Brain Fog Over 50: Is This Normal Forgetfulness or Something More?

Have you ever forgotten something?

A name?

A word?

Why you walked into a room and immediately felt that little wave of panic.

Not the, well, kind of forgetting, but the kind that makes you pause and think, wait, should I be worried?

If that's ever crossed your mind, stay with me.

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Hey there, and welcome to Aging with Grace and Style, the podcast for women over 50 who are navigating real life, real changes, and real questions without the pressure to reinvent themselves.

I'm your host, Valerie Hatcher, and this is a space where we name what's real, normalize what's hard, and explore what's possible, especially when it comes to confidence, wellness, and living fully in this season of life.

So I have to tell you about something that happened to me last week that genuinely rattled me.

I ran into someone I knew at the grocery store.

This was someone I've known for years.

Our kids went to school together.

We've had countless conversations.

And I'm standing there in the produce section, smiling, chatting.

And I completely blank on her name.

I mean, nothing.

Like, my brain just went empty.

And the whole time I'm talking to her, there's this quiet panic that's running in the background.

What is her name?

How do I not know her name?

And of course, later that night, lying in bed, relax.

And it pops into my head just like that.

But in that moment, nothing.

And here's what really got me.

I couldn't stop thinking about it because that little voice showed up.

You know the one, the one that whispers.

Is this how it starts?

Is this the beginning of something serious?

If you've ever had a moment like that where forgetting something spiraled into fear, then this episode is for you.

Because today we're talking about something so many of us think about but don't really say it out loud.

Is this normal forgetfulness?

Or should I be worried about dementia?

We're going to talk about what's actually normal at this stage of life, what the real warning signs are, when it makes sense to talk to your doctor and what you can do to support your brain health so that you can have peace of mind and not constant anxiety.

And just to say this up front, obviously I am not a doctor.

I'm just a woman who's over 50 who had a moment that scared me enough to start researching and asking questions.

What I'm sharing today is what I've learned and what I'm experiencing myself.

And if anything here raises concerns for you, then please talk to your doctor.

That's always the right move.

Okay, let's get into it.

First things first.

Some memory changes are actually a normal part of aging, and knowing what's normal can save you a lot of unnecessary worry.

Normal forgetfulness often looks like knowing you know something, it just takes a minute to get there.

You know, that kind of tip of the tongue feeling, it's walking into a room and forgetting why you went in there.

Happens to me quite often.

And then remembering the second that you walk out, it's misplacing your phone or your glasses or your keys, but being able to retrace your steps and find them, it's realizing that you can't multitask the way you used to.

Maybe the TV is on and someone's talking to you, and your brain just says, nope, I need one thing at a time right now.

And, yes, it's forgetting names.

Names are especially tricky because they're arbitrary.

There's, like, no meaning or story attached to them.

So forgetting a neighbor's name, even when you remember everything else about her, is actually incredibly common.

You might ask why this happens after 50.

Well, one thing that's happening, and nobody really warns us about this, is that processing speed naturally slows down.

Your brain still works.

It just takes a little longer to retrieve information.

Think of it like having a full filing cabinet.

The files are there.

It just takes an extra second to pull the right one.

Another huge piece of this puzzle is Horm, and this one matters a lot for women.

Estrogen plays a role in memory and cognitive function.

So when estrogen starts fluctuating during perimenopause and then it declines during menopause, it can affect how your brain processes and retrieves information.

That's why so many women say, I feel like I'm losing my mind.

You're not.

It's your hormones.

And they're just rewriting the rules a bit.

So I tell you, like, when I go to the doctor to get my hormone pellets, he always asks, how do I know that it's time?

And one of the things is brain fog.

And so.

And he knows that, and that is really a real thing as it relates to hormones.

So you add to that the mental load that most of us are carrying.

There's work, aging parents, adult kids, grandkids, health, finances, the state of the world.

And it's no wonder our brains feel tired.

And then there's stress and sleep, chronic stress.

Increases cortisol, which interferes with memory.

Poor sleep means your brain doesn't get time to do its cleanup and organization work.

Now, let me pause here, because this part matters.

The menopause effect, brain fog during perimenopause.

And menopause is real.

We just talked about that.

It's documented and it's common.

Women report trouble concentrating or finding the right word to say mental sluggishness.

And for most women, these symptoms, they improve once your hormones stabilize.

So if you're in your late 40s or 50s and you're thinking, why does my brain feel different?

Then hormones could absolutely be part of the picture.

The bottom line here is if the information eventually comes back, if maybe you can retrace your steps, if you know you know something but just need a minute, then that's normal.

Aging, more than likely, that's not dementia.

Now, let's talk about when memory changes do deserve attention.

And I want to say this calmly and not fearfully, like getting lost in familiar places.

And I don't mean missing a turn or relying on gps.

I mean genuinely not recognizing where you are in a place that you know well, or forgetting entire conversations or events, not details, but really having no memory of something that clearly happened.

Difficulty doing familiar tasks like not remembering how to make coffee or send an email.

Things that you've done thousands of times.

Personality changes or unusually poor judgment.

Becoming withdrawn, paranoid, or making decisions that are very out of character.

Confusion about time or place.

Not knowing what year it is, or thinking that you're in a different decade.

If any of these are happening, then it's time to talk to your doctor.

Not to panic, but to get clarity.

When you talk to your doctor, you can say something as simple as, I've noticed some changes in my memory and I'd like to establish a baseline.

That conversation often leads to a simple cognitive screening.

Not scary, not invasive, just a way to understand where you are now.

And here's the important part.

Many things can mimic memory problems and are very thyroid issues, vitamin deficiencies, medication side effects, depression, anxiety, sleep disorders.

Many medications have cognitive side effects.

So for instance, blood pressure medicines, sleep aids, antihistamines, antidepressants.

If you've recently started a new medication and you're noticing memory issues, then that can absolutely be related.

Depression and anxiety.

These have a huge impact on memory and concentration.

When your brain is dealing with depression or anxiety, it doesn't have the bandwidth to form and retrieve memories efficiently.

Sleep disorders, including sleep apnea.

If you're not getting quality sleep, then your brain can't do its maintenance work and memory suffers.

So before you jump to the worst case scenario, that's why getting checked is empowering, not alarming.

Now let's talk about what actually helps.

Not perfection, just support.

Sleep is huge.

Your brain does its repair and its cleanup work while you sleep.

And I'll be honest, I didn't take this seriously until I had the data staring me in the face.

And let me tell you, this has been huge for me personally.

I recently started wearing an ultra human smart ring, and it has completely changed how I think about my sleep.

This thing tracks my sleep patterns, gives me a sleep score every morning.

But what really got my attention is that it also tells me my brain age and something called brain waste clearance, all based on my sleep habits.

The information has been eye opening.

I used to watch TV until the wee hours of the morning.

I'd stay up scrolling on my phone, binge watching shows, just not paying attention to when I actually went to bed.

And I thought I was fine.

But then I started seeing these numbers.

Some days my brain age was older than my actual age.

My brain waste clearance was poor.

And it hit me.

My brain literally cannot do its cleaning and its maintenance work if I'm not giving it enough quality sleep.

So now you know, I'm actually getting sleep.

I'm prioritizing it.

I set a bedtime alarm, I put my phone down.

And the difference in how I feel both mentally and physically has been significant.

My sleep score has improved, my brain age is getting younger, and honestly, sometimes my memory feels sharper.

So prioritize sleep if you can.

A dark room and cool temperature and a consistent schedule.

And if you need some accountability or data to motivate you like I did, there's so many tools out there that can help you see what's actually happening with your sleep.

Trust me, it matters.

In physical exercise, it increases blood flow to your brain, it promotes the growth of new brain cells, and it improves the connections between them.

You don't have to run marathons, walking, swimming, dancing, whatever gets you moving 30 minutes most days of the week.

It makes a difference.

And social connection that keeps your brain engaged.

Conversations, relationships, community involvement, all of this stimulates your brain in ways that scrolling on your phone doesn't.

Loneliness and isolation are actually risk factors for cognitive decline.

Learning new things builds what's called cognitive reserve.

So this is like a cushion for your brain.

Learn a new language, take up a musical instrument, try a new hobby.

Anything that challenges your brain to create new neural pathways.

And managing stress is also crucial.

Chronic stress literally damages the parts of your brain that are involved in your memory.

So whatever helps you manage stress, whether that's meditation, therapy, exercise, time in nature, make it a priority.

So what are some practical memory strategies?

Write things down, create routines and use associations.

These aren't signs of weakness, they're just really smart systems.

And give yourself grace with names.

Most people are relieved when you ask them to remind you.

What you shouldn't do is compare yourself to your 25 year old brain.

And please don't worry alone.

Here's what I want you to take with you today.

Most memory changes after 50 are normal.

Frustrating?

Yes.

Scary?

Sometimes, absolutely.

But in most cases, this isn't decline, it's just change.

If you worry, you deserve peace of mind.

Get checked.

Ask questions.

Establish a baseline.

That's not fear, that's wisdom.

And this week, choose one brain supportive habit.

Just one.

It could be earlier sleep, a daily walk, a phone call.

Instead of scrolling, your brain has been caring a lot for a long time.

Give her some grace.

Next week we're talking about hormones.

Why they affect everything from sleep to mood to memory.

And what actually helps when they feel like they're running the show.

Until then, continue to age with grace, live with style, and bring a little sass to how you take care of yourself.

Because we're not here to panic.

We're here to live.

Well, I'll talk to you next week.

Thanks for hanging out with me today.

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Until next time, keep shining with grace, style and a touch of sass.