What Is Brain Fog? And What Causes it?
What is brain fog?
Brain fog is cognitively experienced as slower thinking, lack of concentration, forgetfulness, and/or confusion. It isn’t a medical condition itself, but rather a symptom of other medical conditions. Brain fog is actually a type of cognitive dysfunction involving memory problems, lack of mental clarity, poor concentration and the inability to remain focused. Brain fog has also been described as mental fatigue, and depending on the severity of your brain fog, it can interfere with work or school. However it doesn’t have to be a permanent fixture in your life.
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What does brain fog feel like?
Brain fog can make you feel like you're sleepwalking through life. When you’re feeling foggy, unfocused, disorganized, and like you just can’t think, your brain is sending an important signal that there’s an imbalance in your life that needs to be addressed. Brain fog affects your ability to think and you may find it difficult to put your thoughts into words.
It’s also the first signs that you need to take a time-out and listen to what your body needs. Though it may be difficult at first to determine what it is that your body is trying to tell you it needs, it may be easier to determine what is causing the brain fog to begin with. Moreover with brain fog, even simple tasks can become a challenge.
What can cause it
There are numerous explanations for why you could be experiencing brain fog. It could be as simple as changing your sleep patterns or adding more vitamins into your diet. However once you are able to identify the underlying cause behind your brain fog, you can then begin to fix the problem.
Vitamin deficiencies
A healthy diet isn't just vital for physical health: your diet also plays a significant role in mental performance. A nutritionally inadequate diet can trigger vitamin deficiencies which may lead to brain fog. B vitamins like B9 and B12, for example, help keep your brain healthy. So if your levels of these essential nutrients are too low, you might experience cognitive problems.
Food sensitivities
Sensitivities to certain foods can cause various symptoms, including brain fog. These symptoms caused by certain food sensitivities can often occur hours or even days after you eat those foods. So it is important to make note of all the foods you eat, and which ones appear to be causing you brain fog. The brain fog then typically lifts after eliminating those foods from your diet.
Medications
Some prescription medications come with side effects that can make your thinking feel cloudy as well. These side effects often appear in the first few weeks of taking a new drug but sometimes, side effects can appear later on. You may also develop brain fog after changing a medication dosage or combining medications.
Health conditions related to brain fog
Additionally, brain fog can also be connected to several different health conditions. Most of these health conditions are treatable, and with the possibility of being combined with any of the causes listed above, could be the reason behind the brain fog you are experiencing.
Stress
Chronic stress can increase blood pressure, weaken the immune system, and trigger depression. Stress exhausts your brain, triggers inflammation, and disrupts your sleep patterns. It can also cause mental fatigue in those who have very high levels of stress. This fatigue can affect your focus and concentration.
Anemia
Anemia is a health condition where your body is not producing enough healthy red blood cells, and if you don't have enough healthy red blood cells you may feel fatigued or depressed. Anemia is often triggered by deficiencies in vitamin B9 or B12.
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is linked to chronic pain, sleep problems, and mood and memory issues. Though it is still unknown what exactly causes fibromyalgia, symptoms often appear after a physical trauma, illness, infection, or stressful event. While there is no cure for fibromyalgia, treatment may help you feel better.
Sleep disorders
Those who have sleep disorders like insomnia may find that they struggle with brain fog quite often. Even if you log eight hours of sleep each night, poor sleep quality can still leave you exhausted and unable to focus. A disorder like sleep apnea is often to blame for poor sleep quality.
Dementia
Most cases of brain fog are not linked to dementia but if you're over 65, report any confusion or disorientation to your healthcare provider right away. There is no blood test for dementia but cognitive testing can determine whether you're showing signs of dementia.
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Chronic fatigue syndrome is a complex disorder that causes severe, ongoing fatigue. It may be linked to infections, immune system problems, or hormonal imbalances. Exhaustion caused by chronic fatigue syndrome can also impair your memory and concentration.
Ways to reduce brain fog
A healthy lifestyle can help protect your cognitive function and reduce the amount of brain fog you might experience! And while your diet is an important piece of living a healthy lifestyle’s just that, a piece. There are other lifestyle changes you can make, along with having a better diet, that can help combat brain fog.
Talking a walk
Walking is one of the best exercises for your brain. That’s why you often hear suggestions like “take a walk around the block” when you have a mental block. Walking helps increase the glucose and oxygen flowing to the brain, which in turn stimulates brain cell formation. Just taking a quick walk can help clear your unwanted brain fog.
Meditation
Meditation is a great stress reduction method and can be used to maximize your brain health and fitness. It’s almost like doing pushups for the brain. Meditation can make you happier, smarter, and more resilient to life’s ups and downs. People who regularly meditate experience improved focus and concentration, greater creativity, reduced stress, and better sleep.
Stand up more frequently
You’ve probably heard that too much sitting is very bad for your brain and your overall health. The easiest way to counteract sitting at your desk all day is to simply stand up frequently throughout the day. Just by using those muscles, you’re stimulating brain function and helping to reduce that brain fog.
Reduce your caffeine intake
We all seem to run on caffeine, and even though it wakes us up, it could contribute to insomnia, stress, anxiety, which could be causing poor sleeping habits and in turn, causing your brain fog. By drinking your coffee early and experimenting with “cut-off times”, you could greatly improve your sleep habits and brain fog.
Foods that can help fight brain fog
cocoa
Cocoa is high in flavanols, antioxidants that have been shown to help increase learning, improve memory and boost overall brain power. To incorporate cocoa into your meals, try adding dark cocoa powder into your morning coffee.
Low-FODMAP diet:
Try sprinkling some dark chocolate shavings over a bowl of fresh raspberries.
Spinach
Spinach is high in lutein, an antioxidant that protects the brain from free radical damage and inflammation. People with mild cognitive impairment have been shown to have reduced lutein status, and boosting lutein levels has been shown to enhance learning and memory. To incorporate spinach into your meals, try puréeing the spinach with white beans, garlic and olive oil for a fast dip.
Low-FODMAP diet:
Try adding finely chopped spinach to a gluten free pasta dish or to your morning omelette.
Eggs
Eggs are loaded with choline, a type of B-vitamin that can enhance memory and cognition. It’s a component of phosphatidylcholine, a critical part of cell membranes, especially brain cells. To incorporate eggs into your meals, try deviled eggs, but mash the yolks with avocado instead of mayonnaise.
Low-FODMAP diet:
Try baked eggs and minced vegetables in a small cooking pan and top them with shaved cheese.
Yogurt
Yogurt contains probiotics, beneficial bacteria that keep the gastrointestinal tract healthy. Because about 90% of the body’s serotonin – a neurotransmitter that regulates mood and behavior – is made in the gut, it’s important to keep the intestinal lining healthy. To incorporate yogurt into your meals, whisk yogurt with honey and drizzle over grilled peaches.
Low-FODMAP diet:
Try mixing yogurt with minced herbs to make a creamy, healthy dressing.
Salmon
Salmon is rich in omega-3 fats, which many studies have linked to a reduction in age-related cognitive decline, protection against Alzheimer’s and general improvement in cognition and mood. To incorporate salmon into your meals, try wrapping asparagus spears in smoked salmon.
Low-FODMAP diet:
Try adding crumbled cooked salmon to scrambled eggs.
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Brain fog can be frustrating, but relief is possible. However it is important not to ignore your symptoms and to address them as soon as they begin to arise. If left untreated, brain fog can impact the quality of your life, ranging from work and school to even your personal life. Though once the underlying cause is addressed, you mental clarity can improve.
Extra tips for brain fog
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Try to manage your stress by knowing your limitations, and avoiding excessive alcohol and caffeine seeing as these two beverages have been known to induce more stress.
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Try to work on strengthening your brain power by playing brain games every now and then.
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Be sure to increase your intake of protein, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats. You can do this gradually at first.
