“Brain fog” isn’t a medical condition. It’s a term used for certain symptoms that can affect your ability to think. You may feel confused or disorganized or find it hard to focus or put your thoughts into words.
Instead of feeling sharp, you feel like you’re walking through jello. You lose concentration, and the world seems like it’s moving faster than you can keep up with. If you’ve experienced an instance like this, you might be dealing with brain fog. Put simply, brain fog is a term to describe mental fatigue.
So why do you sometimes experience this?
Chronic stress can increase blood pressure, weaken the immune system, and trigger depression. It can also cause mental fatigue. When your brain is exhausted, it becomes harder to think, reason, and focus.
Poor sleep quality can also interfere with how well your brain functions. Aim for 8 to 9 hours of sleep per night. Sleeping too little can lead to poor concentration and cloudy thoughts.
Hormonal changes can also trigger brain fog. Levels of the hormones progesterone and estrogen increase during pregnancy. This change can affect memory and cause short-term cognitive impairment.
Similarly, a drop in estrogen level during menopause can cause forgetfulness, poor concentration, and cloudy thinking.
Diet can also play a role in brain fog. Vitamin B-12 supports healthy brain function, and a vitamin B-12 deficiency can bring about brain fog.
If you have food allergies or sensitivities, brain fog may develop after eating certain foods. Possible culprits include:
Removing trigger foods from your diet may improve symptoms.
If you notice brain fog while taking medication, talk with your doctor. Brain fog may be a known side effect of the drug. Lowering your dosage or switching to another drug may improve your symptoms.
Brain fog can also occur after cancer treatments. This is referred to as chemo brain.
Medical conditions associated with inflammation, fatigue, or changes in blood glucose level can also cause mental fatigue. For example, brain fog is a symptom of chronic fatigue syndrome, which involves persistent fatigue for longer than six months.
People who have fibromyalgia may experience similar fogginess on a daily basis.
Sleep
Studies have shown that sleep deprivation can have a profoundly negative impact on your cognitive health — leading to memory problems, sluggishness, and changing how your brain functions at a cellular level (yes, really).
Since brain fog is sometimes caused by fatigue, one of the most assured ways to cure a serious case of brain fog is by getting a good night’s rest. This means aiming to get the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep every night.
Change Your Diet To Include Brain-Boosting Foods
Gundry says that looking to the brain-gut connection can help explain brain fog.
In fact, research has shown there’s a bilateral connection between your digestive health and mental health — meaning, if the healthy bacteria in your gut aren’t happy, your brain probably won’t be either (and vice versa).
Try writing down your food intake along with your symptoms and note if any particular foods are associated with lower mental acuity.
Follow the link below to check out some amazing foods…
Exercise
Stress or anxiety can be a cause [of brain fog],” says Kellman, so prioritizing self-care is essential to beating mental fatigue. Meditation, taking a hot bath, and developing other healthy coping skills will help improve your mental health, and by extension, your brain fog.
Even if you have a busy schedule, finding time for a few moments of mindfulness can be key: In fact, as The Conversation reported, a 2018 study discovered that just ten minutes of mindful meditation a day improved cognitive function.
In a nutshell, When you are experiencing brain fog, finding the motivation to do some of these activities may be difficult at the moment.
However, your brain will thank you for taking the time to slow down and smell the metaphorical roses.
Brain fog is definitely frustrating, but by adopting a few lifestyle changes, and speaking with your doctor, you can give yourself the boost you need to beat the mental exhaustion.
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