Mostly foggy; definite chance of a (localised!) heatwave or, indeed, many during the day; most will experience moments of highs and lows (let's hope for more highs today); for those who are really lucky, there's always a chance of a storm or two! Oh and more fog!
This forecast might be marginally amusing but these types of days can be pretty challenging for a lot of women in that peri to post menopause journey. As I am sure many will know there are something like 36 symptoms - some women will tick just a few boxes whilst others will tick every single one. It's a massive science and historically little research had been done into the why's and what's but now things are getting better, providing women with so much more information and we should be empowered to make our own choices and create our own menopause management plan.
We've always talked about the menopause as being an accepted part of the ageing process and often some symptoms get confused or mistaken for other conditions related to ageing. One of these and the one that I find the most bothersome is that of 'brain fog' and what feels like a real threat to cognitive health. Typical peri to post menopause cognitive complaints will include:
Brain fog - Yep!
Lack of concentration - Yep!
Lack of sharpness - Yep!
Trouble finding words - Yep!
Forgetfulness - Yep!
Lack of mental stamina and energy - Yep!
Add anxiety and mood swings into this and who knows what kind of day you're going to have! I can honestly say that I regularly forget words, struggle to remember where I parked the car (let alone why I'm even looking for it!!) and some days have a total inability to focus on anything. There can be real moments of total dysfunction!
It's definitely an area for concern for women as without understanding the impact of hormonal changes during this transition time, there is a fear that we are all going barking mad. My message though folks is don't panic!!
What is going on in the female brain during the menopause transition?
We can think about it as a neuro-endocrine (brain + hormone) driven event.
I like this image albeit a little intense, (from a research paper into the neurological aspects of the menopause transition) as it shows the many areas of the brain concerned with temperature and energy, memory, learning, mood, anxiety etc all having estrogen receptors. So if we are experiencing a decline in estrogen levels then no wonder some of this head stuff plays games with us! Estrogen appears to be the master regulator that functions through a network of estrogen receptors to ensure the brain effectively responds with the right signals for action. This is a simple summary of what is happening and of course the science is much more in depth so if you can be bothered to read more then it is very interesting. Obviously it is not just declining estrogen that is at play here, there are a plethora of hormones involved in the menopause and its symptoms each reacting to different levels of each other and causing us grief in some way or another!
There is increasing evidence that our apparent 'brain malfunction' is a temporary decrement. Don't forget some cognitive decline occurs with aging and so women might feel that things are really really bad. What is happening during menopause is that we are more sensitive to the hormonal ageing (as compared to men anyway!) than to chronological ageing. Dr Lisa Mosconi (a renowned neuroscientist and author of may publications around women's brain health) reminds us that this is a normal physiological event. Her studies suggest that our brain has the ability to find a new 'normal' post menopause (thank goodness!) and that there is recalibration. We just need to look after it!
Are there things we can do to help our brain health?
Absolutely. We can help protect our brain and improve our cognitive health. Of course this could be in the form of hormone therapy which will help with a number of symptoms like hot flushes. But there are other options that can support our hormones and the affects on the brain and do not require medications (for those who may have medically induced menopause and or cannot take HRT) but do require taking a good look at our lifestyle. The food we eat, our level of exercise and of course our level of stress will all impact our hormones and brain health.
The super good news is that whatever you do to help protect the brain is also good for your general health: Protecting your cardiovascular health, musculoskeletal health, gut health and metabolic health will all serve to protect and improve the brain's performance not only now but in the future. So....
Check your diet: . One suggestion made by Dr Louise Newson (a UK leading menopause specialist) is to follow the principles of a Mediterranean diet. This is high in vegetables, nuts and seeds, beans, wholegrains, fermented dairy, seafood (or other sources of Omega 3 oils), lean meat, unsaturated fats and is low in processed foods. Ideally you don't want too much alcohol either if possible! This type of diet is thought to reduce the risk of cognitive decline, depression and anxiety and other mid life conditions such as heart disease. Your brain will thank you for consuming antioxidants gained from fruit and vegetables (think multicoloured - the more the merrier) which will help fight against any free radical attack on the brain. The overwhelming advice would be to always consume a varied and balanced diet with as much whole food and natural sources as possible. Do not go down the road of thinking you can fill in any gaps with dietary supplements without taking advice from a healthcare professional as it is important to know what your deficiencies are and what the right dose is for you.
Oh and stay hydrated, even mild dehydration can affect the brain's processing abilities and impair short term memory.
Check your physical activity level: think about moving more if you know you are sedentary; incorporate all functional types of activity to help with daily living - cardiovascular (endurance and a little bit of higher intensity), strength training, flexibility, balance. Try and include exercise that trains coordination skills, agility, reaction times.
Check your rest levels: are you getting enough sleep? If you do workout are you allowing adequate recovery and rest days?
Check your stress levels: this is a real biggie! Women will report feeling more stressful during their menopausal journey. This is likely to be a combination of hormonal changes and symptoms as well as where we are in our lives. Think about it - for many women this stage of life coincides with being part of the 'sandwich generation' where they are still supporting children but also entering the period where they are caring for elderly parents. In other words unable to properly put themselves first when they absolutely should be! Often this is also taking place whilst still in the workplace.
The buffering effect of progesterone and estrogen on our stress hormones (cortisol and adrenaline) is reduced as these hormonal levels decline meaning we can have sustained high levels of stress which in turn can play havoc with our mental health. Don't add fuel to this fire! Try and identify stress, accept it's happening but also cut it off, complete the stress cycle and close it down. Stress is certainly something we can control or at least employ strategies to help reduce the impact. Typical stress busters include:
Exercise and movement
Mindfulness / meditation
Breathing exercises
Laughter and social interaction
A new hobby/learning (mind you learning something new could be tricky at the moment!!!)
The overall message here is to remember that the menopause does have a massive impact on our brain health. Some of it can be quite scary especially when it causes behaviour that isn't easily explained. Consider all that is mentioned above, think about lifestyle and what elements are modifiable. Different things will work for different people. The important thing is to inform, assess and decide what might be useful to you.
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