Surviving Brain Fog
For the first time in my life, I lost control of my ability to control all of my brain functions. Brain Fog stole that away from me.
I could remember all eleven digits or more phone numbers as a child, just hearing it once. They skipped me twice in school. Once in Infant school and again in Primary school. Education wasn’t a big deal to my mother.
That is the wrong message to send to your children, especially the poor.
She didn’t help me with homework or any schoolwork. So, if I had problems with Mathematics, English Language, or any other subject, I asked others for help.
I love to read, so my critical thinking was developed early. I was told I had a remarkable memory. I could
add, subtract, divide and multiply quickly in my head. I was very good at mental math and could read math and numbers. My quick thinking opened the door to many innovative ideas that have improved my life and others. I taught all of my children before they could talk. My kids were considered smart. I love my brain. I took the time to know my brain, which increased my awareness of myself and my actions. It is my CPU. It stores things I don’t want you to know about. It controls my actions, choices, and decisions, good and bad. I am an overthinker.
I used to write things in my brain and pick it out when needed. I study and test myself a lot. As I grew, my brain got more innovative. Even with limited resources, I could slow down my cycle of poverty and live the life I want, thanks to my brainpower and activities. All of my achievements are because of how I use my brain.
After a certain age, I realized that I was becoming forgetful. After checking myself and reading up, I diagnosed myself. I have sleep issues, so I associate my memory loss with sleep deprivation.
According to Sleep Deprivation and Memory Loss
https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/sleep-deprivation-effects-on-memory
It is no secret that a good night’s sleep makes you feel better. Not only does sleep give your body time to rest and recharge, but it may also be crucial to your brain’s ability to learn and remember.
During sleep, while your body rests, your brain is busy processing information from the day and forming memories. If you are sleep-deprived, you are at risk of developing some serious health problems, such as hypertension, obesity, and diabetes may impair your ability to learn and retain new information.
The Power of Sleep
Imaging and behavioral studies continue to show the critical role sleep plays in learning and memory. Researchers believe that sleep affects learning and memory in two ways:
Lack of sleep impairs a person’s ability to focus and learn efficiently.
Sleep is necessary to consolidate a memory (make it stick) to be recalled in the future.
I thought I cured myself by relaxing more and introducing natural sleep aids. In my culture, we possess a rich history and heritage of natural healing along with the abundance of natural herbs and cures to go along with it left to us by our African ancestors.
Cannabis is grown naturally in my country, so it became one of the sleep aids that helped — the cannabis sticks. A family member gave me this idea. I use a few marijuana sticks to brew tea at night, sweetened with honey. It was like a miracle. I don’t smoke, but drinking that tea was a natural sleep aid.
According to: https://swaay.com/health-benefits-of-marijuana-tea-cbd-oil-for-sleep
What is Marijuana Tea?
Marijuana tea is made from the cannabis plant, and its key benefits are derived from THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) content in the plant. THC ideally binds to the pain receptors in the brain, which makes it a natural pain reliever, and offers other therapeutic benefits.
It can also enhance the effect of CBD Oil for sleep and other conditions.
Pain relief
Marijuana is a known potent analgesic used for centuries to treat painful conditions like muscle pains, arthritis, and other chronic illnesses. The active compounds in cannabis have been shown to bind to various receptors in the central nervous system, where they can block pain effectively.
Marijuana Tea has a Neuroprotective Effect.
Previously, the Drug War hysteria tried to link the use of marijuana with brain damage and memory problems. However, the evidence is contrary. Recent studies have found out that marijuana seems to produce a neuroprotective effect. Precisely, THC appears to block or slow down the production of beta-amyloid proteins. These proteins are widely thought to be the predecessors of Alzheimer’s.
The good thing about how cannabis relieves pain is that it does so without the adverse side effects of conventional pain killer medications. For instance, marijuana is not as addictive as morphine, codeine, and oxycontin, and there’s no dose-related fatality ever recorded from using marijuana.
Medical experts increasingly agree that cannabis is an effective and safe way to alleviate pain and manage painful conditions like migraines, fibromyalgia, cancer, etc. Cannabis-infused tea is quite an excellent delivery method considering that when marijuana is absorbed through the digestive tract, it has much longer-lasting and holistic effects.
I thought I fixed my memory problems. It got worst. I left my grill door open and went away for hours. Thank God I didn’t live in a bad neighborhood. I forgot that I am cooking. I love to cook. I forget that I am boiling water and almost caused a fire. I left my oven on for hours, forgetting to put the chicken I was supposed to bake in it. Being forgetful was causing harm to me mentally, emotionally, and psychologically.
I pride myself on making my own decisions. I think for myself and allow no one into my head. All of my life, I had no problem making decisions for myself. I know what I want, and I go for it.
Lately, I don’t know what I want, and when I make decisions, they end up costing me a lot more than I can pay, along with pain. I was always slow to anger. Mood swings took that power away from me. Confusion multiplied more than ten times, and my tolerance level dropped significantly.
What was wrong with me?
I find myself making simple and silly mistakes that I never did before. All of my decisions usually go through the washing machine cycle in my head while I wait on God’s guidance. Then they are checked. If I don’t like it, they go back in the wash. The process is the same for the dryer. Important decisions are carefully thought out and carefully planned. I go into nothing feet first. I was slowly slipping. My family was aware of it but thought I was finally going nuts. Lol.
Being an introvert was interpreted negatively in my culture. You are either insane, or you think you are better than everyone.
Yes, I consider myself a bit nutty, but I am better than no one. And no one is better than me, rich or poor.
I became frustrated quickly. I battled depression for years and won. But it came back with a vengeance, refusing to respond to all of my natural remedies. Impatient, irritable, angry, and aggressive were just a few words used to describe me. I was transforming into a monster. A kind one, though. Whatever was changing me couldn’t touch the kindness in my heart.
I became afraid, which increased my anxiety. I became unreliable and found myself relying more on others, which increased my frustration. I was easy to get along with. That too changed. I was always independent. I am the one everyone calls for solutions to their problems. I see myself slipping away. I was physically, mentally, emotionally, and psychologically in pain. It’s painful fighting life, humans, a pandemic, racial injustice, inequality, sexism, stupidity, ignorance, and more. Then add the implications of menopause to your problems. How does one survive fighting all of the above?
#Iintend2survive.
Awareness is one of the most important tools I used to fight life and its problems. Being aware of what was changing me gave me something to fight for and with. Change is good, but not when it negatively impacts your life.
Ignorance is costly and painful. As an introvert, I am missing out on a lot of things.
Certain information shared among women that could have helped me wasn’t available because I don’t socialize or talk to anyone.
I was experiencing a ‘Brain Fog’ due to menopause.
What the hell is that?” I ask.
Well, this study says https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/oct/10/menopause-brain-the-inability-to-think-clearly-is-not-all-in-your-mind.
In perimenopause and the early stages of menopause, women describe changes in their ability to think, make decisions, and function well mentally. Some describe this as “brain fog.” They may experience difficulty assimilating and making use of new information.
We now know that this brain fog affects around two-thirds of menopausal and perimenopausal women. The cause is related to changing hormone levels in the female brain. The first hormone level to drop is usually progesterone, which can be related to irritability, mood swings, and brain fog. The drop in progesterone can also cause sleep disturbance. Sleep disturbance in itself can affect the brain’s ability to function optimally.
Many of my patients are enormously relieved when I tell them that the state of their hormones most likely causes their problems with brain function. It is likely to be temporary and not linked to an increased risk of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
You have to consider all of the other problems related to menopause that could contribute to brain fog. Women going through the changes around menopause experience disturbed sleep, hot flushes and night sweats, and a depressed mood, all of which can contribute to difficulties with thinking and memory.
I had an impatient life. I was forced to grow up fast, so Puberty didn’t stand a chance against changing me or my life. Puberty lost the battle, as I matured more quickly than it could keep up. I didn’t have the opportunity to be a teenager. I was okay with that.
Menopause was different. I couldn’t skip it. I am older, wiser, smarter, and stronger. I should be able to handle menopause. This is just another stage of life. Sadly, my brain couldn’t cope. For the first time in my life, I lost control of my ability to control all of my brain functions. Brain Fog stole that away from me. I was never afraid of anything at any point in my life as I was experiencing brain fog. My brain was my life. Without it functioning appropriately, I didn’t want to live.
My firm will, determination, awareness, and intention to survive will take back control.
The first year of menopause brain is likely to be the worst, and memory and learning ability generally rebound to normal after the menopause process is complete. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/oct/10/menopause-brain-the-inability-to-think-clearly-is-not-all-in-your-mind.
This is excellent news. Brain Fog is temporary.
Lots of emphasis are placed on educating and preparing us for Puberty. Menopause is a female battle. Only I must fight this. Only I can save myself.
I consider myself wise. I read a lot. I think I know a lot. I didn’t know about Brain Fog.
I should have known.
Do you?
This is for all women out there who are experiencing memory problems. Brain Fog isn’t the end. It is the beginning of better care of me. Awareness of self, life, and living are essential.
According to: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/oct/10/menopause-brain-the-inability-to-think-clearly-is-not-all-in-your-mind
Start doing this:
General health check: See your GP to ensure your symptoms are related to menopause and not some other cause.
Exercise: is essential for the prevention of chronic disease.
Exercise your mind: Make lists to help you stay organized. Challenge your mind each day with brain stimulations.
Sleep: Disturbed sleep or lack of quality sleep impairs normal brain function and contributes to brain fog.
Nutrition: Look after your diet.
Healthy weight: Achieve and maintain your ideal weight.
Smoking: Tobacco smoking affects cerebral blood flow, which harms brain function.
Meditation/mindfulness: Relaxation practices such as meditation, tai chi, yoga, and breathing techniques can help with anxiety, irritability, and sleep problems.
Alcohol: Many women find that drinking alcohol around menopause makes hot flushes, night sweats, and insomnia worse.
The above site is helpful. Check it out for more lifesaving information on Brain Fog and Menopause.
Aging is another stage humans must go through and cannot be altered or stopped. More focus, action, and information should be available to educate and help us better understand our bodies’ changes. And how we can help to better our lives by identifying, preparing, and adapting to the changes as they affect us. Aging shouldn’t only be a personal battle. It should be a shared one to help and educate each other on living better.
The ease of access to information isn’t readily available to all, but the more we talk about our experience, the more we will help each other.
Ladies and gentlemen, if you can talk about your aging problems, please do. If not, write about it. I and many others are listening.
Thank you for reading this piece. I hope you enjoy it. Please taste and savor more from other writers on this platform.
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