What Causes Brain Fog During Menopause and How is it Treated?

Experiencing moments when your thoughts seem to be moving through a thick fog? You're not alone. Many individuals going through menopause find themselves grappling with what's often called menopause brain fog. And forgetfulness is just one menopause brain fog symptoms you could experience.

This blog post will address menopause-related cognitive changes, help you understand why they happen, as well as how you can manage them.

What is Menopause Brain Fog?

Menopause brain fog is a term that describes the cognitive difficulties you might face, including challenges during menopause with memory loss, concentration, and processing information.

It's often compared to feeling mentally "cloudy", or as if your brain is "made of cotton wool". Common symptoms of menopause brain fog include forgetfulness, difficulty focusing, trouble multitasking, and feeling mentally less sharp.

What Causes Brain Fog During Menopause?

The causes of brain fog during menopause are multifaceted, involving hormonal, lifestyle, and psychological factors:

• Hormonal Fluctuations: Changes in estrogen and progesterone levels during menopause can impact cognitive health, as these hormones play a role in brain function.
• Sleep Disturbances: Menopause can disrupt your sleep patterns, leading to tiredness and cognitive difficulties.
• Stress, anxiety and mood changes: Emotional changes during menopause can affect your concentration and memory.
• Other Factors: Age-related cognitive decline and lifestyle factors also contribute to brain fog.
  

How Common is Menopause Brain Fog?

Many people going through menopause report experiencing changes in their thinking abilities. Studies indicate that approximately two-thirds of individuals transitioning through menopause notice forgetfulness, and/or some other form of cognitive change.

Due to the fact that fluctuating hormones cause many symptoms of menopause to be most severe or frequent during perimenopause, brain fog may first present during this stage.

Can Brain Fog Be Treated?

First of all, please be reassured that while brain fog can be difficult, it’s a totally normal experience during the menopause transition. And the good news is it isn't permanent.

The key things you can do are:

• Review potential contributing causes:  Evaluating sleep disturbances, stress, and lifestyle changes is crucial. Regular check-ups to rule out conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, sleep apnea, mental health concerns, and thyroid issues are also important.
• Lifestyle Adjustments: Engaging in regular exercise, maintaining a healthy diet, ensuring adequate sleep, and managing stress can significantly improve cognitive function.
• Cognitive Training: Activities that stimulate the brain (i.e., puzzles or learning new skills), can enhance focus and memory.
• Professional Support: Counseling or therapy may help manage stress and anxiety. Medications to support mood may also be beneficial in some cases.

While it is not clear if these treatments affect brain fog in menopause, they may still help you feel better in general.

If your menopause brain fog symptoms are severe, you have any concerns, or maybe you have a strong family history of dementia and are understandably worried - you can consider formal memory testing. Menopause and forgetfulness is normal. Menopause and permanent memory loss isn’t.

Dementia in midlife is rare but it's reasonable to be tested to be reassured, and that peace of mind can also help provide relief from stress.

Does Hormone Treatment Help with Brain Fog?

While hormonal therapy may not be a helpful menopause brain fog treatment, there are many things you can do to protect your brain:

Overall Strategies for Supporting Brain Health:

• Screen for and treat conditions that can affect brain health (i.e., diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.)
• Address and treat any mood disorders
• Limit alcohol consumption
• Treat hearing impairment as this can contribute to cognitive change
• Engage in frequent social contact, which has been found to support your cognitive function
• Exercise
• Quit smoking
• Dietary changes, such as focusing on plant-based foods, and limiting animal-based foods that are high in saturated fats and heavily processed

Remember, you're not alone in this journey. Felix’s healthcare practitioners can provide personalized advice and support tailored to your needs. Managing menopause and its symptoms, including brain fog, is a step toward maintaining your overall well-being during this transition.

With Felix in your corner, you can take back control of your quality of life, so that you can get back to living life on your terms - the way it should be.