Menopause and Memory Loss: New Research Explains Why Menopausal Women Often Feel Forgetful
by www.SixWise.com
Along with the hot flashes, sleepless nights and mood swings,
many women also report another symptom that comes along with
menopause: forgetfulness.
"We see a lot of women who are afraid they are losing
their minds," said Miriam Weber, Ph.D., a senior instructor
of neurology from the University of Rochester Medical Center,
who conducted a study on the topic with colleague Mark Mapstone,
Ph.D., assistant professor of neurology. "A lot of women
complain that their thinking or their memory isn't what it
used to be. Their big fear is that it's early Alzheimer's
disease."
Menopausal women aren't forgetful, they've just got
too much going on to really commit things to their memory
in the first place.
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The researchers found no link between "forgetful"
women going through menopause and Alzheimer's, but they did
find something else: the forgetfulness doesn't stem from an
impaired memory, it stems from stressed women with busy lives
who have a harder time learning, or "encoding,"
new information.
Not a Memory Problem After All
Women, Get Safe Relief From Menopausal
Symptoms With Natural Progesterone
Progesterone is one of the oldest hormones known to
nature, and serves a wide range of functions at all
ages. When women hit menopause, progesterone levels
can drop severely--for some women levels can fall to
nearly zero.
Producing the proper levels of progesterone in your
body is key to keeping you hormonally balanced.
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"This is not what most people think of traditionally
when they think of memory loss," said Mapstone. "It
feels like a memory problem, but the cause is different. It
feels like you can't remember, but that's because you never
really learned the information in the first place."
The researchers tested several cognitive skills of 24 women
who complained of memory problems. They found, as previous
studies have, no evidence that the women, who were approaching
menopause, had any more memory problems than the rest of the
population.
What they did find, however, was that the women had a harder
time learning new information, which could be mistakenly perceived
as a memory problem. None of the women actually had an impaired
ability to learn new information, the researchers pointed
out.
Hectic Lives, Stress and Hormones May All Play a Part
The team compared the problem to a doctor's visit in which
a patient is told something serious is wrong, then given a
lot of detailed information. Chances are that when the patient
gets home he or she won't remember a lot of it, simply because
they were so worried and distracted at the time of the conversation.
The information wasn't forgotten, it was never really heard
in the first place.
Such is the case with many middle-aged women who juggle careers,
kids, home responsibilities and aging parents on a daily basis.
"When people spread their attention thin, it's difficult
to encode new information. When they're worried or anxious
about being late for work, or the problems of an aging parent
-- that sort of stress can rob your attentional resources
and impact your ability to encode information properly,"
said Mapstone.
Ironically, not worrying about the forgetfulness could actually
help to alleviate the problem, Weber said.
"What characterizes these women is that they're being
pulled in a lot of different directions ... Then they're going
through this dramatic hormonal change ... There really is
something going on. And perhaps knowing that their perceived
problems with memory do not suggest early dementia might alleviate
their concerns and actually improve their functioning -- it's
one less thing to worry about," he said.
Easing Menopausal Symptoms Naturally
If you're a woman in your mid-40s or early 50s and menopause-related
symptoms have you feeling tired, sweaty, achy, bloated and
moody, there are some simple tricks that can help.
1. Ease Stress
As the study above found, simply putting too much on your
plate can lead to increased feelings of "forgetfulness"
and will also certainly make you more tired and moody. Make
stress-relief a priority in your life by:
-
Setting aside time to do something you like everyday.
-
Learning to say "no" if you feel overwhelmed.
-
Incorporating relaxation, such as taking a warm bath
or doing yoga, into your daily routine.
-
Surrounding yourself with positive-minded friends and
family.
2. Try a NATURAL progesterone cream
Women going through menopause experienced fewer migraines,
mood swings and bouts of insomnia when they exercised
one hour a day, four days a week.
|
Producing the proper levels of progesterone in your body
is key to keeping you hormonally balanced, and therefore
more energized. But only truly natural versions (not the
synthetic Diosgenin) are recommended. Renaissance
Natural Progesterone Cream is one of the ONLY progesterone
creams on the market containing 100 percent pure micronized
USP progesterone powder in a topical cream. Only USP progesterone
powder is bio-identical to the naturally occurring progesterone
in your body.
3. Exercise
"Exercise compensates nicely for declining levels
of estrogen," said Wolfgang Kemmler, PhD, who led a
study on the topic. The German study of 78 early postmenopausal
women found that women who exercised for one hour (with
both aerobic and strength training) four days a week experienced
fewer:
-
Migraines
-
Mood swings
-
Bouts of insomnia
... than women who did not exercise. They also had the
added benefits of:
On the other hand, women who did not exercise lost 8 percent
of their bone mass and had increases in body fat, waist
measurements and cholesterol.
Recommended Reading
The Real
Facts on Natural Progesterone: What Women Need to Know
Want to Improve
Your Memory? Go to Bed!
Sources
Science
Daily: Memory Problems at Menopause: Nothing to Forget About
Prevention:
Exercise Eases Menopause