What Is The Relationship Between Brain Fog And Menopause?

Brain fog is described as the inability of the brain to function properly leading to confusion, lack of mental clarity and focus and forgetfulness. While the condition causes hindrance in day-to-day activities, it is often misunderstood or ignored, especially in the case of menopausal women.

Menopause is characterised by various symptoms including night sweats, irregular periods, hot flashes, mood changes and brain fog. Out of all these symptoms, the one that people have relatively less awareness about is brain fog.

A study found that around 60 percent of middle-aged women reported difficulty concentrating and other issues with cognition. When women go through perimenopause (menopausal transition), the issues spike.

There are women who tend to ignore brain fog claiming it to be just their age while others tend to overestimate it by considering it a grave issue. It is important to have complete knowledge about menopausal brain fog for the sake of good health. Here's all you need to know about brain fog and menopause and how they're related to each other.

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Brain Fog And Menopause

Brain fog is a common pre-menopausal symptom caused by the hormonal imbalance around the age of 45 to 50 years and can be expected to remain till the age of 65 years in women. There was not much awareness about it earlier and women used to simply ignore it and they used to worry when they weren't able to remember things and focus well during their 40's.

Recently, women have become more aware of brain fog and that it is a symptom of menopause but lack of complete information still remains a worry.

If you are in your 40's and often forget to do normal daily things like taking the car keys or watering the plants or are having a hard to focusing on things and are confused, this might be a symptom of menopause. Don't worry, it is not forever, it is just a temporary condition and hardly ever turns into dementia. In fact, menopausal brain fog can be treated to some extent without much medications.

While other symptoms of menopause can be treated with Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), it is not the case with brain fog. To target brain fog, you have to target your mental and physical health and turn to a healthier lifestyle. Asha Kasliwal, a menopause consultant at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, recommends taking a diet that consists of fresh fruits and vegetables, oily fish and other seafood, whole grains, nuts, beans and avoid having high sugar intake.

Appropriate sleep schedule can help with brain fog significantly but lack of sleep is also a common symptom of menopause. HRT can be helpful in improving your sleeping pattern and indirectly reduce brain fog as it makes you sleep better. In fact, relaxing your mind, either by proper sleep or meditation and yoga is really helpful in dealing with menopausal brain fog. It will reduce stress and relieve physical and mental fatigue eventually helping with brain fog.

Women should also try to engage in activities they find amusing like going out with friends, taking a walk and other forms of social engagement. If they feel overwhelmed with constantly forgetting things, they can take help of notes, to-d-lists and write things down to manage their activities and time efficiently. This can help them in managing their daily work and reduce stress which eventually helps with brain fog.

Asha Kasliwal recommends women to be more open about brain fog and have conversations with others to raise awareness about it in their peers. If they want to get more information about it, they can also look up about it online but they should make sure to only refer to trusted sites like  Women's Health Concern. Brain fog is a common symptom of menopause and though it seems troubling, it is not permanent and can be dealt with choosing a healthy and stress-free lifestyle.