The fog of menopause
Many of us don’t make the connection between forgetfulness and perimenopause, instead blaming it on the stress of juggling work/life/family. Your brain is home to lots of oestrogen receptors so when hormone levels dip during perimenopause, your memory, concentration and ability to think clearly can be affected.
It’s common to misplace items or feel unable to focus on tasks that were once easy. When talking, you might forget the name of a person or object. Strangely, it’s often nouns that disappear, so you might find yourself describing the thing you want to talk about. You may also struggle to prioritize tasks, recall phone numbers or passwords, remember appointments, or multitask. Collectively, these symptoms are known as “brain fog”.
But why??
Ovarian hormones are essential for brain health and decreasing levels of oestrogen and progesterone during perimenopause can cause a decline in cognition, memory and focus. Oestrogen maintains the health of blood vessels feeding the brain, reduces brain inflammation, regulates brain immune cells, and promotes the production of cognitive supporting brain growth factors.
Oestrogen is essential for the proper production of serotonin, a “happy hormone” that is best known for its role in improving mood. Serotonin affects focus, attention and memory. Oestrogen deficiency causes serotonin deficiency, which is linked to reduced cognitive performance. Additionally oestrogen is necessary for the production of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which is associated with memory.
For most women, brain fog is a nuisance, but for a few, it is significant enough to affect their personal and professional lives. Some women may even wonder if they are in the early stages of dementia?
Cognitive decline is natural with ageing, but it isn't inevitable. In general, brain health reflects overall bodily health, so the same activities that are good for your body – good nutrition, movement and sleep - will reduce brain fog symptoms.
A few tips to consider:
Keep blood sugars stable by including some protein with every meal (eg. tempeh, lentils, salmon, tofu, chicken) and snack (e.g. a few almonds with an apple or hummus on oat cakes).
Make sure you’re eating enough. Low energy intake can affect concentration.
Oily fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines, herring) have been linked with improved brain health. Think about supplementing if you don’t eat regularly (always check with your health practitioner first and do not take with blood thinning meds such as Warfarin).
B vitamins are essential for brain function and energy. Look to dark green leafy veg, beans, eggs, nuts, seeds, wholegrains, cheese, meat, fish.
Build muscle. Resistance or strength training is important to prevent sarcopenia (muscle wasting) and build muscle, which has been found to improve cognition and reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia.
Alcohol can affect your mood and your memory. It shrinks the brain, in particular the hippocampus, the part of the brain that is responsible for mood, memory and concentration.
Phytoestrogen foods such as flaxseeds and tofu, help to replace missing oestrogen and can help with brain fog and cognition. Includes 1-2 serves every day.
Get your iron levels checked. Anaemia can impact memory.
Various forms of intermittent fasting have shown promise in helping with cognitive decline cognitive health. Depending on your personal medical history you may want to speak to your health practitioner you may want to only fast under your health practitioner supervision.
Ensure plenty of rest and recovery. A mindfulness app such as @hey_clarity or @calm can also help with focus.
These are some general pointers, for a more personalised approach get in touch. Also, no matter how you approach brain fog remember that menopause doesn't mean you lose intelligence, knowledge, or experience. All of that stays with you.
Bobbie X