Have you ever walked into a room and forgotten why you went in there? Struggled to focus during a conversation, or felt like your brain is wading through molasses? You're not alone. These moments of mental fuzziness, often called "brain fog," are incredibly common among women and they often go hand-in-hand with hormonal imbalances.
At Husk, we see brain fog as more than just an annoyance. It's a sign that your body is out of balance, and it's worth investigating. If you're feeling foggy, forgetful, or flat, your hormones may be playing a key role. Let’s explore how.
Oestrogen isn’t just about reproductive health, it also plays a huge role in brain function. It affects neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, which influence mood, memory, and cognition.
When oestrogen is too low (as it often is during perimenopause, menopause, or in women with low body fat), it can leave you feeling forgetful, scattered and anxious. On the flip side, excessively high oestrogen (often seen with poor detox pathways or in oestrogen dominance) can contribute to irritability and mood swings that also cloud your thinking.
Tip: Tracking your symptoms throughout your menstrual cycle can give insight into whether oestrogen is at play. If your brain fog worsens around ovulation or your period, fluctuating oestrogen could be a root cause.
Chronic stress is one of the most overlooked drivers of hormonal chaos. When you're under prolonged stress, your body ramps up cortisol production, your main stress hormone. In the short term, cortisol helps you adapt. But long term? It wreaks havoc.
Excess cortisol can impair memory, reduce focus, disrupt sleep and even shrink the hippocampus (the part of your brain responsible for learning). It also depletes other important hormones like progesterone, which exacerbates brain fog.
Tip: Start incorporating daily nervous system support practices such as gentle movement, breathwork or time in nature. These can help regulate cortisol and bring the body back into a rest-and-digest state.
Your thyroid is your body's engine. It controls your metabolism, energy production and, you guessed it, mental clarity. Even subclinical hypothyroidism (where your levels are "normal" but not optimal) can lead to fatigue, poor concentration, and slowed cognition.
This is particularly common in women with Hashimoto’s (an autoimmune thyroid condition) or during postpartum and perimenopause, when thyroid function can fluctuate dramatically.
Tip: If you haven’t had your thyroid checked recently, ask your GP for a full thyroid panel including TSH, Free T3, Free T4, and thyroid antibodies, not just TSH alone.
Did you know that your brain consumes around 20% of your daily glucose intake? That’s a huge demand and it means blood sugar stability is crucial for mental clarity.
When your diet is high in refined carbs or you skip meals, your blood sugar can spike and crash, leaving you feeling shaky, irritable and mentally foggy. Over time, this pattern can lead to insulin resistance, a hormonal condition that affects ovulation, mood, and cognition.
Tip: Focus on eating balanced meals every 3-4 hours with a combination of protein, healthy fats and slow carbs to keep blood sugar stable. Our "Foundations of Health Guide" offers a step-by-step roadmap to getting this right.
Progesterone is your calming, soothing hormone. It promotes restful sleep, eases anxiety, and supports GABA (a neurotransmitter that helps you feel grounded). Low progesterone, often seen in perimenopause, after coming off the pill, or in women with high stress levels, can cause sleep issues, restlessness, and yep, brain fog.
If you're waking up feeling like you haven't slept at all, or your brain fog is worse in the mornings, low progesterone might be a factor.
Tip: Prioritising sleep hygiene can help support natural progesterone levels. See our "Foundations of Health Guide" for more strategies.
The good news? Brain fog is not a permanent condition. It’s a signal from your body asking you to slow down, investigate, and recalibrate. By addressing hormonal imbalances at the root, through personalised naturopathic care, strategic nutrition, and lifestyle shifts, you can find clarity again.
If you're ready to get to the bottom of your brain fog and feel like yourself again, I'm here to support you.
Ready for personalised support? Book a consultation today.
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