Brain Fog In Menopause: 5 Tips For Your Brain Health!
5 Tips For Brain Fog in Menopause
Brain fog in menopause is very common. We joke about it, using terms like “going senile” or "senior moments.”
While statements like these can be funny, and we definitely need humor at this point in our lives, sometimes, this can perpetuate our negative beliefs about aging.
In this post, we’ll chat about brain fog in menopause and perimenopause.
What is brain fog?
Why does it happen during menopause? The connection between hormones and brain fog.
5 tips for brain fog in perimenopause and menopause.
The decline in estrogen during our perimenopause and menopause years, has something to do with our cognitive slips.
In The Seattle Midlife Women’s Health Study (1), 50% of women were found to struggle with brain fog.
Brain fog in menopause seems almost inevitable. But is it?
We are raised to expect that our minds will slip a bit in menopause. And when we experience it, we fear we have a serious cognition problem coming on.
We are scared of Alzheimer’s disease and Dementia, as some of us have seen our parents suffer horribly from these conditions.
We use terms like “Senior Moments”, “Losing It”, and my mom’s fav statement:
“I am going Senile!”
It never hurts to rule out anything that you are concerned about, health-wise, so always visit your licensed care professional for any health issues.
What is brain fog?
Brain fog is not a medical term.
It is used to describe a range of symptoms that affect cognitive function. People experiencing brain fog may have difficulty thinking clearly, remembering things, and making decisions.
These symptoms can be frustrating and make it difficult to carry out daily activities.
Why does brain fog happen in menopause? The connection between hormones and brain fog.
During menopause, the body experiences hormonal changes that can impact brain function.
These hormonal changes impact how you sleep, how emotional you are, and how you handle stress.
Thyroid issues also start to show in menopause and perimenopause, and this can also affect your thinking process.
Meal skipping, because of perimenopausal or menopausal weight gain can affect blood sugar levels, and your level of brain fog. Many women are not eating enough fat, or the right fat.
There is a big drive to keep dieting, and this may result in dysglycemia, which is blood sugar imbalance.
Besides this estrogen decline, STRESS is another big factor. And GUT HEALTH! These two are stand alone blog posts, there is so much to write about with stress and with gut health.
It can be common in women who have a lower fat, and lower fibre diet.
It also corresponds with alcohol intake.
Sorry, wine lovers.
Blood sugar imbalance can lead to inflammation. This is connected with many chronic health issues, including periodontal (gum) disease (2).
I have been a dental hygienist for 22+ years, and systemic inflammation was always something I discussed with my clients.
The causes of age related dementia and Alzheimer's Disease is still under research, but there is evidence pointing towards inflammation AND oral/systemic bacteria.
There is even research on heavy metals and viruses impacting the brain.
I think a lot about the negative spin society puts on aging, especially aging women. Terms like “going senile” might seem funny, but are they are not helpful at best, and downright stigmatizing at worst.
The decline in estrogen during our perimenopause and menopause years, has something to do with our cognitive slips.
That study I mentioned above (1), states that a whopping 72% of women in perimenopause and menopause, have trouble remembering names.
50% struggle with:
phone numbers
where they put things,
what people have told them
directions they gave
general forgetting what they are doing.
“About 50 % had a problem remembering where they put things, recent phone numbers, things others told them (or they told others), keeping up correspondence and forgetting what they were doing.”
5 tips for brain fog in perimenopause and menopause.
1. Balance your Blood Sugar.
Balance of blood sugar is important for all of us. This can have an impact on our brains. The things we do to counteract the menopausal belly —> namely diet —> may mess up our blood sugar.
We don’t like our changing bellies, but they can act as a source of estrogen. The body has to get it from somewhere, so our adrenals and bellies can serve that purpose.
We don’t like the belly so we "diet".
This changes our metabolism, and not for the better. Read about the Non Diet Approach here.
We need to balance foods to keep blood sugar stable through the day, otherwise biology might drive you to eat things that quickly raise blood sugar, only to have it drop quickly.
And look for that chocolate at 9 o’clock at night.
Explore Mindful Eating principles and still enjoy foods you love.
2. Eat Fat.
Adding in Omega 3 fatty acids helps your cell membranes.
Our cells have a little case around them made of long chain fatty acids. This little case needs to be intact, and healthy too. Your body will pull from this little case, the membrane, to regulate inflammation, cardiovascular, kidney and digestive functions.
The little case can get damaged too.
It makes sense that we take care of these membranes!
You brain is also 60% fat.
I personally supplement with a very good quality plant or fish oil.
3. Use fun movement for your brain!
We need to move, yet sometimes we just feel so tired and overwhelmed to exercise.
Exercise is a way to balance hormones in perimenopause and beyond. Besides, it makes you feel good, IF YOU ARE CHOOSING MOVEMENT YOU LOVE.
However, exercising when the body is under stress, can be COUNTER PRODUCTIVE and stress your adrenals. Then inflammation sets in.
Choosing exercises that match your body’s needs is very important, and your needs do change. As we age, strength training is important to add to our movement choices. There are many ways to incorporate strength, without the gym! Yoga, body weight exercises, even a few free weights at home can make a difference!
4. Rest. Give yourself permission to do this. Please.
When we over exercise, and we are fatigued, our body perceives this as MORE stress. This perpetuates the fight or flight response, which has an impact on the hormones we need for cognition, mood stability and more. It also raises INFLAMMATION.
See the theme here?
Sometimes a simple walk outside, or restorative yoga can be the BEST choice of movement for a stressed mind and body.
Practicing Mindfulness, and breathing, can also help with stress, and in turn, your brain and thoughts.
Even a little mindfulness can reduce perceived stress, improve memory and executive functioning.
Stress is something we all have, and changing your perception around stress is KEY to calming the body, improving your sleep and clearing up your thinking.
5. ENGAGE AND CONNECT.
This could easily be at the TOP of the list.
Finding engaging and connecting relationships in menopause is a health behaviour that is necessary!
Find joy and purpose by learning something new or meeting new people.
Maybe deepening the relationships with the people in your life can also bring new meaning and purpose in menopause.
Women, who have sustained loss, in the form of death, divorce, parents, pets, or God forbid, a child, need connection and relationship more than ever.
Remember, a low fat diet does not serve your aging brain.
Yo-yo dieting and creating blood sugar spikes does not serve your menopausal brain either!
If you struggle with brain fog, or have questions about menopause health and body image struggles, book a no charge chat with me to see if my services might support you!
What does your brain think of these tips?
xo,
Tanya
Looking for more?
References:
The Seattle Midlife Women’s Health Study: a Longitudinal Prospective Study of Women During the Menopausal Transition and Early Postmenopause, Nancy Fugate Woods, Ellen Sullivan Mitchell, Women's Midlife Health 2016
Menopause, Obesity and Inflammation: Interactive Risk Factors for Alzheimer’s Disease, Christensen Amy, Pike Christian J., Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience 2015
Mindfulness Meditation Improves Cognition: Evidence of Brief Mental Training, Susan H. Johnson, et al. Consciousness and Cognition, 2010.