My Menopausal Brain
At a recent dinner with friends I was excited to tell them about a lens here on Squidoo that covered everything about seahorses! Imagine my embarrassment when I called the little stinkers starhorses? In an instant several things went coursing through my brain...crawl under the table and die!...note to self; don't try to start a conversation...keep eating my steak and hope to goodness no one heard me...OR say, with a slight blush on my cheeks, "Did I say starhorses, silly me, I meant seahorses!".
This is one moment out of several that I've experienced over the last few years since, menopause has entered my life and messed with my brain.
Photo from workerbeeart.com
Memory Factors
Points to ponder
- Distraction interrupts memory processing
* In other words, learning to focus can be greatly beneficial!- - Vision and hearing deficits create information intake problems
* Make sure to have your eyes and hearing checked regularly. - - Fatigue decreases attention span
* Get your quality 8 in each night. - - Medication may slow mental functioning
* Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your meds and effects. - - Emotion factors (especially anxiety and depression) can interfere with memory
* Consider writing down your emotional ups and downs and talk to your doctor about your alternatives. - - Viewing things as not important reduces motivation to remember
* Prioritize things that come your way. - - Having a lot to remember creates an overload and concern about our ability to remember
* Writing it down or keeping it on your PDA gets it out of your head and staying on track. - Is there a link between menopause and brain function?
Estrogen is a key element in the work of the brain. It is part of the brain's signaling system. Studies have shown that estrogen helps direct blood to parts of the brain that are more active. The idea that female hormones are needed for the brain to work well is backed up by reports that some have more memory problems after menopause. - What should I do if I am really concerned about my memory?
If you or your family is concerned that you may have a memory problem, you should talk to your physician. It is important to write down examples of the problems you are having. It is also important to take a friend or family member with you to the appointment to help provide information to the doctor that you may not remember.Reference:
Neurology.org
* are my thoughts
Photo from soul2soulangelichealing.com
How Your Brain Works
by Craig C. Freudenrich, Ph.D.
"Every animal you can think of -- mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, amphibians -- has a brain. But the human brain is unique. It gives us the power to think, plan, speak, imagine... It is truly an amazing organ." Full Article on How Stuff Works.
Interactive Links:
The HOPES Brain Tutorial
Inside the Brain: An Interactive Tour
Photo courtesy of PossumRoadkill on Photobucket.com
Did You Know?
Tips for life
New studies at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell show that the juice of this fall fruit may boost brain function by maintaining acetylcholine, a vital neurotransmitter associated with learning and memory that decreases with age.
Reference: Real Simple 09/2007
Photo courtesy of blush10144 on Photobucket.com
Reminder
Talk to your trusted health professional; discuss your symptoms and alternatives. Symptoms Checklist
Mnemonic Wiki
Train your brain to remember
A mnemonic device is a memory aid. Commonly met mnemonics are often verbal, something such as a very short poem or a special word used to help a person remember something, particularly lists, but may be visual, kinesthetic or auditory. Mnemonics rely on associations between easy-to-remember constructs which can be related back to the data that is to be remembered. This is based on the principle that the human mind much more easily remembers spatial, personal, surprising, sexual or humorous or otherwise meaningful information than arbitrary sequences.The word mnemonic is derived from the Ancient Greek word mnemonikos ("of memory") and is related to Mnemosyne ("remembrance"), the name of the goddess of memory in Greek mythology. Both of these words refer back to mnema ("remembrance"). Mnemonics in antiquity were most often considered in the context of what is today known as the Art of Memory.
The major assumption in antiquity was that there are two sorts of memory: the "natural" memory and the "artificial" memory. The former is inborn, and is the one that everyone uses every day. The artificial memory is one that is trained through learning and practicing a variety of mnemonic techniques. The latter can be used to perform feats of memory that are quite extraordinary, impossible to carry out using the natural memory alone. Did You Know?
Resource: project-aware.org
Links to More Information
- Your Brain on Menopause
- You have this incredible best friend named Hannah. And you have been through it all, together - marriage, pregnancy, parenting, job promotions, job loss, spousal problems, maybe even divorce. There isn't anything that you and Hannah haven't shared in your lifelong friendship. You couldn't be closer if you were sisters...click link for the full article on WebMD.
- This is Your Brain on Menopause
- In an art class at the University of Arizona, 55-year old Suzanne Torsheya stepped back to look at her sculpture in progress. The jumble of wires and tubes was suddenly familiar. "I saw the frazzled nerves and the confusion," she says. "I thought, 'This is my brain on menopause.'"...click link for the full article on MORE.com.
- Estrogen, Menopause, and the Brain Research Program
- Menopause produces significant and sustained changes in the levels of sex hormones (e.g. estrogen) that have profound effects on brain functioning and may produce changes in mood, memory, and learning...click link for the full article on The University of Vermont site.
The Female Brain
Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 12/08/2009)
Why you should read this book:
- The author has a Q&A format on Amazon and her blog
- "All women-and the men who love them-should read this book." Christiane Northrup, M.D.
- It's controversial...read the customer reviews
Is your brain doing the menopausal 'hip-hop'?
Keeping Yourself Sharp...
On Your Game
#1 61 to choose from pedagonet.com
#2 Your window into the emerging field of science-based brain fitness from sharpbrains.com
#3 Enjoy these fun logical, mathematical, verbal, and visual brain teaser puzzles from puzz.com
Brain Games: Outsmart your co-workers with regular training. Free Trial
Finding Additional Products
All About Menopause
My Series
Menopause is about women! It also includes significant others, family, friends, co-workers, and the unsuspecting :) Understanding menopause, finding choices, and talking about menopause are all ways to dispel the mysteries surrounding this life-changing phenomenon.
In our 20's...invincible, sharp, on our game!
In our 30's...knowledgeable, giving advice, feelin' fine!
In our 40's...enlightened by lessons, empty-nester, menopause!
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Menopause: You Need Some Laughter!
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It is no fun being a cantankerous hell-on-wheels! Especially if you aren't used to it! Well I knew something was wrong when my usual charming self found it okay to flip the bird to someone that ticked me off on the highway - thank goodness I don...
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Menopause: Your Symptoms and Choices
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Menopause does not have to take over your life! Celebrate and choose to learn as much as you can, consider your choices for lifestyle changes, discover remedies for your symptoms (traditional or alternative), let other women know what has worked for...
I Would Love to Hear From You
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Reply
- Quirina Quirina Sep 23, 2009 @ 4:37 pm
- Very nice lens! 5 stars from me...
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- spirituality spirituality Apr 13, 2009 @ 5:27 am
- Great lens - you've been blessed by a squidoo angel :)
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Reply
- BigGirlBlue BigGirlBlue Jan 10, 2009 @ 12:48 pm
- This is a great lens. My mother suffered through early menopause (before she hit 40) and I've been thinking that I'm starting to show signs as well. I've never heard of "the Female Brain" and am off to check it out. I'm currently reading another brain book called "The Brain that Changes Itself". It has nothing to do with menopause but is very interesting look at how the brain works, including memory.
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Reply
- JudyDunn JudyDunn Oct 22, 2008 @ 12:22 pm
- Love your introductory story! Haven't we all been there? :-) Great, informative lens!
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- awelldressedbullet awelldressedbullet Oct 10, 2008 @ 4:49 pm
- Very informative and interesting, nicely laid out too, I must check out your other series! - Kathy
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Menopause: This Is Your Brain
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