SPEAKER_01 0:13

Hello and welcome to episode 12 of Empower Your Menopause. Have you ever walked into a room and completely forgot you're there or even where you are? If so, you're not alone. In this episode, we're going to be talking about the infamous brain fog, one of those key symptoms that we see quite often, Julie and I, when it comes to things that are happening in menopause, one of the key symptoms we see. It could be misplacing your keys, feel that your mind is moving through molasses. A lot of women that I speak to talk about feelings of their heads in the clouds or it's surrounded by clouds. So we're going to explore why this happens today, what you can do to regain your mental sharpness. So if you're ready to clear the clutter and get that sharpness back, let's dive right in. So obviously I'm here with Julie as usual. Julie, um, I just wondered if you want to talk to us a little bit about your own personal journey in this to kick us off, because one of the things you did share just before we started was that you're feeling particularly fuzzy today yourself. So tell us a little bit about that.

SPEAKER_00 1:18

Yeah, it's it's one of those things I think is the to me the most frustrating symptom of menopause. Um because you feel you can you can get to the point of feeling like you're losing your mind. You might lose words, you might lose your train of thought in the middle of a sentence, you walk around that this has happened to me more than once, um, walking around looking for my glasses when they're on top of my head, or spending five minutes just fraught about not finding my keys when they're in my hand. Um things like that. We I part of it is because of the changes in our hormones during this phase of life, but there's also a lot of it, and we'll get into these details later in the in the discussion, but you know, we're always trying to do so many different things and we're multitasking, and then we just put these additional stressors on our brain. And I've actually been doing that a bit myself lately. So the good news is that the brain fog with menopause isn't a permanent thing, but there are some scary features about it, and it does kind of come and go. So even in post-menopause, it's it's not it's not over.

SPEAKER_01 2:28

I suppose it's it we kind of need to separate this out into two different things, don't we? Because the idea of thinking wondering where your glasses are, finding them on your head. I often look for my mobile phone and then realise it's actually in my hand and I'm carrying it. So they aren't necessarily unique to the menopause transition, they're more about the general business that we find ourselves in in modern life. What I would say to that is that people who are overly busy, and I would include myself in that, and I would include almost every single woman over 40 that I know, given that we know that there's loads of things that play in here. There's husband, kids, family, pets, work, PTA, all these things, friends, everything's playing at the same time. So there's a general busyness, anyway. I always used to think that that there was a meme a few uh on uh Instagram a few maybe about a year or so ago, and it was saying something along the lines of I think that my brain operates like a web browser with about 148 windows open all at the same time, and so there is that that I think is a general potentially age thing, but also potentially a generic thing that happens in modern society. And as I said, I think women are more susceptible to that lots of stuff going on, and then there's obviously the actual physical elements that come into this, or the biological elements that come to it, which, as you rightly say, are the changes in sex hormones. As far as I can see, there are two main ones that play into this, and they're our old favourites. So estrogen is one of them, estrogen affects our neurotransmitters, affects how we process things like serotonin, melatonin, and all that kind of stuff. But then also you've got progesterone as well, and progesterone is often sort of like the calming hormone, right? The one that chills us out. And so when progesterone is also declining, as well as estrogen, the further we move on into the menopause transition, the more exacerbated these feelings might be.

SPEAKER_00 4:39

Sure. And we can we can actually end up feeling a lot of anxiety around this because women are more susceptible to dementia later in life. And a lot of these symptoms that we're experiencing can mimic early symptoms of early dementia. And so it's a real concern, especially as a lot of us watch parents or friends' parents aging and ending up struggling with dementia and and things like Alzheimer's. Certainly, my my father is in late stages of Alzheimer's, so that's that's a real thing that's that's on my on my mind. But but it's the good news is that it's it's not permanent. Um there, but there have been a lot of research studies recently that are that show that this is something that does pass. And there the other good news is that there are a lot of things we can do to help minimize that. But those, but the feelings, I think, of menopause brain fog are unique in that it really does feel like there's cotton batting inside your head, and it's like the thoughts just can't quite make their way through. And even though no one else can see this happening, we can feel it. And so it causes a lot of different emotional effects, and it can affect our moods, it can affect um our relationships. And our family is looking at us thinking, what's going on with you? Um, and and we're saying, I don't know. But we're not having these conversations because it feels scary and it feels embarrassing in in some situations, like you can't remember your middle child's name or something just like on the tip of your tongue and it won't come out. Um, so so these are these are things that I think it's important to discuss because they are a very normal part of this transition. But again, finding finding out, like paying attention to when that's happening and starting to look for some triggers that we do have control over, which again we'll talk about in a few minutes here.

SPEAKER_01 6:44

Yeah. I think there's a couple of things that I want to pull on there from from what you just said. The first one is obviously no one wants to feel as though they're not in control of their thoughts, and there's an obvious anxiety that comes with that. No none of us want to feel as though other people think that we're not all there, right? So that adds a huge, huge element of stress into the conversation. I think the other thing that's really important to highlight here is that while yes, it is a transitional symptom of menopause, and there are things that we can do to improve it, and there are things that you know eventually it will go away. And what this is something I think that you and I talk about quite a lot with our with our clients, and I think it's something that deserves highlighting once again. Everybody talks about the menopause transition as though it's a 10 or 15 year period, and by hook or by crook, you're gonna get through it somehow because at some point this miraculous coming to an end of all your symptoms is gonna happen, and that may be true, but what I find quite disturbing is that, and I don't feel it is being addressed enough, is just how many risk factors to other health conditions are actually increased once the menopause transition is over because of the reduction of the protective effects of estrogen. I think that is something that isn't talked about enough. And I don't think it's talked about enough when it comes to cardiovascular issues that women may suffer later on. I don't think it's talked about enough when it comes to bone mineral density, which we've talked about a lot, that uh challenge of potential osteoporosis as women get older. And I certainly don't think it's talked about enough when it comes to um actual potential dementia or potential Alzheimer's. The other one that just sprang to mind there was breast cancer and the increased chance of breast cancer. I think that is one that is potentially talked about, and there is a conversation about that, but I certainly don't think there's enough of a conversation about the potential risk factors for dementia and Alzheimer's that come with a reduction in nestrogen. I think that's a really important conversation to have, aside from that 10, 15, 20 years that you might be actually menopause symptomatic, if you like.

SPEAKER_00 9:11

Sure, sure. And I and I totally agree. And we the research, because the research is so lacking in women's health, and and I just saw a statistic the other day that research specific to women's health has only been happening for the last 30 years. I mean, think about that in the history, the history of medicine. It's nothing, it's a blink of an eye. So we're still learning about this, but the the research right now shows that women are um I think three times more likely than men to have dementia. We're two-thirds of the dementia um patients um on record. And so they don't fully understand why, but there are more and more findings of the link to estrogen, estrogen, as well as um testosterone. And I think women forget that we also have testosterone, and that's something that is going to start fluctuating as well. But estrogen, estrogen is is the big one, um, certainly for our brains and and for our bodies. And it doesn't mean we all have to suddenly go and start taking a bunch of hormones, but it does mean that we do, as you said, we do need to pay serious attention instead of putting this off, thinking we'll get to it one day. You know, I'm when things settle down, I'm gonna change my diet. When things settle down, I'm gonna start exercising. I got news for you. Things aren't going to settle down.

SPEAKER_01 10:40

Right. And it comes back to the age-old conversation that people have around their health all the time. I will start next Monday, I will start, you know, after my significant birthday, I will start after I've organized my husband's 60th, after I've planned the kids 21st, after I've got the kids to university, when there's a blue moon rising in Aries with a Sagittarius minus or whatever it might be, we can always find a way to put things off and push things further on. But given that starting to do something about it doesn't have to be everything done in one fell swoop. It doesn't have to be this huge, I'm just gonna change my whole lifestyle in one go. There's no better time to start trying to make some changes, however small they are, right now.

SPEAKER_00 11:31

Yeah, absolutely. It's the the Chinese proverb, right? When when's the best time to plant a tree 20 years ago? When's the next best time today? Just and and yeah, I I think this is something we can't emphasize enough, really. And I I also think we need to emphasize that many, many of these factors are under our control. And we get to choose how we're going to make those work for us and how we're going to prioritize our health. Because this isn't, again, this isn't something that we can put off until it's convenient. Um, and it means the earlier we start, it's never too late to start, but the earlier we start, the better the results we're going to have, and the better likelihood we're going to have of that vibrant, healthy life that we want to have so we can enjoy that new chapter. Um, as we're as we're reinventing ourselves. And a lot of that, I think a lot of the mental stress that comes with this, especially the brain fog, is because we think, I had all these goals, I had all these dreams, I'd like to study, I'd like to do all these other things, but I can't think straight. So how's that ever going to work for me? I've heard that from people. And again, because this is not a permanent thing, and because we can manage it to a to a certain degree, um, I think it's important to get onto it as early as possible.

SPEAKER_01 13:04

Okay. We seem to be following a bit of a format now with these podcasts 12-in, don't we? That we talk about something, we introduce it, we talk about what the challenges are, why it's an issue, and then we talk about what we can do about it. So I'm gonna kick this off. So there's some practical strategies that can help improve mental clarity, and I'm gonna throw exercise onto the table because I think it's a really, really simple one for people on board with physical exercise, especially strength routines, which also have an additive effect on all the other things we talk about, protecting muscle, protecting bone density, etc. Exercise releases a hormone called or hormone-like molecule called irricine, which um actually has neuroprotective uh effects on the brain. So I think exercise, physical exercise, is a really really uh important one. I think uh systematic review that we've seen shows around 150 minutes of strength training a week um has been shown to have a reduced risk of what they call cognitive impairment or uh challenges with of the mind in women uh who are in uh post in post-menopause. So I think that is a really good one uh to start off with is to actually get into um some kind of routine when it comes to physical exercise. I don't know whether you saw when uh you've obviously been lifting more weights, doing more exercise, all you've got. Have you seen that actually helped you?

SPEAKER_00 14:50

Absolutely. And it's interesting that um so far this week I've only worked out once because my schedule's been a bit all over the place. I've had appointments that have taken me away from home, and I've just not been able to get my workout into my schedule, and I'm feeling a lot less focused this week. And I love I love exercise because I do feel so much better afterwards. The other thing I'd like to say about exercise, 150 minutes per week may sound like a lot, but that's 30 minutes five times a week. And it doesn't mean you have to go start pumping iron for hours a day. You can do body weight exercises, you can do gardening, you can do other things besides just lifting weights, but strength training, resistance training is really critical here. The other thing I'd like to say about exercise, a lot of times we go into the doctor saying, I don't know what's going on with me, I'm not thinking clearly. Doctors are going to misdiagnose that as depression or ADHD and throw medications at you when they're not necessary. I'm not saying there isn't a place for those things, but the truth is that exercise has been proven in many research studies to be the most effective antidepressant there is, and it can be basically free. So aside from investing some time in yourself to make it happen, think about all the money that's that can save you on medications, quality of life issues, and again, your health and your bones and all of the other things that we've we've talked about going along with that.

unknown 16:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:31

And as as you just shared just then as well, such an easy thing to do as long as we can afford and find the time to do it. And I think at some point, yeah, because one of the things we've told quite often is I can't find the time to do X, Y, or Z, we might need to do a time management episode at some point in the future, but that will be come for come for a future date now. So you're absolutely right, 150 minutes isn't a lot at all. And if you you know I know that you know there'll be days personally where I'm scrolling rubbish on social media for for it for an hour. So you know, people saying they can't find half an hour, I think. Yeah, I appreciate that time management is a is is a challenge, but half an hour a day shouldn't be too much of a stress for most people, I would say.

SPEAKER_00 17:20

Sure.

SPEAKER_01 17:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:20

Shall we well and so go ahead. Uh just one more comment on that. One of the other things that the uh several studies at least have shown is that that 30 minutes doesn't have to all be at once. If you really truly can't find 30 minutes in the day, you can break it up into 10-minute segments. So if that means doing some squats and push-ups and climbing some stairs for 10 minutes at one part of the day, and then going for a walk or you know, doing some walking lunges or something for another five or 10 minutes here or there, you can break it up and and fit it in.

SPEAKER_01 17:56

Cumulative effects of exercise.

SPEAKER_00 17:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:58

Yeah. I think it's something that's really, really understated, particularly when uh people feel as though they they they are challenged for time. As you say, getting up doing five minutes here or there of something, five minutes of squats at your desks, you know, wall push-ups, walking lunges, whatever it may be, can all can all help, as well as uh just movement around the house as well, that daily movement around the house or or outside of the house that comes from things like gardening, you know, cleaning, whatever it may be, other elements of movement that you can do, even just going for a walk can give you that time and stimulus away from the world. So you're getting the exercise and the extra benefits of doing that too. Shall we talk a little bit about nutrition then as a next sort of like strategy? So we've done uh exercise, let's talk about nutrition. Three things for me omega-3s, leafy greens, and staying hydrated. I wonder if you wanted to speak into those a little bit and let's let's pull them to pieces.

SPEAKER_00 19:05

Sure. Um, omega-3s are critical. A lot of the oils and fats we have in our diets are filled with omega-6s, and we have an imbalance there. And we don't have to get a chemistry degree to understand omega-6s and omega-3s. It has to do with the fatty acid chains, but you don't care about that. The main thing you want to know about is that um omega-6s are more pro-inflammatory and they can damage your tissues, and especially when it comes to brain health. So omega-3s, like the stuff you get in um fatty fish like salmon and mackerel or sardines, um, the the oils you get in things like flax seeds and nuts, these are these are going to be much more um health-supporting. Walnuts are great. One of the things I love about nature is that oftentimes the foods we eat are shaped like the organs they help. And if you look at a walnut, it looks like a little brain. Absolutely. Um so that's a good way to remember. And by the way, if you don't like walnuts, I will give you a quick tip, and that is most nuts um have protective coatings on them and uh to avoid predators so that they can be in the ground and germinate. And when you soak them and then dehydrate them, you um you can soak off those, we could say anti-anti-nutrients. Um, you can soak off those those coatings, and when you dehydrate them, it helps you lock in the benefits because basically what you're doing is starting the germination process. So it opens up all of the nutrients um even better, that makes them more digestible, and it takes away the bitterness that you may taste in raw nuts. So um I found that to be, as a matter of fact, my husband hated walnuts until I started doing that. And he thought, oh, these are actually pretty good. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:56

Yeah. One thing to note there about the omega-6s is that omega-6s of themselves aren't necessarily the challenge. It is that balance, isn't it, between omega-3s and omega's. We really want it to be a four to one balance. That's what science shows us. So four omega-6s to one, omega-3. And I think I read somewhere um back when I was doing my nutrition therapy qualifications that most western diets are often more like a 20 to 1 inflammation. 20 to 10 20 to 30 to 1, and that is what is causing the inflammation because there are omega-6s in things like olive oil and stuff like that, which we would recommend that people have, but it is that balance that is key there. And omega-3s really, really important for that blood brain barrier as well. The thing that stops the crap that comes around our blood from other things that we might eat from leaking into the brain and causing damage. So, omega 3s really, really important for their neuroprotective effects. So, I think we should highlight that leafy greens, all the B vitamins in. There as well, lots of antioxidants in there, so uh really, really good to add those as much as possible in the diet. It's funny, isn't it? How you a lot of these things that we talk about being constituents of an inverticomb's healthy diet have impact across a wide range of different functions because omega-3, apart from being good for neurogenitors, it protects uh also protects your heart, protects your your circulation, and helps protect your joints as well. So um let's talk a little bit about hydration when it comes to brain health, then what are your thoughts around that?

SPEAKER_00 22:46

Um, every cell in our body needs water to function properly. And we don't take this seriously enough. I think sometimes we think, oh, well, I drink coffee or I drink tea or I drink soda. It's not the same. It's like if you were trying to put fuel into your car, you you wouldn't put diesel in a petrol engine just saying, oh, well, it's all it's all some kind of you know petrochemical, right? It doesn't run the same way. So I good clean water. Now, if you really struggle, it it may take some getting used to if you're not a water drinker. If you really struggle that water doesn't have any flavor, you can add some fresh fruit to it or some fresh herbs and flavor it that way. If you don't like cold water, you can warm it. And um, I like to put some spices in it during the winter and just soak those in some warm water and sip on that through the day. Um, just keep trying it different ways the way you like it. And yes, it does mean you'll go to the bathroom more often, but that levels out after your body gets used to it. But we do really need when we do really need water, especially we think in the winter we don't need to drink as much, but we actually need it probably more because our our skin dries out, we have heating on in the home, um, we're wearing heavier clothing, our body is still getting rid of perspiration and um and other things through our through our skin. So we do need water. Um, if you find your lips getting dry and chapped, that's probably a good sign you're dehydrated. If you find that you're getting a bit fatigued in the middle of the afternoon, that could be a sign that you're dehydrated. Um, you're even hunger's pangs sometimes um may be uh mistaken um for for when we're actually thirsty.

SPEAKER_01 24:41

I was just about to mention hunger. Definitely uh you know hydration, hunger levels certainly go hand in hand, don't they? Um so I think we've cut kind of covered most of the main nutrients there, omega-3s, leafy greens, B vitamins, hydration will will all help with with brain support, protein as well, um, would be another one, I guess. Let's talk about things that we can do from a structural or environmental or training point of view, then. You know, the obvious one is to try and keep your brain as active as possible, right? Engage in some form of brain training, if you like, whether that be doing a seducka, doing a crossword puzzle, whatever it may be, some kind of mental exercise. And I know there are lots of apps out there that that can help with people, people with that kind of thing.

SPEAKER_00 25:42

Yeah, I I love to do word puzzles. Reading is reading is good, especially if it's something that's a bit more challenging or interesting that you have to pay attention to. And I and I think one of the things that is really, really simple that we don't do is to be mindful. And I'm not talking about, you know, sitting like a monk with your fingertips together and cross-legged on a mountaintop. And, you know, meditation is fantastic for teaching your mind to calm and focus, but just mindfulness itself, as in pay attention to what you're actually doing in the moment instead of trying to multitask. Multitasking is one of the biggest problems that we have in mental health and not just in menopause, but especially in menopause when we're already fighting the hormonal fluctuations that we're fighting. And again, research backs this up a hundred percent. Our brains do not function that way as much as we like to think we're great multitaskers. Our brains actually switch from thing to thing as we're multitasking. And so we're not ever really focused on one thing that we're doing. And we're more prone to make mistakes, we're more prone to feel fatigued, we're more prone to feel overwhelmed. And when we finish our tasks, we don't actually feel a sense of accomplishment because we don't have that beginning and end or that experience of doing whatever we're doing. And that could be something as simple as doing the dishes, typing a letter, um, paying attention to a podcast or watching a training. A lot of times, how many of us? We we put the replay on and then we start doing something else. Well, how much are you actually absorbing? The research shows not very much. So starting to practice just a little bit every day, paying attention, being in the moment and paying attention to what you're doing. Notice the sensations, the smells, the sounds, the the um touch, you know, whatever whatever other senses might be involved.

SPEAKER_01 27:47

I think there's a couple of things that I take from that. First of all, anybody listening, please don't put us on 1.5 speed. Yeah, try to absorb the stuff that we're talking about. We are here for you after all. The other thing is that I think that attempt to multitask all the time and do so many things, you're absolutely right. Not only is it confusing, it leaves us unfulfilled because often we aren't finishing things off. But the other aspect for me is that it actually heightens those levels of anxiety. So you know, one of the things, anecdotally from my house is Laura, my wife, you know, she'll be trying to talk to the kids. I'll I'll be cooking, she'll be trying to talk to the kids, sort out what's going on with their homework. We'll be trying to do the laundry at the same time, I'll be trying to do the dishes, she'll go to make a cup of tea, she'll get caught up in everything else, and suddenly she's like, Oh sugar, I forgot the cup of tea. Um, and then she's like, Is that me being busy, or is it because I'm menopausal, or what is it? What is it? And so suddenly, you know, the anxiety levels increase the more that we multitask and the less we complete things. And I suppose that brings me on to perhaps a a last thing to talk about today before we sign off because we're coming up to the half an hour point. Is and it's the most boring thing in the world, but people always ask us what our number one tips are, what our big tips are having a routine and staying consistent is absolutely paramount to any journey. But I think particularly when we're talking about mental health, and I know that it sounds boring, just do the same things all the time, and we we like variety, we say it's the spice of life, etc. etc. But really trying to get into a routine, getting to bed at the same time, getting up at the same time, trying to eat at the same time, it all helps us get into more of a cycle whereby we know what we're doing, and we aren't in a stage of what comes next, or panicking about what happens next, or not knowing what to do next.

SPEAKER_00 30:06

Right.

SPEAKER_01 30:06

So I think it's really, really important too. And and I and the more we've talked about this, the more I think a a good episode on time blocking, trying to we always say we can't make time for you, but we can help you manage it better. I think that would be a really good future episode down down down the road.

SPEAKER_00 30:24

Yeah. Um I don't know if I I was just gonna say what for me, the thing that like when I walk the dog in the morning, I have a very specific order of things that I do. And I remember because I have to take the the key to the trash bins that we have. I have to remember to take the poo bags because I'm walking him out on the streets. I have to remain and it it's it sounds almost silly, but if I don't do the things in that order, then I'm running around feeling stressed first thing in the morning because, oh, I forgot to do this. Oh, I forgot to grab that. And um, my my husband has started coming on the walks with us in the evenings, and he'll grab the trash key and the poo bags, and and I'll get all this like discombobulated because now my routine is messed up and I love that we're walking together, but I've I've I'm surprised at how that's affected my thought process. And then I think as we get out onto the street, do I have this? Did I remember to do that? And and so those routines are are they really do make a difference?

SPEAKER_01 31:32

Yeah, absolutely. And there's no greater shame than to be out with your dog and not to have poo bags with you.

SPEAKER_00 31:39

Yes, I've got them in every coat pocket I own.

SPEAKER_01 31:43

Yeah, hanging out at the back of all sorts of things, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 31:46

So yeah, great.

SPEAKER_01 31:47

So that brings us, I think, to a conclusion on the talk about the impact of menopause and mental health and brain fog. A couple of things to say. First of all, is that if you like the cut of our gib, please like, subscribe, tell your friends about us. The more people we have listening, the better this is. We'd also like you to maybe share some of your own experiences or share some of the subjects that you'd like us to talk about. We've got loads planned for a year, two years at least, as it is. And that is just off the top of our heads without even thinking about it. But if there's something specific you want more information about them, please, please, please get in touch with us. It's either Julie at fabulousbeyond40.com, Julie within I, or James at FabulousBeyond40.com, and we'll certainly discuss those in here or share your experiences about some of the things we've talked about, and then we can do follow-up episodes on them as well and talk through things. The other thing is to actually follow some of our things. We have a Facebook group, we have an Instagram feed, you can follow those. Um we'll put those in the show notes, and then also, of course, we have our Club Fabulous Beyond 40 membership. We're opening up uh that up again in October for new people to join, if anybody would like to join us in Club Fabulous Beyond 40. We it's like an encyclopedia struck library stroke to do system of things throughout the menopause transition. So it takes you through everything from what's going on with your hormones to how to time block to how to what to eat to how to exercise. We do monthly exercise, uh strength exercise routines that we send out to all our clients, and we do three live calls a month where we either do a new learning, we do a talk with a guest expert, or we do a QA session with our members, all hosted in uh an amazing website which is, like I said, packed with uh resources. So do join us um either here next time with the episodes usually come out on Friday. Like, subscribe, and in the meantime, remember to continue to feel fabulous, and we'll see you next time. Take care.