There have been enough stressors in our lives during the last two years to make anyone feel unbalanced! But we’re going to talk today about memory problems and a possible hormone imbalance.
Check these:
- Do you sometimes forget what you went into the kitchen for?
- Are you in the perimenopause years and feeling as if mist or fog has taken over your brain?
- Do you find yourself losing your concentration and focus just as a crucial part of the film happens?
If you said yes to any of those, fear not! You’re not unbalanced. But your hormones may be. So let’s take a look at why that is, and then what you can do about fog, focus, and forgetfulness problems.
Why Do Hormones Become Unbalanced?
The chief culprits are:
Aging: As you age, certain hormones like estrogen, progesterone, and cortisol start misfiring. (There are other key hormones, but that’s enough names to remember for now!)
An unhealthy lifestyle: Regular poor food choices or permanently erratic sleep patterns can also lead to a hormonal imbalance.
Certain life stages: Stages that involve hormone imbalances include puberty and pregnancy, but also menopause. As you go through perimenopause (before the actual menopause), your hormones are likely to fluctuate even more wildly, leading to all sorts of problems.
One of these problems concerns memory.
The changes may be subtle or more obvious. But you’ll almost certainly notice them at some point and wonder what’s going on. Scientists have wondered that, too! And they came to the conclusion it’s to do with hormonal changes, which lead to an imbalance that can affect cognition and memory.
For instance, one study found that women in their first year of their last menstrual period fared worse in various cognition tests. The good news, however, is they improved over time.
So, if you’re wondering whether you have the first signs of dementia (a natural worry at a certain age), it’s important to note that dementia brings about a continuous deterioration of your memory over time. On the other hand, hormone-related brain fog will probably bring with it all the other signs of menopause and perimenopause that you know about.
And in addition, remember those stressors we mentioned up top? If you’re in your 40s-50s, it’s likely you’re having to also cope with
- children leaving home,
- parents to care for,
- work-related challenges,
- post-pandemic adjustments, as well as
- those dreaded menopausal symptoms.
Stress raises the level of the hormone cortisol in your body and also limits your thinking brain, to an extent. So if you’re having trouble remembering new information and thinking clearly, it’s time to stop worrying, rethink what’s happening (if you can still think straight!) and decide what you can do about it!
Brain Fog, Lack of Focus, Forgetfulness: Back to That Hormone Imbalance
Estrogen is a key hormone that regulates many brain functions. And as estrogen levels drop, the chemical and physical changes in your brain will clearly have an impact on how well you remember where you stored the corn flakes after doing the shopping.
Estrogen also helps regulate how your body uses cortisol, and cortisol helps with chemical communication in your brain. So you can imagine the probable result as estrogen levels fall.
Another hormone whose levels drop at certain life stages is progesterone. This can lead to mood swings and poor sleep – and poor sleep also leads to brain fog.
So it’s likely the state of your hormones that’s causing your problems with brain function.
What Can You Do to Restore Hormone Imbalances to Normal?
One solution is to look into bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT). It’s a well-proven choice, and we’ll look at it in a moment.
But a natural remedy that will also help you improve your brain is to make sure you’re taking enough exercise in the fresh air. Of course, exercising your mind as well with crosswords or learning something new can also prove to you that your brain is not always in a fog!
Another good route to take at home is to try to stick to that resolution you made last New Year to eat lots of vegetables, fruit, and unprocessed foods. You knew it was a good idea at the time: “You are what you eat!”
But if you’ve already done all that, it’s a good idea to check with your doctor that your symptoms are definitely caused by hormone imbalance. They will consider a number of things. For instance, high blood pressure (hypertension) can cause an element of cognitive impairment. In addition, some kinds of medication might be causing a worsening of your brain function.
If all else is in order, it’s time to consult with them about bioidentical hormone replacement.
Will BHRT Help With Hormonal Imbalance?
Yes. It’s a simple way to restore the correct amount of each hormone that your body needs to relieve the brain (and other) symptoms you have. At Evexias Denver, however, we don’t simply offer a one-size-fits-all hormone replacement program. We gear it to your body’s needs.
But first of all, we’ll talk with you about your memory problems and any other symptoms you have, run some blood tests, and then determine exactly what will help you most.
If hormone replacement therapy is the right option for you, there are various ways to deliver it, although our preference is to implant a BHRT pellet just under your skin – probably every three to six months.
It’s a very safe way of solving things for you. A pellet is the size of a grain of rice and will include whichever hormones the blood tests have shown you need as a result of your hormone imbalance.
If another delivery method is more suitable for you, though, we’ll discuss that with you.
The “bio-identical” bit of BHRT refers to the fact that the hormones
- are made from plants like soy or wild yams rather than synthetic components, and
- are an identical structural match to the hormones you already have.
This means they’re totally compatible with your body, and your body knows how to connect with them. They’ll start to work within two weeks – although you probably need a couple of months to feel the full effect. By which time you’ll always be able to remember what you’re going to the kitchen for!
Ready to deal with your fog, focus and forgetfulness? You’re not alone with your hormone imbalance. We’re here to help! Your wellness is our passion. Contact us for a consultation today!