Am I Losing My Mind?

Feel like you’re losing your mind? It’s a very common complaint for women.

It’s most common around menopause transition. Lack of sleep can become an issue due to night sweats and hot flashes. Children are growing up, and their activity schedules can be confusing. Stress gets to you. More things may be weighing on your mind. It’s harder to store memories when you’re preoccupied with everything else.

Stop being so hard on yourself. When you can’t meet your own expectations, you increase your own stress.

You may be worried that it’s early dementia. If you have brain fog and forget to send lunch to school, you’re fine. If you forget what lunch is, it’s time to see a doctor about dementia.

If you’re experiencing forgetfulness, take a look at your lifestyle first. Examine how much sleep you’re getting. Get physical exercise regularly. Check your diet. Consider your stressors. All of these things contribute to brain fog. Take a little action each day to improve lifestyle. Hormonal replacement would be appropriate after these factors have been handled.

Pay particular attention to your sleep hygiene. Waking in the middle of the night can put your body in catastrophe mode, leaving you frustrated because you know the impact of missing out on sleep. If you wake in the night and can’t fall back asleep, leave your bed. Visit the restroom. Find a quiet spot in your home and focus on your breathing. This should leave you relaxed so you can head back to bed. If you can’t fall back asleep right away, try it again.

Listen as Dr. Diana Bitner joins Dr. Pamela Peeke to bring back your mental focus and reduce the brain fuzziness.

Sponsor:

Smarty Pants Vitamins

Featuring:

Diana Bitner, MD

Diana Bitner, MD, has been a OB/GYN physician for 25 years, delivered over 1000 babies, is a DaVinci Robotic Surgeon, and works full-time in the office.

Over the last 10 years, she has become very interested in women's midlife transition and menopause, because it is such an opportunity for women to re-engage in their health before chronic disease such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes takes hold. Hot flashes, night sweats, weight gain and foggy brain are the signs to act before it is too late.

Her vision is that all women are empowered and have knowledge to live the life they would envision and are aware of their evidence-based options for treatment of menopause symptoms.

She published her Pilot Study in 2014 and wrote a book to describe how her plan worked, I Want to Age Like That! Healthy Aging Through Midlife and Menopause, soon to come out with a workbook.

Diana is the Director of the Spectrum Health Midlife and Menopause Health Services in West Michigan, was named the NAMS Menopause Practitioner of the Year 2015-16, and is active in NAMS and ISSWSH.

She has a practical approach based on good science involving assessment of risk, goal setting, and barrier reduction. She wants to know what is hard for each patient and works to help them find their way through the maze of hurdles which make healthy aging a challenge for even the most motivated women.