MBODY Founder Shares 5 Ways to Combat Brain Fog
Have you been noticing your concentration levels wavering? Memory a little fuzzy? Feeling like you can’t think as quickly as you used to or struggling to find the right word?
Those feelings can be quite scary, but take a deep breath because they are all common symptoms of brain fog, which is probably more common than you think. Current research suggests that at least 60% of women experience brain fog in relation to hormonal changes that come with age.
But what do your hormones have to do with cognition?
They’re actually closely linked. In fact, perimenopause is considered a neuroendocrine change process – which means it’s directly linked to interactions between our nervous system (our brain) and our endocrine system (our hormones).
If you’re hungry for more detail on this topic we highly recommend giving this Ted Talk by Lisa Mosconi a watch, as it’s all about how menopause (i.e. hormone changes) affects the brain.
What are the symptoms of brain fog?
Delayed processing
Difficulty concentrating
Forgetfulness
Feeling “spaced out”
Struggling to find the right words
Fatigue
Increased distractibility
Difficulty staying organized
If you suddenly start experiencing brain fog it can come as a shock. But knowing that it’s a normal and common experience can make it a bit more manageable.
Just because brain fog is common doesn’t mean you shouldn’t stay on top of your brain health and cognitive abilities. Women, in general, are at a higher risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s and it’s believed that the role of hormones in the brain could be a contributing factor. That’s why it’s so important to take care of your brain, just like you take care of your body.
So, we bet you’re thinking… what can I do to alleviate brain fog? Well, MBody founder, Melinda Nicci is here with some quick tips!
Video transcript:
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So let's talk about brain fog.
60% of women report brain fog at some point in their day, and it's generally attributed to three main things.
Number one is poor sleep. The second one is high stress levels. And the third one is a lack of estrogen, so changing hormone levels, which essentially contribute to the first two — poor sleep and higher anxiety.
But don't worry because we've got five tips to help you deal with brain fog.
Number one is get your Omega-3s, so back to the vitamins — a Mediterranean diet is so good for you [Mediterranean diets are typically rich in Omega-3s]. It's got lots of fish, vegetables and the all-essential olive oil, which I think is great on everything.
The second way is exercise.
Exercising outdoors enables you to also get vitamin D. So the exercise will help you to sleep better, and sleep quality here is really important as well. It's not only the length of time that you spend in bed, but it's the quality of your sleeping hours that is so key. So exercising every day, and getting outside for some vitamin D.
And also, back to hydration! So our brains are made up of 70% of water. So if those levels drop you are automatically gonna feel that you are not cognitively there, you’re getting a little bit of brain fog, you can't think correctly, or clearly. So, drinking often, room temperature water is always the best.
So just to go through those things again: omega-3s, exercising, vitamin D, hydration, and sleep.
