How To Clear Peri-menopause Brain Fog
Have you found yourself struggling to think of the right word or repeatedly losing things? It might be peri-menopause brain fog! It’s probably one of the most annoying and frightening symptoms, because it’s natural to think that dementia is setting in. Peri-menopause brain fog can have a huge impact on performance at work too, and many women won’t discuss it with their manager in case they’re thought incapable of doing their job.
So read on to find out how to clear peri-menopause brain fog using diet, exercise and natural remedies.
Are you in peri-menopause?
You probably know all about the fatigue, hot flushes and mood swings that can come with peri-menopause. You might not know about some of the other symptoms though. My blog on the stages of peri-menopause talks about these in more detail, but to summarise, other symptoms include:
- Anxiety or depression
- Insomnia
- Aches & pains
- Anger
- Migraines
- Heavy or erratic periods
- Skin problems
- Brain fog
What is peri-menopause brain fog?
‘Brain fog’ is the inability to think clearly that many of us experience during peri-menopause. Typical examples include:
- Losing your train of thought
- Being able to think of the right word but still saying the wrong one.
- Forgetting names (even of the people you’re speaking to!)
- Losing things
- Being unable to focus on one or more tasks
- Misjudging people or situations where you wouldn’t before
What causes peri-menopause brain fog?
Low oestrogen
We’re repeatedly being told that:
- Oestrogen (oestrodiol in particular) protects our brain cells
- Our brains can’t cope without this oestrogen after menopause
- We’re therefore all doomed to get dementia unless we top up oestrogen with HRT.
We know from PET scans that the brain definitely resets itself during peri-menopause as oestrogen levels drop. The brain has to get used to the newer, less potent forms of oestrogen that take over, and for a while that can mean that the nerve cells work more slowly than usual.
Personally, I also think that our brains are much more busy, more overworked and more neglected now than ever before. Our brains start to complain about this more loudly during peri-menopause, leading to brain fog, insomnia and hot flushes amongst other symptoms.
There are lots of ways you can take care of your brain during perimenopause, and we’ll talk about them more in a moment.
How Does Brain Inflammation Link To Peri-menopause Brain Fog?
This is becoming a huge problem in our society in general, and there are a number of reasons why. This study suggests that social isolation contributes to brain inflammation, and it’s common in peri-menopause to want to spend more time alone. I always recommend still socialising even if it’s uncomfortable, as it can be difficult to mix with other people again after a long period of isolation.
We tend to eat highly processed convenience foods, which have also now been linked to brain inflammation. Even raw ingredients like vegetables aren’t as nutritious as they were 100 years ago due to intensive production methods, so most of us are suffering with subclinical malnutrition. This means that although we can function day to day, we’re not in optimum health and more at risk of developing chronic health problems later in life.
Sleep can suffer due to a fast-paced lifestyle, and then for lots of us, peri-menopausal insomnia on top! Our brains swell slightly when we’re asleep, allowing fluid to wash amyloid plaques from the cells, and hormones like Growth Factor to make any repairs.
I could go on, but I’m sure you get the idea! Brain inflammation is strongly linked to our modern diet, gut health and lifestyle. Given how much of a problem dementia is becoming now, it’s a shame that this is not being made common knowledge with public health campaigns.
The Gut-brain Connection and Brain fog
Good health always starts with your digestion. Not only does it supply vital nutrients to keep you firing on all cylinders, but it’s also key to your mental and immune health too. Around 90% of your serotonin, an important chemical for focus and clarity, is made in your gut. If your gut microbiome is not in great shape, it will impact your ability to create serotonin, break down excess oestrogen and control inflammation.
Your gut microbiome is an ecosystem of fungi, bacteria and viruses that feed all the other microbiomes around the rest of your body. Even the brains of some people with poor mental health and/or degenerative brain disease have been found to contain unhealthy microbes. Ideally, the unhelpful pathogens in the gut are kept at low levels, and you have a good variety of the healthier ones, but there are lots of factors that can upset the balance, for example:
- Medication like antibiotics and oral contraceptives
- Chemicals in foods and tap water
- Too much sugar
- Chronic stress
- Nicotine
‘Leaky gut’ is a common problem whether or not we’re in peri-menopause, but due to the hormone changes, it can get worse. It’s where the lining of the gut becomes damaged, allowing large molecules from our food to enter the bloodstream. Because they’re not supposed to be there, this kicks of an inflammatory response by the immune system, which in turn damages the gut lining further. This is partly why we get new food intolerances during perimenopause, and this inevitably affects both brain and mental health. Later in the immune response, your body will release endorphins, which make you feel relaxed and happy. The problem is, they’re also totally addictive, so you end up addicted to your inflammatory foods! If there are any foods you can’t live without, that might be why!
How is Insulin Resistance Linked To Brain Fog?
This is another huge problem in society at large but even more so during peri-menopause. One of the brain changes can be that the cells become resistant to insulin, a hormone that would naturally carry sugar in through the cell walls. Although there might be enough sugar bathing the brain cells, it can’t get in, so they become energy-starved and start to malfunction. The brain prefers healthy dietary fats and ketone bodies from stored fat, rather than sugary carbohydrates anyway.
Changing to a Mediterranean diet, without processed food or stodgy carbohydrates is key both for treating brain fog and protecting the long-term health of your brain.
Insomnia – the final nail in the alertness coffin!
Low oestrogen in the brain stem will affect our ability to sleep, and this is a really common problem in peri-menopause. Besides the oestrogen itself affecting brain function, when we add insomnia in, it becomes even harder to deal with. Lack of sleep robs our brains of the opportunity to get a good nightly wash, which would normally help to remove the amyloid plaques that contribute to degeneration.
Natural Cures for Peri-menopause Brain Fog
Exercise
I had terrible brain fog from a combination of peri-menopause and Covid, and whilst the herbs and vitamins helped to some extent, it was swimming that really helped. Within 2 weeks of taking up swimming, my brain fog had virtually gone, and I decided to look into how it worked. I believe that the Covid had caused minor damage to my brain (what we politely now call a ‘brain change’) and apparently swimming can sometimes help repair damaged brain tissue. The breathing pattern needs to be very specific when we swim, so the blood gets a welcome oxygen boost. At the same time, the bilateral movement pushes that oxygen towards the brain, whilst also knitting new connections between the left and right sides.
Other good exercises for brain fog include yoga and cold water swimming.
Reducing inflammation
Depending on what your current diet and lifestyle is like, this might mean a few tweaks or a major overhaul. It’s a huge topic, but here’s a quick checklist of areas to look at:
- Swapping processed, sugary and stodgy foods for a healthier Mediterranean diet.
- Whether you can safely reduce or come off anti-depressants. You might need support, and even then it may not be appropriate for you. Don’t worry if you can’t – there are still plenty of other things you can do.
- Deep relaxation to help minimise the impact of stress
- Improve your sleep quality
Improving Sleep
There’s no insomnia like peri-menopause insomnia!
If you’ve already tried a relaxing bedtime routine, magnesium supplements, Epsom salts baths etc, and you’re still not sleeping, you need herbs. You probably need hefty doses of quite potent sleep herbs, along with some others that will address why you’re not sleeping. Feel free to contact me to find out more.
Lion’s Mane Mushroom
Although relatively new to western naturopathic medicine, Lion’s Mane has been used in Asia for thousands of years. One of its many properties is helping to protect the brain and keep it working optimally, and there are a number of ways it seems to do this. Lion’s Mane increases Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) which promotes the growth of new brain cells and has been shown helpful in treating early stage dementia. It also reduces brain inflammation, improving memory, concentration, and understanding. Quality is everything when it comes to using medicinal mushroom supplements, as they have to be grown and prepared in a specific way to ensure their potency. It’s well worth investing in a higher quality supplement and using less of it. This is the supplier I use.
Phyto-oestrogens and peri-menopause brain fog
There’s currently a large study in progress looking at the effects of phyto-oestrogens on brain health. Using phyto-oestrogenic herbs in my prescriptions clearly helps to relieve the symptoms of brain fog, and there’s some evidence that Sage in particular helps with cognitive function both in perimenopause, and early stages of dementia.
Other good phyto-oestrogens for the brain include:
- Walnuts (they even look like brains!)
- Flax seed
- Legumes
- Apricots
Aromatherapy For Peri-menopause Brain Fog
Research has shown that certain essential oils, including Rosemary and Peppermint can improve memory and concentration. I make nasal inhalers for my patients using this blend, and it really helps especially as a first aid measure when they’re at work. A friend of mine who runs her own marketing company started diffusing this in her meetings and noticed that they were finishing much faster than before!
Does Peri-menopause brain fog lead to dementia?
Worrying that the brain fog is actually early dementia is no doubt one of the most frightening aspects of it! In most cases, it’s only temporary as the brain resets itself, but it’s important to understand that often the same root cause is implicated in both: brain inflammation. We know that path to dementia starts in mid-life, decades before the first symptoms show, so peri-menopause is a vital time to get into good habits.
We’re often being told that we need to take HRT in order to protect ourselves from dementia, because oestrogen has a protective effect on brain function. Personally, I believe that oestrogen is only a tiny part of a bigger dementia picture. I know a number of women over 70 who’ve never had HRT and have razor sharp thinking. I also know a much smaller number who have dementia, but having looked into it I think that our modern diet and lifestyle is the perfect storm for chronic brain inflammation. Extensive research has proven that simply getting daily exercise from mid-life onwards can reduce risk by 30-45%. You may also be interested in this book by Neurologist Dr Dale Bredesen who’s devoted his career to researching ways of preventing and reversing dementia.
Where to get more help with peri-menopause brain fog
If you’re looking for more detailed self-care advice, you need module 2 of my Rejuven8 programme.
If peri-menopause brain fog is making your life a misery, book a free call now to explore your best treatment options.
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