Can I improve my brain power and memory. Feeling old before my time

[MelonUsk]

I'm 56 and female and taking HRT.
I feel like a shell of myself. I'm physically tired but I'm also brain tired
I work full time. Kids left home.

I still read. I watch documentaries. I do Wordle
But I'm not sharp like I was. I can't seem to retain information.
Has anyone made any improvements to their brain power?

I'm exactly the same. Age 50 on max dose HRT with testosterone but my memory is absolutely shocking! I have to put reminders in my phone for everything, including reminders of friends events (like where they've been on holiday etc) so I can remember to ask them about it. I'm seriously worried I have early onset dementia. Which is worrying as I have a very responsible job!
I have heard supplements like Lion's Mane are supposed to help but I'm dubious.

I have testosterone but I forget to use it!
Patches for HRT I can remember.

I used to have an amazing memory. Not any more. I am still cringing myself inside out from the time I asked a good friend how her mum was. She was dead. I knew that. I felt absolutely dreadful and so annoyed at my brain that used to be so sharp.

Here for any answers.

Long Covid carried a good part of my brain away. I’m trying to rebuild it with good food and Vitamin B12 and calming walks and avoiding stress - but having to describe spring onions because I can’t remember the name of the thing is pretty stressful!

(I used to have a glamorous and high status job that relied on my quick brain and on being right. Thank God I’d left it long before the brain heist.)

Following too. My mind used to be fast and razor sharp.

Now, it's a big pile of mush... 🫠

Learn a language and musical instrument.

Take over 50’s multi vitamins and minerals.

I watch loads of series and films in the original language with subtitles rather than dubbed. It drives me insane my DC always choose the dubbed version.

My general knowledge is disappearing. I used to know almost all the capital cities . I was trying an online quiz earlier. I can't remember even obvious ones!

I don't feel it's dementia related. Having had close up contact with dementia within the family. I'm sure my loved ones would have said something

Menopause is shit. :-(

I'm peri menopausal and have Long Covid. I started taking Coenzyme Q10 a month ago and it has definitely helped by cognitive function. Sharper and memory a bit better. Apparently some research showing it can help with dementia. Maybe worth a try!

Interested as I am your age and on HRT but don't work anymore.. and I thought that was the problem with my memory. My ability to retain information has always been bad though.

You probably don't have time, but my really sharp friends play bridge.

Me too,, reminders on my phone to ask about my friend's events. Everything I have to do that day is on my phone.

Up at 6.30 am for my 7.am Ocado delivery.

Why no cheery updates and assurances and You’re our next stop alerts?

It’s tomorrow. That’s why.

My memory was shocking to the extent I thought I had early onset Alzheimers (family history would suggest this was a strong possibility). Went to the GP and amongst other things, was diagnosed with a Vitamin B12 deficiency. I've been taking supplements since then and also had the cause of the deficiency identified (coeliac disease) and I am 100% back to where I was when I was younger. Still forget where my car keys are but I no longer try desperately to remember names of people I've known for years.

I also had low ferritin (because of coeliac) which the GP said caused the absolute bone tiredness I was experiencing at the same time. Again, I'm back to loads of energy. I can't describe how lucky I feel.

Try a blood test to see if it's a deficiency that can be addressed.

@OllyBJolly I was about to post the same. My feet have also been burning at night which I think may be a sign of low Vit B12. I mentioned my memory issues to my GP and she is checking all my blood (B12, iron, liver, HbA1c for diabetes). I have hypothyroidism and I think low Vit B12 is linked to this.
I would recommend a GP appt if you think your memory function has fallen off a cliff recently.

I have recently had a coil for HRT fitted and am on the maximum dose for Oestrogel (four pumps a day) plus Testogel every day but have now got v bad brain fog and lots of other menopause symptoms coming back. Does that settle down? I know doctors don’t recommend going over four pumps a day of Oestrogel.

Don't forget covid infections are linked to cognitive decline - so avoid catching it!

Sorry posted too soon. How to avoid infection with COVID and other airborne illness? Key word is "airborne".
Avoid crowded indoor places, open windows to ensure ventilation, if you can't avoid a crowd then mask up with a tightly fitting masks preferably N95/FFP2, definitely if you are going into a GP or hospital, use nasal sprays with carrageenan eg. Boots Dual defense, test and isolate if you have symptoms (note tests work best around day 4-5 of symptoms).

Here's a few sources relating to COVID and cognitive decline:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-96608-0
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12006571/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0889159124007311

Take a look at this website. Basically the guy wrote a book about cognitive decline and Alzheimers and the variables that people have control over.

https://foodforthebrain.org/

It is interesting.

One maybe less obvious thing is looking after your dental health. Any sort of gum infection (different to gum ‘disease’) can leave you feeling permanently under the weather and not your best self.

Great Britain is not so great at ensuring everyone can do this - it must be costing hundreds of millions in lost productivity, not to speak of causing a high level of distress.

@Wordless that is a great point and I haven’t seen it mentioned often on here! I will be making a dental hygienist appointment, if I remember to do it…

I’m interested too (long covid) and how to slow down further decline.

It looks like hokum. If Alzheimer's is preventable I think we'd know. I mean I stopped reading when I saw that so there may be more to it, but I can't be bothered to investigate further.

My Mother In Law had dementia.
All the things that are supposed to help prevent dementia, being healthy, exercising, being social, doing quizzes and crosswords etc.
She naturally did the whole lot. Not that she was doing this to prevent illness but that’s how she lived her life. She was early 70s when she got dementia.
So I don’t think anything can help reduce your risk.

But I’d still like to have a better and sharper memory now for my everyday life.

Agree with you totally. It's in my family and it terrifies me. That's why I HATE false promises. I'm disorganised and forgetful, always have been, and I'll try anything that might help me keep what I've got, but I don't want snake oil.