Causes of Brain Fog And What They Have To Do With Hormones
One of the downfalls of normalizing period pain is that we don’t always see the link between our “brain” symptoms (such as brain fog, fatigue, brain farts, etc) and our period.
We are so used to feeling uncomfortable around our menstrual week that we no longer investigate what it might lead to or mean for us. As a result, we see a rise in new and scarier symptoms… yet seldom see the connection between the new symptoms and our hormonal health.
Cognitive (brain and thought) symptoms can be part of what I call a second wave of symptoms. These are symptoms we rarely attribute to our cycle, yet can be the result of a deeper hormonal imbalance in our bodies.
It’s a little bit like driving a car.
When the “check engine” light comes on, many people don’t do anything about it… until another light pops up on the dashboard to let them know something serious is amidst. They often see this new light and think “mmmh… I haven’t investigated what the check engine sign might be about… that could be related.”
It’s exactly the same with our period symptoms. When it’s only around our cycle - a lot of women treat it like a check engine light and don’t investigate until another symptom pops up.
Some of these new lights can be cognitive symptoms - and they could be related to a hormonal dysregulation.
Symptoms such as:
The sudden difficulty to focus and concentrate on tasks at hand
Brain farts - when you forget what you were doing or why you are doing something
Brain fog on days you’re particularily tired
Forgetfulness, especially around your ovulation or period
Reading sentences multiple times because none of them stick
Feeling overwhelmed and burned out after completing a task
Find trasnitions from one task to another rather difficult
Constant tiredness
Feeling slightly drunk or tipsy even though you haven’t drank anything
Going through the motions without much attention, sometimes finding it hard to really strategize the things that need to be done
Etc.
Disclaimer: Please understand that while this is a common thing, it might not be your case. This article is in no shape or form a medical recommendation or diagnosis. This is only meant as an informative piece to help you make more informed decisions for your health. Always consult your doctor if you have doubts.
These things, when they happen, tend to make us think we’re probably too tired or that our brain needs some support - which may very well be true!
And it can also be caused by out-of-balance hormones. They actually might have the same cause as your PMS and menstrual chaos.
In short, having hormonal imbalances may be causing you PMS AND may be causing some of the symptoms I’ve listed above. Addressing the underlying imbalance has a great chance of resolving these moments of discomfort.
Where to start
Obviously there is a deeper mechanism at hand. I can’t promise you a full restoration of your hormones through this article. This is meant as information to help guide your actions from now on.
For each of the points listed below, there are a hundred possibilities that are specific to the needs of your unique body, so I will simply list the main areas of life and lifestyle to explore when one recognizes these as part of their menstrual symptoms.
If you need a better idea of where you want to concentrate your efforts and need some personal guidance, reach out to me for further support.
Without further ado,
Here are the places you want to look at if you are struggling with brain fog and other cognitive symptoms related to your menstrual cycle:
Inflammation
Inflammation, amongst other things, is an overload of the hormone cortisol and of free radicals roaming around in your body, and is one of the main causes of brain fog.
You might have inflammation if you tend to feel tension and pain in your shoulders, if your nose gets clogged easily, if you are constantly tired, often bloated, experience muscle stiffness, etc.
In the long run, inflammation can seriously damage your cells’ health and organs’ ability to function easily. It makes aging more difficult (especially important to know when you approach menopause), fertility way harder, and may provoke PMS symptoms that get worse with the years.
Reducing inflammation is an important part of reclaiming your period health, especially if you are noticing a rise in symptoms. Important places to look at in your health and lifestyle are:
The amount of sugar ingested daily
The levels of stress experienced regularly
The levels of nutrients used to combat inflammation, such as antioxidants, omega-3s, Vitamin D, etc.
The amounts of toxins present in the environment
The types of exercises, body position, and movement throughout the day
And much more.
Liver Care
If you stick around long enough to know all of my secrets, you’ll hear me mention the liver A LOT.
The liver is the main detoxifying organ of the body. When its processes are slowed down, symptoms will start to rise up from the overload work of the liver.
For most of us, the liver is working more than overtime. This often comes with a slower “brain presence”, a bit more fatigue, a harder time digesting, cellulite, and some insomnia between 2 and 4am. Sometimes, a simple extra supportive habit may completely reverse how your body experiences toxins and hormones.
This goes hand in hand with another place to explore your hormonal health - your exposure to toxins. But this is such a big topic that I will simply include it under liver care this time.
Toxins are one of the big reasons our liver struggles and our hormones get out of balance. An overexposure can impact multiple organs.
We are rarely are exposed to an acute toxin situation. The real damage comes from years of small and little exposures that add up with time. This means that the plastic in the microwave, the fumes from furniture and fast-fashion clothing, the fragrance in our beauty products… all of these add up and can cause a lot of havoc on our hormonal and cognitive brain.
So when we investigate liver health, we might also need to look at toxin exposure.
Transition of hormone levels
There are a few key moments in the cycle, and the life of a woman, where hormones take drastic turns and completely change their dynamics and levels.
Every month, the ovulation is a time when estrogens and progesterone switch places as being the dominant hormones.
In the course of a life, puberty, pregnancy, post-partum, menopause, and many other are times when hormones will significantly shift around.
When the change is so drastic and the body is unprepared for the transition - or if the hormonal levels are off due to imbalances and create a bigger change than planned - intense symptoms may rise up, including some cognitive ones.
It is one of the reasons young girls have a hard time at puberty, or menopausal women struggle in their hormonal passage. Our body is not always going through the transition the way it wants to. When that is the case, it needs a little helping hand:
8-9 hours of sleep minimum
Plenty of green vegetables and liver-supporting herbs
Community to combat isolation and create an environment of support and sisterhood
Lots of water
Gentle movement
Deep breathing through the stomach
And much more.
Every cycle, if you notice more symptoms around your ovulation, such as mood swings, cramps, slight bleeding, intense cravings, fatigue, braing fog, etc, then it might be an indication that your hormonal levels need a bit more balance.
And if you are currently going through a major life or hormonal change, take a bit of time to implement more supportive habits.
Hydration
This one is a little easier to grasp.
The brain needs to be hydrated.
Without proper supply of water, nutrients are not well circulated and toxins are not taken away properly.
Hormones that work in an environment (your body) that is low in nutrients and high in toxins tend to work slower and less efficiently. A brain cell without good hydration will shrink in size and mass, creating a wave of brain fog, and reduce decision-making abilities.
There is a new “discovery” trending on internet right now, where women are chugging down water during their period and are seeing a significant reduction of their menstrual week and symptoms.
Women trying this trend always post videos of them being shocked by the results. In reality our bodies are so severely dehydrated that it’s no surprise that when we hydrate, things move around. Of course, this trend, like all others, can become dangerous if taken to the extreme. We always need to pay attention to the signals of the body and what it truly needs. But for a lot of women, hydration causes a huge shift in hormonal health and cognitive health.
So look at your hydration levels and see if your body is getting the right amount of water every day.
Nutrition
Coming hand in hand with hydration is nutrition. Plus, they rhyme, so really what else do we need in life.
Nutrients are the building blocks of health - including hormone production and regulation.
For example, you need a certain level of zinc and selenium to produce progesterone. Without it, your body might have all the other ingredients to regulate your hormones - but it simply won’t do it.
The nutrients are used with proteins, who are the main building blocks of hormones specifically (they do other things, of course, but there are simply no hormones without protein). Not only that, but proteins are needed for the communication between the brain and hormonal glands.
For example, the autonomic nervous system (the part of the brain that controls whether or not you are stressed) will send signals to the hormonal glands, and vice versa. Without protein and enough nutrients, these signals won’t work. This will send your brain and body into a bit of a panic.
This means that a hormone and friendly diet is full of protein and nutrients. Ideally, a healthy diet includes good fats, proteins, whole carbs, and a whole lot of nutrients.
To be honest, nutrition should always be one of the first places to look for solutions for period chaos. There is a lot of information out there, and not a lot of it is founded on scientific research on women. It can quickly become confusing and induce errors. It can be beneficial to start by adding whole foods into your daily nutrition.
Some key nutrients, such as Omega-3s and magnesium, are often lacking in women and cause brain fog and loss of focus.
To look at one’s food habits is a good place to start to regulate and restore good hormonal health.
Fresh air and movement
The last two places to investigate are the amount of fresh, clean air one gets and how much blood circulation the body has.
As we have moved into a sedentary lifestyle, two of the major changes our bodies have seen (and not yet gotten used to), are a significant reduction of fresh air and movement.
This means the oxygen we breath carries less potent resources, and our blood carries less of it to the rest of our body.
Suddenly, our cells and organs are getting less resources from our blood than they ever did. Something as simple as increasing fresh air and movement can create a significant difference.
This means increasing blood flow and oxygen reaching the brain.
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Perhaps you are reading this and you have an immediate idea of the places you want to look at to reduce your brain fog.
If you are unsure of where to start, or you know what category to look into but don’t know how to navigate it, feel free to reach out and seek more personal and professional support.
You can email me at audreygerber@spotlessgirl.com or book a call on the website.
As always, dedicated to your most radiant health.
Stay radiant!
