Brain fog and your hormones

Brain fog is one of those troubling symptoms that really puts the breaks on your performance at work and in business. Could your hormones be behind it all? Quite possibly!

😶‍🌫️ What is brain fog?

“Brain fog” refers to a condition characterised by cloudy thinking, lack of focus, forgetfulness, poor word recall, and difficulty in learning new things. It can feel like having “cotton wool” in your head and can significantly impair work performance, causing considerable distress.

While brain fog is common, it should not be considered normal. Instead, it should be seen as an indication that something is affecting brain function that needs attention.

🍬 What causes brain fog?

There are a myriad of things that cause brain fog, the top drivers being;

• Stress
• Blood sugar imbalances
• Thyroid dysfunction
• Perimenopause
• Gut dysfunction
• Lack of sleep
• Nutrient deficiencies
• Toxins and medications

Because hormonal drivers are so common in women – I’m going to focus on those in this article 😊

😟 Stress

Let’s start with stress. Its pervasiveness in our lives makes it the most logical place to start, after all.

When we head into a state of stress, anxiety or overwhelm, the body’s stress response system is activated. This triggers the release of stress hormones, and the sympathetic branch of our autonomic nervous system takes over.

This is the ‘fight or flight’ response – also known as survival mode.

In this state, the brain regions that control higher-order thinking are compromised, as resources are re-directed to parts of the brain that help protect us from danger.

The two are not mutually exclusive, meaning – being in a state of hypervigilance is absolutely going to impair your ability to think critically and take in new Information.

Further, if the stress is prolonged, we may also see changes in adrenal hormone output, with a decline in DHEAs relative to cortisol.

These changes can make the brain and central nervous system vulnerable to the catabolic effects of cortisol, causing a loss of stress resilience, a decrease in hippocampal volume, and increase in cognitive impairment and memory loss [Source].

The effects of stress on brain fog don’t stop here.

🩸 Blood sugar imbalances

Stress-induced metabolic changes and elevated blood glucose levels, even within the high-normal range, can significantly impact cognition and potentially alter brain anatomy [Source].

During periods of prolonged stress, cortisol surges cause spikes in blood sugar and a corresponding rise in insulin. Normally, these levels would return to baseline, but with chronic stress, cells become less responsive to insulin, causing some degree of insulin resistance.

This leads to elevated blood sugar levels. As a result, the transporters responsible for shuttling glucose to the brain are down-regulated, creating an energy deficit.

This immediately leads to brain fog and oxidative damage.

Glucose is the brain’s preferred fuel source, while only accounting for 2% of our body weight, it consumes about 20% of glucose-derived energy – it’s the biggest glucose consumer in the body!  [Source]. Want mental clarity? Keep the brain fuelled.

Fasting and skipping breakfast is a common cause of blood sugar highs and lows in women.

Then, when blood sugar levels crash (hypoglycaemia), the cravings for carbohydrates and sweets kick in, setting the blood glucose roller coaster in motion all over again.

👉 I wrote my Guide to Hormone Balancing Breakfasts to address this very issue – it’s packed with information and healthy recipes to experiment with, you can download that here.

Of course, stress is but one driver of blood glucose dysregulation and insulin resistance. Other contributors include obesity, an inactive lifestyle and a diet high in carbohydrates.

🏃‍♀️ Action points

Assess your stress hormones and metabolic function via blood testing. Ask for a morning cortisol, DHEAs, fasting glucose and fasting insulin test.

More information on what these markers are and how to interpret results can be found in my ebook – Hormone Blood Testing for Women, here.

To help manage your stress –

• Ensure you get adequate sleep
• Schedule in down-time
• Practice breathing exercises daily to activate the parasympathetic branch of the nervous system
• Employ key herbs and supplements to help support the stress response (see your practitioner for guidance)

To help balance your blood glucose –

• Cut out sugar and processed foods
• Reduce or avoid alcohol
• Have regular meals to avoid fluctuations in blood glucose
• Get adequate protein and fibre with your meals (see my ebook on how to do that here)
• Employ key herbs and supplements to help improve insulin sensitivity (such as magnesium, chromium… see your practitioner for guidance)

🦋 Thyroid dysfunction

Thyroid dysfunction, particularly hypothyroidism, can cause cognitive problems that may mimic dementia.

This is because thyroid hormones play a role in brain areas that are crucial for learning, memory and cognitive skills, such as the hippocampus.

One study found the hippocampus to be 12% smaller in participants with hypothyroidism, when compared with those with normal thyroid function [Source].

It’s important to know that chronic stress can suppress thyroid hormones, so also contributes to brain fog in this way.

🏃‍♀️ Action points

If you have symptoms of thyroid dysfunction, get a thorough assessment to determine whether this is the root cause of your brain fog.

Treating the thyroid is comprehensive and involves correcting nutrient deficiencies, optimising the diet, reducing inflammation and oxidative stress, addressing stress, supporting the gut, treating stealth infections and oestrogen excess, and clearing environmental toxicants.

💁‍♀️ Perimenopause

During perimenopause, hormones can fluctuate. Typically, there is a decrease in progesterone, while oestrogen swings up and down for some time, before an eventual decline in menopause.

It is the periods of low oestrogen during this life phase that contribute to brain fog, for a number of reasons.

In early perimenopause, 44% of women report forgetfulness [Source].

For example, oestrogen has powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects in the brain. Lower levels can promote neuro-inflammation and oxidative damage, leading to cognitive impairment.

Oestrogen plays an important role in the regulation of neurotransmitters including serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline, which are essential for mood, focus, attention and cognitive function. Lower oestrogen levels can lead to an imbalance in neurotransmitter levels, causing mood disorders, loss of motivation/focus, and mental fatigue.

A meta-analysis of studies involving >9,000 participants found perimenopausal women have a 40% higher risk of depression [Source].

Further, oestrogen is incredibly neuro-protective, helping promote the growth and plasticity of neurons. Neuronal growth, synaptic activity and plasticity are crucial for learning and memory, so a loss of oestrogen therefore leads to cognitive deficits [Source].

Low estrogen levels can also trigger increased cortisol production, leading to higher stress levels and impaired stress response, which can further exacerbate brain fog.

Additionally, the perimenopausal phase is linked to metabolic changes that can impair insulin sensitivity, increase the risk of developing a thyroid condition, or worsen an existing thyroid condition.

It’s all connected…!

🏃‍♀️ Action points

Natural approaches to support you in the perimenopausal phase of life include –

• An anti-inflammatory diet, rich in soy isoflavones – these are natural compounds found within soybeans that have antioxidant properties, and can safely bind to oestrogen receptors in the body. Soy isoflavones help modulate oestrogen levels and are an effective intervention for hot flushes
• Getting regular exercise, including resistance training to promote insulin sensitivity
• Stress management techniques
• Prioritising sleep
• Herbal and supplemental support to address hormonal shifts, neuro-inflammation, neurotransmitter health and sleep
• Acupuncture
• Yoga
• Meditation

Also, know that symptoms will eventually subside as your body recalibrates to the new normal.

I hope that helps!

If you would like tailored support, you can book a consult with me here.

Till next time,
Lauren.