Do you ever feel like you have a mental haze? Do you struggle with forgetfulness or the inability to concentrate? It’s not just in your head. Brain fog is real. Fortunately, there are ways to cut through the cloudiness and think clearly again.
One of the most common causes of brain fog is just feeling tired. The brain requires a high amount of energy in order to function properly. When you’re over-tired, the brain can suffer and brain fog is the result.
Brain fog can also develop from high levels of stress. If this is the case, brain fog may kick in as a way to escape from dealing with life’s stressors. By retreating into a brain fog, people are able to avoid the sadness, frustration, and anger typical of stressful situations.
Risk Factors of Brain Fog
Researchers are still trying to wrap their heads around this frequent condition. Here are some factors science has found to contribute to brain fog.
- Insomnia–Lack of adequate sleep can affect mood, leading to anxiety, depression, and clouded thinking.
- Nutritional Deficiencies–Nutritional deficiencies, including magnesium, vitamin B-12, and amino acids can cause a lack of concentration, short-term memory loss, attention deficit, and “spaciness” or lack of focus.
- Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome–When the adrenal glands fail to produce key hormones that effectively regulate the body’s stress response, brain fog symptoms can occur. The body simply cannot handle stress effectively.
- Fibromyalgia and MS–These are both nervous system disorders that affect brain function. In many cases, they lead to overwhelming fatigue, pain, and anxiety.
- Reduced blood flow to the brain–Lack of blood flow to the brain due to circulation problems disrupts brain function. Thick blood can also slow down blood flow to the brain.
- Blood sugar problems–Hypoglycemia or type 2 diabetes can cause significant symptoms, such as fatigue, anxiety, depression, and cloudy thinking.
- Too much MSG or artificial sweeteners–Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and flavor enhancers are considered excitotoxins, meaning they are toxic to the brain and can disrupt brain function.
- Allergies and food intolerances–Many patients who are lactose and/or gluten intolerant find that their brain function suffers as a result of exposure to these substances.
- Leaky Gut Syndrome–When the gut becomes more permeable, larger particles escape into the bloodstream and may pass the blood-brain barrier, causing a wide variety of mental symptoms, including depression, anxiety, lack of concentration and focus, and short-term memory loss.
- Side effects of medications–Many medications have possible side effects that disrupt mental health and may cause symptoms ranging from depression, anxiety, and even severe conditions such as psychosis.
- Menopause–Lowered estrogen levels may cause mood fluctuations and unclear thinking, anxiety, and depression.
How to Relieve Brain Fog
Treatment and prevention of brain fog varies, depending on the causes and a person’s lifestyle choices. In some cases, you may need to see a physician and get treatment for underlying causes contributing to brain fog. For many people, relieving brain fog will be a matter of investing the time and energy to develop new lifestyle patterns, such as healthy plant-based eating and regular exercise.
Treating symptoms related to brain fog has important outcomes that determine how well you function at work, school, and home. If you don’t deal with it effectively, you may suffer in health, work productivity, and quality of life. Fortunately, you can find relief through some simple changes. Here are some of the most successful ways.
- Exercise–Movement helps to increase blood flow from the heart to the brain. This increases oxygen-rich blood and glucose to reach the brain and stimulate mental clarity.
- Don’t smoke–Cigarette smoke contains neurotoxins that constrict blood vessels and lead to poor blood circulation in the body and in the brain.
- Avoid alcoholic drinks–Alcohol is a vasoconstrictor, meaning it reduces the area in the blood vessels for the blood to flow smoothly. This limits the blood flow to the brain and creates less mental clarity and strength. It eventually leads to poor judgment or thinking skills.
- Eat whole foods–A diet rich in high-fiber, natural foods will help ensure the proper energy level for the brain and body to function effectively. Instead of choosing white bread, white rice, or white baked goods, go for beans, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Eat foods as close as possible to their natural form, such as fresh or frozen plant foods as opposed to foods that are packaged and highly processed.
- Avoid oils and refined fats–Fats and oils are found in many processed foods, fried foods, fast foods, and junk foods. The acidic nature of fried foods has been linked to inflammation, leading to joint and muscle pain and eventual mental fatigue. Get your fats through whole foods, such as nuts and seeds, olives, coconut, and avocados.
