Are Hot Flashes to Blame for Brain Fog During Menopause?

The onset of menopause can quickly lead to experiencing a myriad of symptoms, including the things like hot flashes, reduced sex drive and vaginal dryness. Yet, for some women, struggling to remember things, a notable lack of mental clarity and focus, and an overall feeling of “brain fogginess” may start to occur.

Experiencing brain fog during menopause may not be uncommon, but you may be wondering if there is a potential connection between this symptom and hot flashes. Could menopause hot flashes perhaps be a cause of brain fog? Here’s what you need to know about the potential connection.

How Common Is Brain Fog with Menopause?

Studies indicate that about 60% of women struggle with concentration issues, forgetfulness or other changes in cognition when they reach middle age, and there seems to be a notable spike in the frequency of these cognitive shifts when a woman reaches perimenopause.¹ During perimenopause, other symptoms, outside of just brain fog, can make it harder for women to focus and concentrate.

For example, many women who are in the early stages of menopause may experience difficulty sleeping, which can lead to cognitive impairments² – such as brain fog.  A lack of quality sleep along with not getting enough hours of sleep, especially, during menopause, can make functioning throughout the day more challenging, and can impact cognitive function.³

For some women, the dramatic change in hormones experienced during perimenopause and menopause can lead to a more negative, depressed mood or significant mood changes. These emotional shifts could also potentially impact some of the memory issues⁴ women experience during this transitional time.

What About Hot Flashes and Menopause?

The key causes of brain fog and hot flashes are linked. Hot flashes are a type of internal, intense feeling of warmth that’s not caused by any type of outward source – rather, they’re often initiated by the hormonal changes commonly experienced during perimenopause and menopause – they often come on all of a sudden and, in some cases, may only last a few minutes before disappearing.⁵ While incredibly common during menopause, this symptom is definitely uncomfortable and can disrupt your everyday quality of life.

With more than 80% of women reporting hot flashes as a symptom of their menopausal experience, it’s clear that they can have a significant impact on your daily life.⁶ Many women may experience the following during and after a hot flash:^{7, 8}

• An intensity of warmth that starts in the chest and moves upwards
• Dizziness and the inability to do much while the hot flash is happening
• Sweating, which may occur for some women
• Chills or “cold flashes” toward the end of the hot flash

If you are dealing with hot flashes, it’s possible that you may also experience brain fog.⁹ Hot flashes accompanied by brain fog may actually be commonplace for some women, but everyone’s experience with these symptoms will be different.

What Causes Brain Fog?

Brain fog and night sweats or hot flashes experienced during menopause are not uncommon, but they’re certainly something you’ll want to address if you find they’re negatively impacting your quality of life. For most women, a feeling of brain fog improves over time and may actually subside once menopause is over, denoting that hormonal fluctuations can play a role in the onset (and cessation) of this symptom.¹⁰

What Can Be Done About Hot Flashes Accompanied by Brain Fog?

A common misconception is that the causes of brain fog and hot flashes are just “normal” parts of the natural aging process and the menopausal transition. The fact is, you can, and should, seek out the support of a healthcare provider so you don’t suffer unnecessarily through perimenopause and beyond.

Consider several of these helpful strategies to help reduce your hot flashes and brain fog during menopause:

Try Prescription-Free, Hot Flash Management Options, Like Relizen®

Relizen is a clinically studied, hormone-free, prescription-free symptom solution designed to reduce the frequency and intensity of menopausal hot flashes.* If you’re also finding that you’re up at night because you get suddenly hot (and then cold) from night sweats, it’s very likely that you are not getting the restorative sleep you need to function at your best during the day. Relizen can help to mitigate these disruptive symptoms, enabling you to keep your cool, day and night.*

Want more tips on how to manage menopause hot flashes fast? Check out our quick video from Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Alyssa Dweck, below.

Reduce Your Stress Levels to Ease Brain Fog

Finding ways to reduce stress levels may help to mitigate symptoms like brain fog.¹¹ It’s not easy to avoid stress when you are in this transitional stage of your life (especially if you’re worried about the potential of a hot flash in the middle of a big meeting). Yet, finding a way to reduce stress levels can provide a significant reduction in brain fog for many.

A few ways to relax could include:¹²

• Deep breathing exercises or meditation
• Yoga
• Regular exercise
• Improving your sleep habits

Improve Diet to Relieve or Prevent Brain Fog

It can also be beneficial to provide your body with the specific nutrients you need during menopause to prevent or ease brain fog. That includes fatty fish with a high level of omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, or foods like beans, nuts or whole grains.¹³ Making smart food choices will provide your brain the support it needs to operate at its best. In addition to many foods that are beneficial to your diet, there are also foods you may want to avoid that could trigger hot flashes and brain fog – so be sure to consider your diet closely when looking to manage your menopause symptoms.

By working to balance your day-to-day life, you can often reduce the onset of hot flashes, which in turn, may help you to clear brain fog.

Resources

1. https://journals.lww.com/menopausejournal/Citation/2013/12000/Cognition_and_the_menopausal_transition___is.3.aspx
2. https://www.swanstudy.org/womens-health-info/effects-of-sleep-problems-during-menopause/#:~:text=The%20SWAN%20study%20has%20found,%25)%20and%20women%20(30.7%25).
3. https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/menopause/sleep-problems-and-menopause-what-can-i-do
4. https://www.everydayhealth.com/menopause-pictures/tricks-to-battle-memory-loss-in-menopause.aspx
5. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hot-flashes/symptoms-causes/syc-20352790
6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6459071/
7. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/327481#what-does-a-hot-flash-feel-like
8. https://www.healthline.com/health/dizziness-and-sweating#causes
9. https://www.healthline.com/health/menopause/menopause-brain-fog#research
10. https://www.verywellhealth.com/menopause-brain-fog-5217511#:~:text=Brain%20fog%20during%20the%20menopausal,it%20usually%20subsides%20after%20menopause.
11. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/sleep-stress-or-hormones-brain-fog-during-perimenopause-202104092429
12. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/sleep-stress-or-hormones-brain-fog-during-perimenopause-202104092429
13. https://www.healthline.com/health/menopause/menopause-brain-fog#prevention