Hormonal instabilities are often the main causes why difficulty concentrating occurs. Some other menopausal symptoms may also result in a slight change in concentration but their impact is often minimal.
Hormonal Causes
For women in the menopausal age range, hormonal instabilities are the main difficulty concentrating causes. Estrogen is a huge factor that affects the brain functions.
In the brain, neurotransmitters affect the mental reasoning of the brain including areas such as the memory and ability to focus and concentrate. There are several critical neurotransmitters in the brain such as serotonin, norepinephrine and acetylcholine that control the brain’s mental abilities. When these are not available, the cognitive function is reduced leading to difficulty concentrating.
These three neurotransmitters are created as a result of a high level of estrogen which means if the body has more estrogen, it can produce more neurotransmitters. Estrogen is also important for increasing blood flow in the brain.
With a low amount of estrogen or unstable amounts in the body, particularly during menopause, the brain’s ability to produce neurotransmitters is affected and thus reduced.
Estrogen can also have an effect on short term verbal memory and even spatial ability. The decrease of estrogen in the body during menopause will lead to mental interferences such as difficulty concentrating.
Menopausal Symptoms that Cause Difficulty Concentrating
Aside from hormonal imbalances, some women may have concentration issues that result from other menopausal symptoms. Stress, fatigue and even sleep disorders are all possible conditions that can result in difficulty concentrating. These will leave a woman too tired to be able to focus. Other symptoms such as anxiety, panic disorders and even depression all play a part in difficulty concentrating. In short, when a woman is stressful it is hard for her to concentrate.
Aside from menopause symptoms, in some cases a woman may have risk factors that make her more likely to experience difficulty concentrating. Read on to find out more potential difficulty concentrating causes.
Other Factors that cause Difficulty Concentrating
While the cause of difficulty concentrating is often instability of estrogen that affects the neurotransmitter levels of the brain, there are some other potential causes that can result in difficulty concentrating. These are different from the factors related to menopausal symptoms and include:
• Aging
• Disorders that result from hyperactivity
• Drug Abuse
• Bad Eating and Dietary Habits
• Neurological Dysfunctions
When you find yourself suffering from one of these factors and it results in difficulty concentrating, there is help available through a number of treatments.
