Brain fog

As with many of the other symptoms associated with menopause, our hormones have an impact on how our brains work. There is still a lot that science hasn’t yet been able to explain, but what we do know is that oestrogen has an impact on how our brains use glucose – the food that fuels our brains. When oestrogen levels change during perimenopause and menopause, this can reduce the performance of our brains, leaving us feeling a little fuzzier than before. Some women have even described it as feeling like their brains were “a ball of cotton wool”.

Other hormones such as cortisol and testosterone can also have an impact on how our brains perform, both of which undergo changes during the stages of menopause. Its safe to say that you are not going crazy – and your brain fog probably has a biochemical cause.

In addition to the impact of hormones on our brain chemistry, there are a number of other common menopause symptoms that can impact how well our brain functions. Lack of proper sleep, anxiety, depression, tiredness, hot flushes or night sweats – these can all impact how well our brains perform and add to that overall foggy feeling.

Here are a couple of things that you can do to help manage brain fog during menopause.

• Getting enough rest and sleep: We know this sounds counter-intuitive as you may be struggling to sleep for other menopause-related reasons, but sufficient rest and quality sleep is essential for good brain health.
  Eating a healthy diet for your brain: While there’s no single diet that one should follow for a healthy brain, the Mediterranean diet has been shown to have a lot of the good stuff that your brain needs to function at its best (https://www.lisamosconi.com/brainfood). Foods like dark green leafy veggies, virgin olive oil, berries and raw cacao are all known to help our brains stay healthy.
• Make a to-do list: It is hard to keep up with the long list of things we need to do each day – and a foggy brain just makes it that much harder to remember. So get started making lists. They are a great tool to ensure you don’t forget the important stuff or the small stuff.
• Challenge your brain: The research tells us that our brain works like a muscle – if you don’t use it, train it, and stretch it, it eventually loses its strength and ability to do what it needs to do. One of the best things we can do as we get older – and it helps with brain fog too – is to exercise our brains. Learn a new language. Get cosy with a book of puzzles. Or even try your hand at a musical instrument. We are sure the neighbours will love it!
• Regular exercise (yes, again): By now, you may have noticed a common thread in for dealing with many of the most common menopause symptoms… exercise! Getting physically active is good for all parts of the body, brain included. Regular aerobic exercise has been shown to promote good brain health in women. It doesn’t matter what you do – go for a walk, or something more vigorous. Getting and staying active is key to good health and managing your menopause symptoms.

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Disclaimer: This information is for general educational purposes, and should not be used as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment of any health condition or problem.