cream made me do it!

Firstly, let’s examine why overeating is so easy to do. When it comes to the festive season, there plenty of socialising with cheese and crackers, receiving gifts of chocolate and shortbread, Christmas day feasting on roast pork and potatoes, and finishing all of this off with Christmas pudding with ice cream.

The problem with these foods is that they combine of fats, carbohydrates and salt. When these ingredients occur together, the resulting food is considered ‘hyperpalatable’, meaning it provides a greater sense of pleasure and reward to the brain in comparison to a normal wholefood.

Calorie dense, rich, salty and/or sweet – these foods override your appetite control mechanisms that normally signal: “you’ve had enough”.

When your brain senses a hyperpalatable food to taste so good, it pushes past normal satiety limits, a surge in brain chemicals (such as dopamine) occurs, and reward-seeking behaviour is established. All of this combined results in a brain that gets tricked into being addicted and driven to keep eating, even if you don’t need the calories for energy.

Whilst hyperpalatable foods will be everywhere this silly season, all hope is not lost! Instead, arm yourself with the below strategies to help you avoid them and mitigate excess holiday weight gain:

Consuming a protein rich snack or shake before feasting will help to satiate your body’s appetite and balance your blood sugar. This reduces your hunger signals and cravings for hyperpalatable foods, protecting your waistline!
If leftover food compels you to keep eating, plan to utilise leftovers in the days to come or make doggie bags for guests to take home – this not only prevents overeating, but also reduces food waste.
If you normally pile your plate high, and then can’t stop till it’s clean, halve your regular portion size, and wait 5 minutes after finishing to decide if you need more.
As hyperpalatable foods are pleasurable, your brain can often crave them to soothe itself if upset. As Christmas time can present stressful situations for some, brainstorm 5 ways before the festivities start that you can de-stress and create calm. A walk, 5 minutes outside or putting on your favourite music will help to soothe your stress response, and prevent unwanted calories from comforting through food.

Take a break during the holidays

If you’re currently on a diet, hyperpalatable foods can present a real challenge throughout the Christmas period. Beyond the tips above, another strategy to assist your weight loss efforts could actually be to take a break from actively dieting. Not only will it allow a bit more ease during an often busy period, it may also help you lose more weight in the long run.

Whilst this perhaps sounds counter-intuitive, recent research has found structured diet breaks throughout a weight loss program improve long term results when compared to continued caloric restriction.

How can this be? When reducing calories on a diet, the body often slows down it metabolic rate to match this, making it harder to lose weight long term. By taking a break from your active diet, you prevent your body from reducing its metabolism, whilst also giving your mind a period to relax from your diet. However, bear in mind a break does not equate to consuming unlimited hyperpalatable foods – still aim to use the tips above and follow a wholefood diet, and you’ll give your brain and metabolism a boost for ongoing success.

Whether you’re already dieting, want to avoid holiday weight gain, or know weight loss is a 2024 goal, a natural healthcare Practitioner is the best person to guide you. They can create a tailored program, provide personalised strategies to avoid hyperpalatable foods, structure breaks into your diet, and help you maintain your weight loss results into the future.

September 25, 2023 by Luke Leave a Comment

Burnout – More than just exhaustion

We live in an era of unprecedented connectivity, relentless work schedules, and constant demands on our time and attention. While our modern age offers conveniences and opportunities that past generations couldn’t have dreamt of, it also comes with its unique set of challenges. Among these is the pervasive experience of burnout.

Globally, burnout levels have risen in part due to the aftermath effects of COVID-19, and in part due to the ‘eat, sleep, work, repeat’ daily grind. In Australia, workers are experiencing a higher level of burnout at 62%, whilst across the Tasman, burnout rates for Kiwi workers are at 70%, compared to a global average of 48%. So, given this is a significant issue for our society, how do you know if you are experiencing burnout?

The symptoms of burnout include:

Exhaustion
Anxiety
Indifference
Depression
Irritability and anger
Sleep disturbance
Lack of motivation or passion
Cognitive problems
Impaired performance
Becoming asocial
Emotional lability

In addition to these symptoms, the negative effects of burnout can have significant impacts on relationships, work/home life and self-care.

Burnout is often attributed to spreading oneself too thin, but how does this excessive and/or prolonged stress result in the development of burnout?

The biology of burnout

In the face of acute stress, the body responds via the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activating the ‘flight or fight’ response. The ANS reacts within seconds, increasing heart rate, blood pressure and the release of adrenalin and noradrenalin. Simultaneously, but at a slower rate, HPA axis releases a cascade of hormones including cortisol influencing blood sugar, energy and the immune system.

This chain of events is fundamental for survival and thus beneficial in small amounts. However, excessive and/or prolonged stress is suggested to inhibit the return of these systems to homeostasis resulting in a constant ‘flight or fight’ state which has been linked to burnout.

Additionally, other factors predispose one to ‘burning out’ such as age, relationship status and gender, with higher rates of burnout reported in women compared with men.

Personality traits can also put one at risk, where individuals with dominant attributes of perfectionism, diligence, an inability to say no and a work-focused persona are much more likely to develop burnout.

Reigniting the burned out flame

Whether you are already burned out or on the road to burnout, both are recoverable. Ensuring you are receiving core nutritional support is vital in helping you rebuild whilst optimising the stress response to promote resilience.

Natural Ways to Combat Burnout

Although it’s tempting to look for a quick fix or a pill to resolve our feelings of burnout, the reality is that genuine, lasting recovery often involves a holistic and natural approach. Here are some effective natural remedies and habits to help manage and prevent burnout:

1. Prioritize Self-Care: Make time for activities that nourish your body, mind, and soul. Whether it’s a hot bath, reading a book, practicing meditation, or taking a walk in nature, find what rejuvenates you and make it a regular part of your routine.

2. Sleep: The importance of a good night’s sleep cannot be overstated. Ensure you’re getting 7-9 hours of quality sleep every night. Establish a bedtime routine, maintain a dark and cool sleeping environment, and avoid screens before bedtime.

3. Healthy Diet: Eating a balanced and nutritious diet can directly impact your mood and energy. Consume plenty of whole foods, reduce processed foods, and hydrate properly.

4. Physical Activity: Exercise has been proven to reduce stress and improve mood due to the release of endorphins, which are natural mood elevators. Find an activity you enjoy, whether it’s yoga, jogging, or dancing.

5. Take Breaks: Taking short breaks during the day can significantly reduce stress. This might mean stepping outside for fresh air, practicing deep breathing, or simply stretching your body.

6. Set Boundaries: It’s okay to say no. Whether it’s declining additional tasks at work or setting limits on your time, creating boundaries is essential for mental health.

7. Connect with Others: Social connections can act as a buffer against burnout. Spend time with loved ones, join a support group, or consider seeking therapy.

8. Reduce Stimulants: Cutting down on or eliminating caffeine, nicotine, and certain medications can help reduce anxiety and improve sleep patterns.

9. Nature: Time spent in nature has been shown to reduce mental fatigue and improve concentration. Whether it’s a weekend hike or just a walk in a local park, reconnect with nature regularly.

10. Seek Professional Help: While natural remedies can be incredibly beneficial, if your burnout is severe or persistent, it may be time to seek help from a professional, whether it’s a therapist, counselor, or a doctor.

While lifestyle changes, such as better work-life balance, self-care, and rest are crucial, specific vitamins, minerals, and herbs can play a supportive role in our fight against burnout.

1. B Vitamins: Essential for brain health and energy production, B vitamins, particularly B6, B9 (folic acid), and B12, can help alleviate fatigue, boost mood, and support cognitive functions.

2. Magnesium: Often referred to as the “relaxation mineral”, magnesium can aid in muscle relaxation, improve sleep quality, and support nervous system function.

3. Vitamin C: Known for its immune-boosting properties, vitamin C also helps reduce cortisol (the stress hormone) levels, protecting against the physical effects of stress.

4. Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Found in fish oils, these fats are essential for brain health, can reduce inflammation, and have been linked to reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression.

5. Ashwagandha: This adaptogenic herb is a staple in Ayurvedic medicine. It’s known for its ability to reduce cortisol levels, combat stress, and improve energy levels.

6. Rhodiola Rosea: Another adaptogen, Rhodiola has been shown to enhance energy, stamina, and mental capacity, particularly during times of stress or fatigue.

7. Lemon Balm: This calming herb can help reduce anxiety, promote sleep, and improve cognitive function.

8. Valerian Root: Often used to treat insomnia, valerian can also be an ally in reducing anxiety and promoting a sense of calm.

9. Lavender: Whether consumed as a tea or inhaled as an essential oil, lavender is known for its calming and sleep-promoting effects.

Conclusion

Burnout can be overwhelming, but with awareness and proactive measures, it’s manageable. By integrating these natural strategies into your daily life, you not only stand a better chance of combating burnout but also set the foundation for a more balanced and fulfilling life.