Is there such a thing as Brain Drain and Menopause?
Research shows that the female sex hormone, estrogen, plays a key role in brain function. Estrogen declines during menopause, but that doesn’t mean your brain function will decline along with it. Although estrogen produced by our bodies helps the brain function, there’s no clear clinical evidence to support the notion that the brains of women after menopause don’t work as well as they did in the past. What we are learning is the difference between changes with menopause and normal age-related changes in function.
Often, postmenopausal women do have memory slips or difficulty concentrating. However, research suggests a variety of potential underlying causes. These include disturbed sleep, extra stress, or depression. If you’re awakened by night sweats several times during the night, that’s often enough to interfere with your ability to concentrate or remember details for the next days’ meeting.
Should hot flashes be the reason for your insomnia and the fuzzy thinking and memory glitches that follow a sleepless night, try reducing their hold on you with some lifestyle changes. Exercising daily is linked to a lower incidence of hot flashes. And some products designed to lower your temperature, such as the menopod, may be helpful. And if you’re a smoker, this may be the motivation you need to finally quit: Women who smoke have more intense and more frequent hot flashes than nonsmoking women.
If you think you might be depressed, which can cause difficulty concentrating, make an appointment with your doctor. Menopausal hormone fluctuations can be linked to depression in some women. Feeling occasional sadness isn’t the same as being depressed.
If your stress level is noticeably high, you may be able to control and reframe your intensity by practicing some form of relaxation. One of the simplest ways to combat stress is deep breathing. Meditation, yoga, tai chi, or gentle stretching are also good ways to reduce stress. If stress, memory slips, or other menopausal symptoms continue to bother you, consult your doctor. The key is to take action that will let you feel more in control.
Now what was I saying?
#woman #brainhealth #healthy #menopause
Chilling hot flashes? You might want to check out the Menopod. (www.menopod.com)- It contains a cooling technology inside the device. There are no fans or moving parts. When you turn the power on, it instantly drops to a cool temperature) so that you can discreetly place it on the back of your neck to stop the hot flash.