I’m talking here specifically about brain fog during perimenopause/menopause/postmenopause.
73% women in their 40s and 50s experience brain fog.
Why do we not know more about it???
It’s not just a personal problem.
It’s HUGELY expensive for an employer too. Costly mistakes, presenteeism, remember the 10% women who resign as a result of their menopausal symptoms. The replacement recruitment costs…
What do we know about brain fog?
There are risk factors, but most are modifiable (i.e. you can change/reduce your risk);
🔥 hot flushes (caffeine, alcohol, stress, you know your triggers). There is an association between hot flushes and brain fog, so try focus on reducing the flushes.
💤 poor sleep. Keep a consistent sleep/wake time, reduce caffeine, alcohol.
😥 low mood. Reach out for support, your EAP provider, MHFA champions, your Doctor.
💪 poor physical health. 150 minutes per week, mixture of strength, toning, cardio.
🧠 APOE-e4 gene. There’s no guarantee if you have this gene, but it may increase your risk.
I attended the British Menopause Society annual conference last week. One of the highlights for me was Professor Pauline Maki presentation on brain fog.
There is no way I could cover all Pauline’s amazing content in one post, so here’s just a snippet.
The take home….
Memory does appear to rebound naturally for most women. If it’s getting you down try and address the above factors – remember, they’re modifiable. You can do it!
We should be talking more about this in the workplace.
Contact me info@natural-alternative.co.uk if you would like more information or to support menopausal women in the workplace.
