If Your Brain Feels Like It’s Gone AWOL (and Your Energy Has Too), It Might Be Perimenopause?
You’ve gone from feeling tickedy boo to sleeping less, crying more, forgetting the word for the thingy you just had in your hand, and wondering why your patience now has the shelf-life of a ripe avocado!
Your GP has checked you out, specialists too, there’s diddly squat wrong with you!
So why is it that the only thing keeping you running on right now is copious amounts of caffeine, willpower…….and fumes
Welcome to perimenopause, or what l like to call the Wild West of hormones.
When I hit my forties, I thought all the effort I’d gone to in the years before would have secured my place in hormone heaven - perfect skin, loads of energy, buddhist-like vibes, and a brain that fired on all cylinders!
Then weird stuff started happening (not necessarily all at the same time). My cycle started acting up, I had chronically itchy ears, new-onset anxiety, brain fog, memory loss…………and ?
I forgot what I was going to say (only kidding ; ))
It took a while for the penny to drop……….I was experiencing perimenopause symptoms! Dang!
If any of that sounds familiar, keep reading because I’m about to explore, what’s actually going on, why your brain and energy have left the room, and what you can do about it.
Why Perimenopause Is The Hormone Wild West
The slow downward drift in ovarian function doesn’t just change your periods - it can turn your whole system upside down.
As oestrogen and progesterone fluctuate wildly, the knock-on effects ripple through your digestion, joints, brain, battery and sleep. I’ve worked with women who were doing just fine - until, seemingly overnight - their bodies blindsided them with:
Digestive flare-ups that no longer responded to antacids and motilium
Healthy sleep patterns that turned into full-blown insomnia
Anxiety that morphed into panic attacks
And a smorgasbord of “what-the-actual?” symptoms - from deep body fatigue to a complete inability to recall every day vocabulary in the spur of the moment.
How Do You Know If It’s Perimenopause - or Life, Stress, Symptoms Catching Up With You?
The answer isn’t always clear-cut, but there are some clues. The pattern and timing of symptoms matter.
If you’re in your late 30s or 40s and start noticing changes in your cycle - shorter, longer, heavier, lighter, or awol - alongside new symptoms like anxiety, night sweats, brain fog, or fatigue that don’t seem linked to anything obvious, it’s worth considering hormones as part of the picture.
We can use functional testing to help reveal how your oestrogen, progesterone are actually behaving (beyond what a basic blood test might show) over the course of your cycle. But even without testing, simply tracking your symptoms and cycles for a few months can paint a surprisingly accurate picture.
(You Can Download The Ultimate Guide To Cycle Tracking Here)
Perimenopause is still poorly understood, which is why you might have to do the heavy lifting if you don’t want to leave the Dr’s office clutching a prescriptions for reflux meds, painkillers, or antidepressants you may not need .
How Hormones Hijack Your Brain and Energy
When oestrogen and progesterone start to fluctuate, they don’t just play with your cycle - they start messing with your neurotransmitters too. You see oestrogen helps boost serotonin and dopamine - the brain chemicals that lift your mood and keep you motivated - while progesterone brings the zen and calm through its influence on GABA, aka your brain’s natural “Xanax”.
So if the hormones that work in tandem with your neurotransmitters are up one minute and down the next, you can bet your focus, memory, and energy will take a hit too.
How to eat to feel better, have more energy and support your brain!
Certain foods can help keep blood sugar levels steady and provide the right fats, amino acids, and micronutrients your brain needs to function at its best. Here are my top ten:
Neuro Fuel For Your Brain:
Walnuts
blueberries,
avocado,
broccoli,
olive oil,
eggs,
leafy greens,
wild salmon,
turmeric
dark chocolate.
These aren’t miracle cures (is anything?); they’re simply raw materials or building blocks your brain uses to make neurotransmitters and keep your energy production ticking along. Eat enough of these brain foods, and more often than not the side-effect will be more energy!
Naturopathic Support For the Mind
I’m not opposed to what some people might call woo-woo when it comes to adding an extra layer of support for mood or energy. If it’s safe, I say ‘bring it’. So here’s what I bring to you:
🌸 Flower Remedies
You know those days when you feel your emotions have been hijacked by your hormones - the tears, the irritability, the sense that everything’s just too much? That’s where flower remedies come in handy.
They won’t “treat” hormones or hot flushes - but they can offer support to the part of you that’s trying to hold it together while your body’s in a hormonal plot twist.
Flower remedies work on the emotional layer - the bit that often gets left behind when we’re busy chasing physical fixes. They gently help shift how you feel about what’s happening, so you can move from running on fumes to feeling more grounded and in control.
If supplements are for your body, flower remedies are for your spirit. They help smooth out the emotional static that shows up when your nervous system’s overwhelmed - which, let’s be honest, is more often than not in perimenopause.
Used alongside good nutrition, rest, and lifestyle changes, flower remedies can offer a subtle layer of support that helps you come back to yourself, for example:
Gorse - this remedy is said to restore sunshine and hope to the hopeless
Oak - restores a sense of rest without guilt for the woman who keeps pushing through
Olive - offers physical and mental renewal in place of exhaustion .
Because there are so many flower remedies to choose from, it’s worth working with someone trained in Bach Flowers or energetic healing because picking the right one matters - otherwise you’re just drinking expensive water.
🌿 Essential Oils
Used safely, essential oils can support mood, focus, and hormone balance through the olfactory system - the smell receptors that connect directly to your brain’s emotional centre.
Some of my favourites for perimenopausal support include:
Clary Sage – calmative and restorative; useful for anxiety, low mood, brain fog, hot flushes, fatigue, and hormonal tension.
Lavender – sedative and soothing; eases headaches, insomnia, panic, and stress.
Sweet Orange (Citrus Sinensis) – uplifting and bright; may support mild depressive states, and tension.
Rosemary – stimulating; enhances circulation, focus, and memory when fatigue or brain fog set in.
To use safely: add a few drops to a diffuser, or place one drop in your palm, rub hands together, and cup them over your nose for several slow breaths. Inhalation works quickly because scent molecules trigger the limbic system - your brain’s mood and memory hub.
For topical use, use a suitable carrier oil and check dilution ratios (1:1 for adults) or work with a qualified aromatherapist; these concentrates are powerful and deserve respect.
A combination of flower remedies, gentle aromatherapy, good food, and daily habits can create the breathing room women need while the bigger hormonal work unfolds
Real Questions, Straight Answers
1. How do I know if it’s perimenopause or just stress?
They overlap - a lot. If your stress tolerance, sleep, and cycle have all changed at once, hormones are likely part of the picture. Track your symptoms for a few months; patterns tell the story.
2. Can I have hormone imbalance even if my periods are regular?
Yes. Regular bleeding doesn’t mean balanced hormones. Fluctuations can cause symptoms long before your cycle changes.
3. What helps brain fog in perimenopause?
Protein at each meal, omega-3s, hydration, good sleep hygiene, and mindful pauses. If brain fog persists, speak to your DR or healthcare provider and ask about nutrient or thyroid testing.
4. Why am I suddenly anxious or angry all the time?
Low progesterone and fluctuating oestrogen affect calming neurotransmitters. Support yourself with magnesium, B-vitamins, breathwork, and daily grounding routines.
5. Do I really need HRT, or can I manage naturally?
Some women thrive on HRT; others prefer a natural route. The best choice is the one made from an open mind, the right information and proper medical advice and supervision if you do decide to go on HRT.
6. How long does perimenopause last?
Anywhere from two to ten years. I know! It ends when you’ve gone twelve months without a period - and usually, a sigh of relief.
Knowledge Can Be Powerful
Perimenopause is a transition - messy, sometimes maddening, but absolutely manageable.
Whether you’re on HRT, considering it, or trying to support yourself naturally; nourishment, movement, rest, mindset, and stress awareness are basics to feeling better and more energised.
If this hits home and you want to understand and work on your hormones holistically, visit my services page or book a free discovery call.
Together, we can figure out how to get your brain and energy back online - minus the overwhelm.
