Where did I put the keys? What is the name of the actor? Wait, what was I supposed to buy? If you find yourself asking similar questions more and more often and you increasingly feel that your memory resembles Swiss cheese - no worries. It’s not it’s not the beginning of Alzheimer’s or your poor organisational skills. It is simply a symptom of menopause - the so-called brain fog. It might all sound grim, but there is a silver lining – you can help your brain works better!
While we all seem to know that lowering oestrogen levels around the time of menopause can cause mood swings, depression and nervousness, we rarely realise that it also has a very significant impact on our memory and concentration.
However, a study by researchers at the University of Vermont shows that as many as 60 per cent of women report memory problems related to menopause. The findings were based on a study of 200 men and women aged 45-55 years. Researchers used standardised tests to assess the subjects’ memory skills. The study found that women with lower levels of oestradiol (a form of oestrogen produced by the ovaries) performed worse in memory tests.
Sounds alarming? Don’t panic! Firstly, many women don’t have any memory problems during perimenopause. Secondly, contrary to fears – a foggy brain doesn’t have to be a symptom of any serious illness and is perfectly normal around menopause. And what’s more - there are ways to deal with Swiss cheese memory. How? With food, of course!
When your brain is lost in a fog
The brain is an organ like any other in our body, and just like the kidneys or the stomach, it needs proper treatment to function well. Frequent stress, lack of sleep, lack of physical activity - sound familiar? Add to that fluctuating hormones and you get a mix that exhausts your brain. And from this, it’s a straight path to the brain being overloaded and ‘lagging’. That’s what brain fog is - problems with memory and concentration or frequent feelings of confusion.
Your brain is what you eat
When the brain gets tired it sends out signals that it needs energy - that’s why we often crave sugar or fatty foods. But why fats? The brain desperately needs vitamins, specifically vitamin D, which is fat-soluble. This vitamin also enhances the absorption of potassium, which is necessary for the proper functioning of the nervous system. Unfortunately, the impulse to eat fatty things will not bring the expected results and improvement of brain function, if we do not provide the body with vitamins and potassium at the same time.
And here comes a common problem - especially during the menopause, we are afraid of gaining weight, so we limit the intake of fat - and thus the possibility of absorbing vitamin D. Without it, our mind begins to function poorly, we notice problems with concentration, which we mistakenly take for symptoms of some disease. Interestingly, potassium deficiencies also affect our muscles, making us feel weak and our reactions sluggish - when all these symptoms are combined, it can feel like we’re sick.
What to do? Ensure that you have adequate levels of vitamin D in your body, by eating e.g. salmon, herring and dairy products. Do not forget also to frequently reach for olive oil, as a source of good fat in which vitamin D is efficiently absorbed. Unfortunately, however, in most cases, this is still not enough, especially during winter months (the production of vitamin D is increased by the action of UV rays, i.e. the sun). Therefore, vitamin D supplementation is often recommended. Potassium is also important, so include fruits such as bananas, citrus and kiwi in your diet, or reach for tomatoes more often - they are an excellent source of this mineral.
Enjoy gherkins and chocolate
Very often we crave not only fatty, unhealthy food, but also chocolate and something sour. It seems silly to us, sometimes we feel guilty because of such cravings and we blame it on our hormones. But such fancies do make sense! Problems with concentration are mainly due to a lack of magnesium in the body. Our brains know that they can find it in chocolate, and the acidic environment helps the body to absorb magnesium better. So you’re not a spoiled woman who doesn’t know what she wants - you know exactly what you need, and that’s an increased dose of magnesium. So if you fancy a pickle while nibbling on chocolate, go for it!
Magnesium is also quite commonly found in vegetables and fruits. The problem is that most of them undergo thermal processing (aka cooking) which eliminates up to 75% of magnesium(!). This is the main reason why magnesium is one of the most recommended supplements.
What else should be introduced into the diet to avoid a foggy brain?
- Cereal coffee - unlike traditional one, cereal coffee doesn’t flush magnesium out of the body. And it’s a great source of potassium or selenium
- Black cohosh - is a very useful plant used for centuries to treat symptoms of menopause. It is best to use black cohosh supplements which also contain magnesium. Such as this one here
- Choose wholemeal bread and pasta - they are a good source of magnesium, potassium, B vitamins (B1, B2) and folic acid.
Diet alone won’t save you from brain fog, but without it, no other solutions will work. It is your foundation on which you can build your better well-being. And although no one likes the feeling of confusion or constantly forgetting things, sometimes you need to give yourself some slack. For the peace of your own mind – don’t be too harsh on yourself. Your brain will love it!
