Everything You Need to Know About Brain Fog

Sure, we all feel unfocused or suffer a memory lapse (nice way to say “we forget stuff”) every so often, but if this is happening with more and more frequency, you might have a nonmedical condition known as brain fog. And while aging can contribute to brain fog, there are other factors that can exacerbate brain fog which we’ll get into later in this post.

First, let’s come up with a better definition. Brain fog is a form of cognitive dysfunction that typically involves forgetfulness, inability to focus and/or concentrate and failing mental clarity. It is sometimes referred to by those who suffer with it as mental fatigue. As if your brain becomes tired as your muscles do with overuse. I think most of us have experienced that phenomenon after spending hours concentrating on a particularly difficult task. However, it should not be a near permanent problem in your life, especially if it’s interfering with your daily routine such as school and work.

While not an officially recognized medical condition, brain fog can have multiple causes, including the following:

Lack of sleep. Your brain rejuvenates itself through adequate amounts of sleep, usually 7-9 hours every night. If you’re not getting enough sleep, your brain fails to fully recharge itself and recover from the day’s taxing activities. You’ll then spend the next day in a bit of a fog.

Changes in hormone levels caused by menopause or pregnancy. Drops in estrogen levels during menopause can cause cognitive issues such as inability to concentrate and unfocused thinking. Similarly, an increase in estrogen and progesterone levels during pregnancy can trigger the same type of brain fog.

Stress can also cause mental failings due to the increase of the hormones adrenaline and cortisol. Chronic stress also increases blood pressure and cause mental fatigue as the brain is constantly on a state of high alert. Your brain then becomes exhausted, and brain fog ensues.

Medications have side effects and one of those side effects can be brain fog. Check with your doctor if you feel your medication(s) are causing brain fog. Medical conditions, such as migraines, depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis  and fibromyalgia can also cause brain fog.

Diet, particularly one lacking on vitamin B-12, can contribute to brain fog.

The good news is that there are simple ways to combat brain fog, such as:

Get enough sleep, which is fairly self-explanatory. Put down the phone, roll over and get 7 to 9 hours of sleep each and every night.

Take short breaks, if possible, whenever you’re performing a task that requires a great deal of focus. Walk away from the workstation, and stroll through the cool grass, a la Edward Lewis at the behest of Vivian Ward in Pretty Woman.

Avoid multitasking as it drains brain power at an accelerated rate and creates unnecessary stress. Tackle jobs one-at-a-time and then move on to the next. Generally, when we multitask, we produce multiple mediocre results rather than one at an exceptional level.

Regular exercise has been shown to improve mental focus and concentration, which is the exact opposite of brain fog. It allows the brain to unplug and one to think about things on a deeper level, something akin to meditation.

Try new and different things which stimulate the brain and its production of a chemical called norepinephrine. This can be as simple as reading different genres and listening to different types of music or something as complex as learning to play an instrument or new a language.

A healthy and balanced diet, especially one devoid of drugs and alcohol, has also been shown to improve cognition and stave off brain fog.

Chronic brain fog can detrimentally affect one’s quality of life. Locating its cause and then developing a program to combat it, with the help of a doctor, is usually successful in reducing or eliminating it. Hopefully, this post gets you started if you are dealing with this often-unrecognized condition.