Are you feeling like your brain is driving you up the wall? You aren’t alone. Many women in their 40s and older find themselves struggling with inexplicable difficulty concentrating, poor memory recall, and a sense of overwhelming fatigue that can leave them frustrated and confused. Don’t let these disheartening symptoms become a permanent state! In this blog post, we’ll talk about how to gain control over brain fog and kick it to the curb for good. From understanding the possible root causes to finding simple hacks that make life easier; I’m here to help you get back on track — or even better, find new peaks of success through clarity-filled days.
Fog Everywhere
Let’s talk about the symptom – brain fog.
I know this is something that can get worse as you get into your 40s and beyond, and it can literally just drive you nuts. The reason for this is, when we’re foggy in the brain, we’re just not able to get things done in life. Have you ever driven all the way to the store only to completely forget what it is that you even needed? You go inside, come out with some random items (or nothing at all!), and then realize while driving back home that this was a wasted trip.
When your workday starts and you sit down to power through the tasks, do you ever encounter a roadblock? It’s like staring at that blinking cursor onscreen – never knowing what comes next.
If you’re feeling like your life has become a never-ending fog lately, struggling to even get everyday tasks done and finding yourself forgetting things more often than before – it sounds like something’s got to change. Being stuck in this vicious cycle can understandably lead to feelings of frustration and depression that just keep building up month after month.
But don’t despair! You CAN find help; there are always solutions out there for any problem we face.
Hormone Replacement Therapy. Yay or Nay?
Imbalances in hormones can certainly take a toll on mental clarity. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is one viable solution to finding balance and fighting these symptoms. Some women may also find post-menopause-related treatments beneficial, as the hormone fluctuations at that point are often drastically reduced compared to before menopause — requiring additional support for maintaining regularity during this transition period of life.
Regardless, this symptom is something that needs to be addressed because there’s no doubt it’s affecting every aspect of your life.
In my case, I have had brain fog for a long time. I tried different treatments, like HRT and birth control, but nothing helped for very long. I could not find a good solution until I figured out what was causing the brain fog.
I knew I couldn’t just gloss over this issue of brain fog, so I felt it was important to dig a little deeper and try to really get to the root of the problem. I wanted to uncover insights and gather more information so I could understand where my brain fog was coming from. It was as if I were on a mission!
Brain fog is an uncomfortable state of mind caused by brain inflammation. It usually takes place at the end of your cycle when progesterone levels drop too low compared to estrogen, creating a hormonal imbalance that interrupts normal cognitive function.
This is a common symptom. Brain fog can happen more often than usual, especially if the hormones are quite out of balance. We would think the solution would be just to top ourselves up with a little bit of progesterone, get things back into balance, and then there we go. It doesn’t always work that way because often if there is brain fog, there is brain inflammation.
The inflammation is actually throughout our body. It’s not just in our brains. When we have high inflammation and if you add some hormone in, it actually often doesn’t do what you want it to do. We really need to get to the root of why you have inflammation in the first place.
Blurred Thinking
Most commonly for women, the inflammation will come from some things we may or may not realize we’re doing in our everyday lives.
It can be related to our diet, and sleep. It can be related to stress levels.
Pretty commonly, women are stressed. We’re busy, and have lots going on. With stress, what happens is our body tries to compensate by producing cortisol, our primary stress hormone.
Constantly rushing about and stressing can lead to a real problem if left unchecked – excess cortisol production, which causes inflammation throughout the body. This produces more than just physical pain though: brain fog is also an unwelcome side-effect of unchecked stress.
The Root Solution
Something to consider and look at is how to find a root solution to this.
Slow Down
We need to take time to relax and recharge, spend time with family and friends, and do things that bring us joy. We need to remember it’s ok to say no and to set boundaries. We need to remember that taking care of ourselves is not selfish, but rather essential to our overall well-being.
Be Mindful of Eating Habits
Another thing is often we aren’t eating the right way. We may be eating a diet that’s a little higher in sugars and carbohydrates. With age comes the need for dietary shifts – those same old eating habits, higher in sugars and carbs, can start to have less than ideal effects when we reach our 40s.
When female hormones go down, our body makes more insulin. You may need to eat fewer carbs and sugar even if you do not feel like you are eating too much of them. This can help with brain fog because the female hormones have changed. Remember this!
Peaceful Slumber
We need to pay more attention to our sleep. If we’re not sleeping properly, several systems don’t reset at night, and one of those is our ability to reset and lower and balance our inflammation.
Not getting enough sleep can lead to all kinds of problems, so let’s make it a priority! Developing regular sleeping habits like going to bed at the same time each day and waking up around the same time helps your body clock stay in sync. A good night’s rest is essential for health and well-being – do you have an ideal schedule already set?
This may not seem exciting but it is something that really helps us to reset and balance inflammation.
Unhealthy lifestyle choices can lead to systemic inflammation, which in turn can cause brain fog – even if we weren’t aware of it when younger! However, positive changes might help balance things out and clear the ‘fog’.
Going Deeper
As part of my work with women, I go beyond the surface to dig deep into what’s causing their chronic inflammation and brain fog. Through functional lab testing, we can get a better understanding of root causes so they can feel empowered in taking control back over their health.
If we take a deeper look into your hormone levels, vitamin and mineral intake, as well as the number of carbohydrates you’re consuming – then together we can get to the bottom of that brain fog. We’ll create an individualized plan tailored just for YOU so you can live life with full clarity!
That usually is what is needed. You can do what is called a “band-aid solution”, which is hormone replacement therapy or something else that actually treats and alters what’s happening with your hormones. But it really is just a “band-aid” and it’s not going to give you a long-term solution.
If you’ve been living with brain fog for years, it may be time to get some help. A functional medicine practitioner can dive deep into your unique health picture and find the root of why this is happening so you don’t have to live in a fog anymore. You do not have to continue to suffer through this. I know it’s debilitating. I know it affects every single aspect of your life, but there is a way to get to the bottom of it. Reclaiming clarity might just be one conversation away!
In the end, understanding the root cause of foggy thinking helps us to make decisions and an action plan that can lead to clarity and better results. With enough determination and resources, we can take control of our own hormone stability, but if it requires more professional help, then do not hesitate to reach out. The takeaway here should be that no matter what step you take forward, don’t ever lose sight of your ultimate goal. And with that I invite you, dear reader, to assess which option is best for you in getting there—whether it involves hormone replacement therapy or something else altogether—by scheduling a discovery call today. Go conquer your day!
Are you ready to finally see an end to the dreaded brain fog? We invite you to take part in a no-pressure Free Discovery Call with us. It’s an opportunity for both of us to explore if we are compatible and ensure your questions get answered!
Plus, don’t forget our exclusive Private Facebook Community where everyone is striving towards living their best life yet – join us today!
DISCLAIMER: The information in this email is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. All content is for general informational purposes only and does not replace a consultation with your own doctor/health professional
