My Brain is Fuzzy

You’re not “crazy.” 

Let’s get that out of the way before we go on with this month’s column about brain fog and menopausal women. 

There’s a joke about people of a certain age walking into a room and forgetting why they are there. Or maybe you can’t remember what day it is. Perhaps, you’re like me, who keeps a digital calendar and still confuses times, dates, and meetings. 

Earlier this week, I experienced severe “brain fog.” Harvard Health Publishing describes “brain fog” as a term “used by individuals to describe how they feel when their thinking is sluggish, fuzzy, and not sharp.

While “brain fog” isn’t technically a medical condition, its symptoms affect your thinking ability. In my case, I felt confused and disorganized and found it difficult to concentrate or translate my thoughts into words. 

Experiencing brain fog is especially disorienting as a freelance journalist, author, and filmmaker – occupations that require intense concentration for long periods. 

 

Reasons for Brain Fog 

WebMD lists several reasons for brain fog, including pregnancy, multiple sclerosis, side effects from certain medications, depression, chronic fatigue, and lack of sleep. 

COVID-19, particularly long COVID, can have cognitive effects on the brain directly by encephalitis. For example, British medical researchers found COVID patients suffered strokes. Canadian doctors discovered that both the elderly and young people who had the coronavirus versus the typical flu were at particularly high risk for stroke. 

Finally, autopsy data from Finnish COVID patients suggested that lack of oxygen contributed to brain damage, wrote Andrew E. Budson in an article for Harvard Medical Publishing. Dr. Budson is the chief of cognitive and behavioral neurology at the Veterans Affairs of Boston Healthcare System and a neurology lecturer at Harvard Medical School, among other achievements. 

“Neurofatigue,” another name for brain fog, is common among those with traumatic brain injury, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other neurological symptoms, according to BrainLine. It is a multimedia project “offering authoritative information and support to anyone whose life has been affected by brain injury or PTSD.”

Menopause and Memory 

While there are many reasons for “brain fog,” this month’s column is about the least-talked-about factor – Menopause.

The National Institute on Aging defines Menopause as “a point in time 12 months after a woman’s last period.” Leading up to Menopause, many women experience “common” symptoms such as changes in their monthly cycles or hot flashes. The menopausal transition usually occurs between the ages of 45 and 55. However, it can range from seven to as long as 14 years. 

Menopause can affect memory in several ways. First, it can affect critical brain function because Menopause affects how brain cells are produced, bond together, and possibly die. These processes “impact brain regions that are critical for memory.”

Writing for Harvard Health Publishing, Dr. Jill Goldstein, Ph.D., says, “Menopause also lowers the level of glucose in the brain, the primary fuel used by brain cells. The brain then looks to other metabolic sources to provide the necessary fuel to function --- that is, the brain adapts to a new hormonal environment in order to maintain functioning.”

Dr. Goldstein is a psychiatry and medicine professor at Harvard Medical School. She is also a “clinical neuroscientist and expert in understanding sex differences in disorders of the brain.”

 

The Menopausal Mystery 

So, why am I writing about brain fog and Menopause during the holiday season?

Aren’t we supposed to be putting elves on shelves, lighting menorahs, celebrating Kwanzaa, commemorating Boxing Day, or feasting on long noodles to mark one year from the next, depending on one’s religious or family tradition? Who wants to talk about possible medical reasons why we forgot where we put last year’s Christmas tree lights?

I do because, despite the availability of medical information online about Menopause and memory, women’s health remains under-researched and underfunded. So, for example, I attended in November a panel in partnership with Women in Nutraceuticals discussing the importance of having more women in medical research laboratories as scientists, leaders, and test subjects.

Dr. Susan Hazels Mitmesesser said during the panel that the lack of women in the laboratories had cost us precious years of medical research on women’s issues, particularly when it comes to Menopause. 

In addition, a shroud of secrecy remains around Menopause. Just as menstruation is still referred to among older generations as “the curse,” brain fog, night flashes, and other menopausal symptoms continue to be a cause of shame for women in midlife. 

Searching for Cures 

My recent “brain fog” post led to a robust discussion, generating 103 comments.

Suggested cures ranged from taking magnesium, engaging in hormonal therapy, practicing bullet journaling, and using naturopathy. However, my friend Lydia had the best response. She said: “Have your hormone levels checked and get your blood work done.”

“Before you start taking anything, work with a doctor you trust to get your (hormone) levels right,” Lydia continued. “Even a simple ‘herbal’ or vitamin can throw things off. Each one of us is different.”

My intense experience with brain fog this week also compelled me to rethink how I work and the type of work I do. Many people use the end of the year as a time for an emotional and spiritual audit. I stopped making New Year’s resolutions a long time ago. Instead, I ask the universe/God/my higher power what wants to come forth during the next year. 

2022 was a year of lessons and losses. But perhaps from a spiritual point of view, “brain fog” is an invitation to slow down and live life instead of “doing life.”