With your eyes glued to the computer screen, you beg your brain to focus. You’re preparing for a meeting, which shouldn’t be difficult. But your thoughts are moving in sloooowww motion—like there’s a gelatinous sludge in your mind that you’re trying to plow through. What has happened to your quick, clear thinking? Are you just overtired? Getting the flu? Nope. It’s brain fog.
Brain, meet menopause
You expected to have hot flashes during “the change,” but didn’t realize you’d feel like you’re losing your mind. But 3 out of 5 women experience cognitive impairments like brain fog during perimenopause and menopause. Slow thinking. Forgetting common words. Feeling like you can’t express yourself clearly. Difficulty learning new skills. It’s downright scary.
Starting in perimenopause, your estrogen levels decline, which can contribute to brain fog that can last into menopause. If you’re also feeling stressed and not sleeping well, your poor brain is clobbered from all sides. For women with hypothyroidism—low thyroid hormones—brain fog is also a common problem.
Customized bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) may help support your body’s hormonal needs, which can include imbalances in thyroid and estrogen levels. That’s important, as estrogen exposure may help protect brain health as we age.
With BHRT, you may also sleep better and enjoy improved mental clarity. Take that, brain fog!
Low dose naltrexone and brain fog
You’ve probably heard of naltrexone, a drug used to address alcohol and opioid addiction. When given in tiny doses, it’s called “low dose” naltrexone (LDN), and it has very different benefits—including helping with brain fog. LDN works by boosting endorphins and helping regulate the immune response.
Many patients find that some symptoms related to their chronic conditions can be exacerbated during big hormonal changes, like menopause. For example, LDN may help patients with fibromyalgia who have pain, fatigue, and brain fog. In a study of fibromyalgia patients, 65% of people who submitted follow-up data said they got relief from symptoms, including brain fog. The benefit may be connected to LDN’s impact on neuroinflammation in chronic conditions.
LDN has also been used in people with persistent fatigue and brain fog caused by long COVID. In one study, people with ongoing COVID-19 symptoms who took LDN for two months reported reduced brain fog.
When you have brain fog, whether it’s linked to perimenopause or another condition, your provider may consider LDN. Studies have shown that it’s well-tolerated. Most patients experience only transient side effects, if any are present.
Boost your brain health
When you’re battling brain fog, your doctor may prescribe LDN or BHRT as part of a lifestyle program. You can up your brain game by including these other strategies to boost cognitive wellness.
Move your body
Get some physical activity each day. If you spend a lot of time sitting, set your phone alarm every hour to remind you to get up. Then walk a couple hundred steps or do some stretching.
Get enough sleep
Logging enough Zzzz can make a difference in how you feel and think. Sleep experts say adults need 7-8 hours every night, and consistency is key. For the best sleep, go to bed and get up at the same time each day, even on weekends.
Nourish your noggin
Focus on whole, anti-inflammatory foods like fruits, veggies, beans, 100% grass-fed meats, and eggs. Choose organic foods when you can to avoid toxic chemicals like glyphosate. Go with healthy fats like extra virgin olive oil, avocados, nuts, and seeds.
Don’t eat garbage
Some foods are unhealthy garbage: ultra-processed foods (UPFs). Honestly, UPFs shouldn’t even be called “foods”—but we chow down on them big time. Survey data from the United States found that UPFs made up about 60% of the respondents’ calories. Whoa.
Avoiding UPFs is critical for brain health, as eating a lot of ultra-processed junk foods, like pretzels, white bread, breakfast cereals, and packaged snack cakes, are linked to cognitive impairment and even stroke.
My friend, you only get one brain, and it makes you the amazing woman you are. Help your brain thrive by adopting these brain-friendly habits. Check with your doctor about prescribing compounded BHRT and low dose naltrexone if your condition and symptoms warrant additional support.