Now in my 40s, beyond my dwindling collagen, I miss mental clarity most – the ability to think sharply, decide quickly, and remember why I walked into a room or opened the fridge. Brain fog has become the bane of my life, and, for many like me, a defining feature of perimenopause.
“Research shows that cognitive complaints are common during the menopause transition, particularly around memory, attention, processing speed and working memory,” reveals Rose Ferguson, nutritionist and functional medicine practitioner, confirming this persistent cloudiness women can experience isn’t just about tiredness or age. Nor is it purely hormonal.
“Brain fog in perimenopause isn’t one thing – it’s the cognitive cost of several shifts happening at once,” says Dr Tamsin Lewis, a specialist doctor at Reborne Longevity: “fluctuating oestrogen, which influences how the brain uses glucose; disrupted sleep; and a nervous system often running a little hot”.
Experts agree the foundations for addressing it are simple: quality sleep, a considered diet, regular movement, and an engaged mind. In reality, though, children, careers, and the churn of modern life mean these basics are often sidelined. For now, I’m relying on simple, consistent daily habits – and they’re beginning to pay off.
Early daylight
I try to get outside into the garden within an hour of waking, toddler on the hip, cuppa in hand. “Morning daylight is one of the simplest, most effective tools we have,” says Ferguson. “Light is a signal to the brain – it helps set the circadian rhythm,” which underpins sleep, a key driver of cognitive clarity.
It doesn’t need to be sunny, and you don’t need to stare at the sun, Ferguson advises. “Just get natural light into your eyes outdoors before you get sucked into screens and emails.” I can’t tell whether or not it’s transforming my sleep, but it feels grounding – and that counts.
Exercise snacking
I don’t currently have room for gym classes or regular runs. Instead, I rely on short bursts of movement across the day. “‘Exercise snacking’ delivers several of the benefits of a workout without the time, willpower or recovery demands,” says Dr Lewis. “Even a few minutes of brisk movement lifts blood flow to the brain and nudges the chemistry that supports focus and mood.”
Breaking up long stretches of sitting also helps steady blood sugar, she adds, “and that post-lunch slump where the words won’t come is often partly a glucose dip”. A brisk walk or a flight of stairs after meals is a particularly effective way “to blunt that sluggish, foggy feeling,” she shares, but anything that gets you mildly puffed counts. She also recommends folding in some strength work over the week, noting that muscle plays a key metabolic role at this life stage.
Minimising blood sugar swings
The brain is very energy-hungry, Ferguson tells HELLO!, and glucose is a key fuel. “If your blood sugar is on a rollercoaster – coffee first thing, not enough protein, long gaps without food, then a big carbohydrate hit – you may notice poor concentration, irritability, cravings, and that common mid-afternoon crash.” This matters more in perimenopause “because insulin sensitivity can decline as hormones change, and that change in insulin signalling in the brain is linked to learning, memory and cognitive function”.
Rather than cutting foods, I’ve shifted how I eat; coffee after breakfast, and sweet foods at the end of meals instead of between them. I’m also following the nutritionist’s easy recipe for meal formulas: “protein first, fibre always, carbohydrates dressed” – pairing carbs with healthy fats like olive oil, avocado, nuts or seeds to steady glucose release.
It’s also helping to cut back on booze, Ferguson adds, “because it is one of the biggest brain-fog triggers in midlife”. As she points out, “you may not be drinking more than you used to, but your tolerance can change dramatically in perimenopause”.
Supplementing creatine
I’ve also added creatinine. Known to increase athletic performance by improving energy supply to the muscles, emerging data suggests the buzzy supplement can have cognitive benefits too.
“Women have fewer creatine stores and synthesise less creatine than men,” nutritional therapist Kirsten Humphries tells HELLO!, “and although we don’t have direct research measuring hormone levels alongside creatine supplementation throughout perimenopause, many women feel they have more mental clarity, reduced brain fog, increased energy and better mental performance while supplementing”. Perhaps it’s a placebo, but since adding 5g of the Bare Biology Creatine Monohydrate to my daily coffee I’ve felt somewhat sharper – and stronger. For me, it's been worth the temporary bloating in the first week, a common and harmless side-effect of increased water retention in muscle cells.
Stress regulation
© Julia VolkMany of those viral ‘hack your vagus nerve’ claims are oversimplified, says Dr Lewis. Still, regulating stress matters for brain fog. “When the body is braced and cortisol is elevated, the thinking, word-finding part of the brain is the first to lose bandwidth”. Perimenopause raises the stakes, “because the hormonal swings make many women more reactive to stress in the first place,” she explains.
While exercise certainly helps here (“that surge of adrenaline and cortisol was meant to be spent,” the doctor points out), the simplest tool is conscious breathing. “Lengthening the exhale – making the out-breath longer than the in – for a minute or two is the most reliable lever you have,” she says. “It’s free, invisible, and you can track its effect over time on heart rate variability (HRV) if you like a number.” Another way to downregulate, which I particularly love, is with song. Music can shift your state quickly, she says, and the right track can drop your shoulders within seconds. “Singing or humming along adds something extra, because it engages the larynx and the slow exhale at once.” It also makes the school run more enjoyable.
The point, for me, is not to treat brain fog as another problem on the list to fix. If symptoms are severe or worsening, it’s worth seeking medical advice, Ferguson cautions. Otherwise, these quick, repeatable, habits can make the day feel noticeably clearer. Truly, every little helps.
