Who Are You? And Where Did I Leave My Keys!?  Menopause, Memory, and Headaches…

As discussed in my previous blog, falling oestrogen levels due to menopause can have many negative effects and bring about various menopausal symptoms, two examples of which are headaches, and often disconcerting memory lapses.

During menopause, the domino effect of declining oestrogen levels on neuro-hormone levels means that the brain becomes less productive and neuro-pathways become blocked by a general deficiency of hormones. Though the age of menopause can vary from woman to woman, the signs of menopause & menopause symptoms are fairly uniform.

The effects are threefold:

• Firstly, scarcity of hormones slows the blood supply to the optic nerve and so leads to foggy, heavy eyes.
• Secondly, when you try constantly to engage your brain because it feels foggy from lack of hormones, overstimulation occurs and connection pathways become blocked leading to a memory lapse.   You may find yourself randomly forgetting names of long-known friends, places and even objects, forgetting why you came into a room, generally find it harder to concentrate, and forgetting what you were doing just a few minutes ago etc.
• Thirdly, over stimulation will result in sharp pains where the brain is being over-engaged.

Pranayama Breathing Exercises such as Chandra Bheda, which has a mild cooling effect on the body and draws energy from the moon, can be helpful in reducing these effects and as a part of successful menopause treatment. Instructions can be found from a yoga instructor or on page 217 of my book Yatan Yoga Therapy which is available through our website or at our menopause centre.

Massaging Bhringaraj or Shankhapushpi oil into your temples will also have the effect of calming the mind’s tension and reducing headaches.

Imbalance of the neuro-hormones is also the cause of volatile emotions which I will discuss in my next blog.