Struggling with menopause brain fog? Learn how a natural remedy like ENERGYbits® spirulina can help!

Each year, over a million women in the United States enter menopause [1]. This milestone marks the end of reproductive function, bringing the absence of monthly periods and other symptoms that impact the quality of your lives [2]. 

While menopause is usually associated with hot flashes and vaginal dryness, it affects the whole body, especially your brain. The hormonal changes during menopause may partly explain why women are twice as likely as men to develop Alzheimer’s [3].

Your brain changes drastically during menopause. In fact, 44–62% of women report memory and thinking issues [4]. These symptoms are more noticeable during perimenopause, the transition phase before menopause that can start as early as the late 30s [4].

There’s a lot you can do to improve your quality of life and protect your health through menopause, especially with nutrition. Also, the earlier you start, even in your 30s, the more you can preserve what you already have. In this article, we break down the brain changes during menopause, why brain fog and mood shifts occur, and how to support your brain health.

 

Estrogen, Progesterone, and Testosterone In Your Brain

The decline in estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone during menopause has ripple effects on both the body and brain. Your brain is full of receptors for these sex steroid hormones. 

Collectively, these hormones regulate nerve cell communications, promote brain blood flow, and affect brain growth [5]. When these hormones fluctuate and then drop, your brain function inevitably changes [6]. 

This triggers symptoms like hot flashes, mood swings, and memory issues. The progesterone decline also impacts sleep and causes irregular periods. While some physical symptoms eventually improve, estrogen loss can permanently impact bone density, heart health, and brain function [6]. 

Notably, hot flashes and night sweats originate in the brain’s temperature control center, highlighting the importance of brain health during menopause.

Estrogen

Your brain has a lot of estrogen receptors, especially in areas related to memory, mood, sleep, and temperature control [6]. Estrogen’s roles include:

• Influencing the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, which is crucial for memory, language, and executive function [5]. Estrogen decline can lead to menopausal brain fog symptoms, such as struggling to find words or articulate thoughts clearly [5]. 

• Facilitating carbohydrate use for energy [6]. During menopause, your brain shifts to prefer fats for energy. Correspondingly, pre-existing suboptimal blood sugar control, such as from diet and lifestyle, can worsen menopause symptoms [7].

• Supporting neurotransmitter functions, especially acetylcholine, serotonin, and dopamine, which regulate mood and motivation [5].

• Acting as an antioxidant and immune regulator to support healthy inflammatory responses and lower oxidative stress, preserving mitochondrial function [5]. 

Progesterone

Aside from your ovaries, your neurons and supportive glial cells also make progesterone. This speaks to how important progesterone is to your brain [8]. Progesterone’s roles include: 

• Providing a metabolite, allopregnanolone, which increases Gamma Amino Butyric Acid (GABA, the brain’s main calming neurotransmitter) [8]. 

• Supporting nerve cell growth and protecting the brain [8]. As levels decrease in menopause, it can impact mood, sleep, and cognition. Lower progesterone means less neuroprotection and changes in neurotransmitter signaling [8]. 

Testosterone

While men have more testosterone, it is just as critical for female physiology. During menopause, the testosterone decline can affect cognition and mood [9]. Its roles include:

• Protecting nerve cells and promoting their growth, along with its metabolite dihydrotestosterone [9]. 

• Stimulating the release of dopamine, which is crucial for drive, pleasure, energy, and motivation [10].

• Partially converting to estrogen in the brain, which can amplify symptoms linked to low estrogen [9].

 

What Happens to Your Brain During Menopause?

Now that you’ve learned how these hormones affect brain function, here is how your brain changes in response to menopause.

Switching From Carbohydrates to Fats

Declining estrogen production in the ovaries disrupts how your brain processes energy [11]. Your neurons absorb less glucose (carbohydrate)—especially in the temporal and frontal lobes [11], which can impair cognitive functions like thinking and emotions. 

As estrogen declines, our brains transition from glucose to fats and ketones for energy [12]. Neurons may even use their cell membrane fats for energy, reducing overall brain mass [13]. 

This fuel shift is linked to higher oxidative stress, immune impacts, and cell damage [14]. It can lead to immune responses that contribute to symptoms like hot flashes [11]. We see levels of certain markers, like IL-8 and TNF-alpha, rise during perimenopause as estrogen levels drop [11].

Increased Oxidative Stress and Mitochondrial Dysfunction

Estrogen naturally boosts antioxidant defenses like glutathione and superoxide dismutase [15]. The estrogen drops weaken these defenses [16]. As a result, research finds that oxidative stress levels in perimenopausal and menopausal women are higher than in premenopausal women [17].

These increased oxidants then jam your mitochondria, affecting energy production [15]. Menopause also disrupts mitochondrial repair and recycling in the brain, creating a build-up of malfunctioning energy-producing units [17]. As a result, your brain can be left short of the energy it needs to function optimally.

ENERGYbits® Spirulina Tablets: Best Natural Remedies for Menopausal Brain Fog

Few superfoods support brain health like spirulina tablets. The spirulina in ENERGYbits® contains key nutrients that optimize your brain health and keep you thriving during menopause. Here is how:

Providing Potent Antioxidants 

Estrogen is a potent antioxidant. A drop in estrogen causes a significant increase in oxidative stress, so it becomes even more important to get antioxidants from food.

Spirulina is rich in powerful antioxidants. It increases antioxidant enzyme activity, including superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase [18]. 

In animal models, spirulina restored antioxidant levels after blood flow to the brain was cut off, pointing to its role in brain recovery [18]. The high chlorophyll content in chlorella and spirulina also supports brain cells’ removal of toxins and metals [19]. 

Phycocyanin, a key antioxidant in spirulina, protects your brain from increasing oxidative stress during menopause [20]. This keeps you sharp and protects the brain from age-related issues. 

To reap the benefits from phycocyanin, the spirulina cells must be dried without high heat, since heat can deactivate many of phycocyanin’s benefits. This is why we make ENERGYbits® without heat to maximize its health benefits.  

Supporting Healthy Energy Metabolism, Mitochondrial Health, and Blood Sugar

Estrogen promotes glucose consumption for energy [11]. So, when estrogen drops, you may experience fatigue, brain fog, and blood sugar fluctuations during menopause [21]. If you have suboptimal blood sugar control to begin with, it can worsen all aspects of menopause.

Spirulina helps optimize insulin sensitivity and mitochondria function [22]. Their chloroplasts, which help them harvest light for energy, are similar to your mitochondria, making them excellent sources of nutrients and antioxidants for your mitochondria. 

In glial cells (cells that maintain homeostasis, provide nutrients, and protect neurons), spirulina can improve energy production and increase brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) [23]. BDNF is like a fertilizer for the brain that increases neuronal metabolism, growth, and adaptations.

Also, spirulina’s key antioxidant—phycocyanin—improves how efficiently your mitochondria work and supports ATP (energy) production [24]. It boosts coenzyme Q10 and NAD+ activity—two molecules critical for energy metabolism [25]. 

As a source of ribose, the backbone of ATP, along with DNA and RNA, it both stimulates and provides building blocks for energy production. With all these different ways ENERGYbits® energizes your brain mitochondria, it maximizes your brain clarity without the crashes.

​​Providing Key Nutrients

Spirulina tablets are nutritional powerhouses, loaded with brain-supporting nutrients like B vitamins, iron, boron, amino acids, and magnesium [18],[26]. 

These nutrients are critical for neurotransmitter production, energy metabolism, and overall cognitive function – all things that can be impacted in menopause. It’s also a great source of vitamin K2, which reduces calcification in the brain and soft tissue [27]. 

Spirulina tablets are also rich in healthy fats like gamma-linolenic acid and omega-3 like docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). These provide building blocks for your neuron cell membrane, modulate brain immune responses, and support cognitive function [28].

Given that algae tablets are a whole food source of vitamins, you’ll get a natural balance of methylated and unmethylated B vitamins, along with the cofactors. As a result, algae tablets don’t tend to cause under or overmethylation, unlike synthetic B vitamins [29]. 

Supporting Neurotransmitters

Algae tablets provide amino acids like tyrosine and tryptophan, which are backbones for several neurotransmitters. Importantly, animal studies suggest that spirulina may support and protect dopamine neurons [30].

Spirulina contains choline, a key component of acetylcholine, which is crucial for memory and cognition [18].

Spirulina also increases nitric oxide, a neurotransmitter and a molecule that boosts blood flow to the brain [31]. This helps with oxygen and nutrient delivery, keeping your mind sharp and reducing menopause brain fog. As an iron source, it increases oxygen delivery to the brain, improving focus.

Serving as an Adaptogen

Menopause can be physically and emotionally stressful because of fluctuating hormone levels. Also, the timing usually coincides with major life stressors like empty nesting, career changes, and relationship changes. The stress can further throw off your hormones.

Declining estrogen can contribute to cortisol dysregulations, reducing your stress resilience and impacting your brain [32]. 

Spirulina helps by providing adaptogenic properties, improving stress resilience and nervous system balance [33]. ENERGYbits® contains nutrients that optimize stress responses and adrenal functions as nutrients and co-factors [32].

In one RCT study of 28 women aged 43–55, 1.5 grams of daily spirulina tablets (six tablets) lowered the stress hormone cortisol after six weeks [32]. The cortisol decreased even more when the tablets were combined with aerobic exercise, which is vital for staying healthy in menopause.

Conclusion

Menopause can feel overwhelming and even scary, but it is 100% possible to sail through it smoothly. At ENERGYbits®, we want to see you thrive! Our algae tablets are a science-backed superfood that supports brain health throughout your transition.

Spirulina is a fantastic addition to your menopause wellness routine, offering antioxidant support, essential nutrients, blood sugar balance, and stress support.

Nutrients should come from whole foods, not single-ingredient supplements. We pride ourselves on sourcing the highest-quality algae and never using heat in manufacturing.

ENERGYbits® algae tablets are convenient, nutritional powerhouses designed to help you reach your health goals, no matter how big or small. 

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BEAUTYbits brain fog ENERGYbits Menopause spirulina Women's Health

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