Dont Forget The Physical
Staying physically active and keeping a good diet have many health benefits, and that is no different when it comes to brain fog. Studies have shown that getting regular exercise and eating a diet high in vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains can reduce cognitive decline. These behaviors not only have cognitive benefits, but they can also improve your sleep, benefitting your mind even more.
What Are Some Non
There are several conditions that can produce brain fog. For example, during and after pregnancy some people report having pregnancy brain or mommy brain” and people with cancer undergoing chemotherapy often describe experiencing chemo brain. Other medical conditions that are known to cause mental fogginess are multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injuries, and chronic fatigue syndrome. The symptoms can also be caused by certain medications.
“In some people, it can be that the virus directly attacks the brain, Budson said. That’s not common, but it can happen. He adds that the virus can also cause strokes which can affect cognitive function.
Jackson explained that people who were severely ill with COVID-19 could have experienced small areas of brain damage from hypoxia and inflammation while they were on ventilators.
Establish An Exercise Routine You Enjoy
Exercise doesnt have to mean cardio and weight training at the gym. Its easier to commit to daily exercise if you actually enjoy the activity. Here are a few ideas to get your body moving if traditional exercise just doesnt cut it:
- Take a hike or a nature walk with a friend or pet
- Go for a swim at the local pool, swimming hole, or beach
- Take a yoga, martial arts, or dance class
- Go for a walking adventure around your city
- Join a local sports league
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More Mind Body Relaxation Techniques
Meditation is not the only proven way to conquer stress. Many people donât have the patience for traditional meditation since it can take years to master. But, brainwave entrainment technology is a âshortcutâ to get similar benefits quickly and easily. All you have to do is put on your headset and listen. Other proven relaxation techniques to consider include:
You might want to try one of the latest personal biofeedback devices such as the emWave2, Muse, NeuroSky, or Thync. Most of these techniques can deliver noticeable stress relief within a few minutes.
Maintain Good Sleep Hygiene
It can be challenging to change a habit, but building a routine around good sleep hygiene can improve your physical and mental health. Try to incorporate these healthy habits every day:
- Establish a schedule that allows you to go to bed and wake up at the same time daily
- Dont eat a large meal, drink alcohol, or consume caffeine for a couple of hours before bed
- Find ways to remain active during waking hours
- Avoid looking at screens before bed
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Ways To Eliminate Your Brain Fog Once And For All
Loretta T Friedman, RN,MS,DC,CCN,CNS,DACBN,DCBCN
You know that feeling of confusion, forgetfulness, and lack of focus you have every so often? Although âbrain fogâ is not a medically recognized term, itâs a common feeling that many people suffer with. But, even though many people experience it, brain fog is by no means normal.In fact, it is avoidable and 100% treatable. In this 8-part series, youâll learn the main causes of brain fog and what you can do to get rid of that hazy feeling once and for all.
Balance Active Workouts With Active Tune
Many types of exercise stimulate the sympathetic nervous system which is responsible for fight or flight responses. Unfortunately, your body doesnt know the difference between running on a treadmill or running from dangerboth look like stress. Stress manifests as brain fog. In order to reduce stress, you need to flex your parasympathetic nervous system, which is engaged during rest and relaxation and helps to calm your body and your mind. You can do this by incorporating more meditation and yoga into your routine.
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Go Easy On The Caffeine And Alcohol
We exist in a culture where its socially acceptable to consume caffeine and alcohol, especially in moderation.
But when it comes to these two substances, its important to consider the difference between our understanding of moderation and what the science actually says.
Caffeine can cause jitters, headaches, insomnia, upset stomach, and rapid heart rate, especially if you have a caffeine sensitivity. Because of this, the Food and Drug Administration recommends no more than 400 milligrams, or 4 to 5 cups, of coffee per day.
Its very easy to reach that 4 to 5 cup maximum without realizing it a Grande coffee at the popular chain Starbucks is about 2.5 cups, for example.
The same goes for alcohol. Alcohol is both a stimulant and a depressant, which significantly impairs cognitive functioning. Once the levels of alcohol in your body decrease, withdrawing from the substance can cause fatigue, headache, vertigo, hangxiety, and other symptoms of brain fog.
Additionally,
Binge drinking is defined as drinking 4 or more drinks or 5 or more drinks in 2 hours. But one drink is referring to a unit of alcohol. The typical 750 ml bottle of wine contains 10 units, as an example.
If youre trying to cope with drinking too much, talk with your healthcare professional.
You Are Eating The Wrong Foods
One of the first things you may think when your brain gets foggy is âWas it something I ate ?â Eating the wrong foods is by far, the most common cause of brain fog. But luckily, itâs also the one thatâs easiest to fix!
Watch Out For Sugar
Your brain uses glucose as fuel, but refined carbohydrates like sugar and high fructose corn syrup are not good sources of fuel. Your brain gets a burst of too much glucose, then too little.
Low glucose in your brain leads to brain fog, mood swings, irritability, tiredness, mental confusion, and impaired judgment. On the other hand, high blood glucose levels lead to insulin resistance and diabetes, both of which have been linked to Alzheimerâs.
Increase The Fat In Your Diet
That wasnât a typo.If glucose is the fuel for your brain, then fat is the âsuper fuelâ.Your brain is comprised of 60% fat, which is why low-fat diets have failed so disastrously, both for our weights and for our brains. Fat helps the brain produce the raw materials it needs to create essential brain chemicals. This is why there low-fat diets are so awful â without enough fat, the brain will literally consume itself.When you donât eat enough healthy fats, the brain uses itself for fuel.
To keep your brain healthy and to get rid of brain fog, we recommend a diet of roughly 50% healthy fat from nuts, avocados, coconut oil, olive oil, wild salmon, eggs, and grass-fed meat.
Get Rid of Vegetable Oils
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Certain Health Conditions Can Result In Brain Fog
Medical conditions associated with inflammation, fatigue or changes in blood glucose level can cause mental fatigue:
- Conditions that influence inflammation can change the way your brain talks to the rest of your body, resulting in brain fog. For example, individuals with Multiple Sclerosis can have general brain fog that turns into serious issues with memory, attention, planning, and language.
- Other inflammation-related conditions that cause brain fog include autoimmune diseases like lupus, arthritis, and food sensitivities or allergies.
- Diabetes can result in mental fatigue as it involves changes in the level of glucose in the blood.
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a fatigue-related condition that can bring brain fog. The body becomes exhausted and the brain cant function to its full potential.
- Other common medical conditions that may cause brain fog include anemia, migraines, dehydration, and hypothyroidism.
If you have been diagnosed with one of these conditions, be sure to check with your medical provider on the best method to treat your brain fog.
Medication Or Medical Treatments That Can Lead To Brain Fog
Pharmaceutical medication can also cause brain fog, whether it is over-the-counter or prescribed. Contact your medical provider if you experience mental fatigue after taking medication. Major medical treatments like chemotherapy or recovery after surgery can result in brain fog. Its length can vary depending on the treatment and your recovery protocol.
Common Signs Of Brain Fog
If you are suffering from this, you likely recognize the symptoms: impaired brain functions such as difficulty focusing or concentrating, forgetfulness and difficulty remembering information, struggling to process information quickly, and difficulty making decisions. Several potential brain fog causes include stress, depression, poor nutrition, medical conditions, medication side effects, infections, or other disorders.
How do you know if brain fog is the problem? The best way to determine if it impacts your day-to-day life is to track the warning signs. One option is to keep a journal to record when brain fog strikes and what might have happened right before.
Other options include using online brain performance tests or speaking with your doctor about a possible diagnosis. Ultimately, the key to improving brain function and reducing the fog is identifying the underlying cause and working to address it through lifestyle changes or medical treatment as needed. The symptoms can vary from person to person however, some common symptoms include:
-
Difficulty concentrating or focusing on tasks
-
Short-term memory problems
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Presence Of Toxins In Your Home
Your home is not just your home.
It is home to hundreds and thousands of unregulated chemicals and toxins.
These can be present anywhere:
- In the foods, you eat.
- The water you drink.
- Even in the air, you breathe.
But the question is, where are these chemicals coming from?
The carpets, mattresses, and furniture release chemicals like formaldehyde and PCBs .
Even the furniture and glass cleaners have plenty of chemicals in them.
Apart from that, things like:
It Is no less than a workout for your brain.
It helps with brain fog and improves your memory and awareness, and lightens up your mood.
Even learning a new skill is considered a mental workout because your brain has to start afresh.
See A Functional Medicine Doctor
Whether you are pregnant or entering perimenopause or youre being treated for cancer, depression or hormone imbalances such as a thyroid disorder, its important to be aware of how your treatments are affecting your health. As I discussed earlier, medications and cancer treatments can disrupt your healthy brain function. Not treating hormonal imbalances because you arent aware of them or treating them with harsh medications can be equally damaging.
Seeking out a functional medicine doctor who will get to the root cause of your brain fog, and not just give you a pill when you ask how to get rid of brain fog, is key to ensuring total body health and banishing it.
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Rejuvenate Your Mind With Mosh
Going through life with brain fog can make the most simple tasks seem impossible to complete. While there are a few vitamins and supplements that might be able to help, there is currently no known cure for brain fog or neuroinflammation.
That means that the best treatment is to avoid anything that might trigger brain fog. Avoiding certain foods, getting enough sleep, and managing your stress are a few ways that you can reduce your risks.
How To Get Rid Of Brain Fog Cause #: Stress And Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Stress is such a common term!
And we all experience a little stress at times.
But do you know chronic stress can be dangerous not just for your body but also for your head?
When your brain is stressed, it becomes 10x times difficult to think, focus and reason.
If your stress levels are constantly high, it can lead to:
- Chronic fatigue syndrome.
- Oh, and also brain fog.
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Treating Brain Fog Symptoms
Everybody deals with brain fog in their own way. No matter how you struggle with it, it sucks so much.
Practicing self-care, relaxing, and trying new activities are wonderful ways to lift brain fog.
Remember, your brain fog will pass. What youre going through will not last forever.
How do you help clear brain fog instantly? Let me know in the comments!
What Causes Brain Fog
There are plenty of reasons and explanations related to why brain fog occurs.
Many issues like stress, hormonal changes, thyroid disbalances, sleep disturbances, inactivity etc., can cause brain fog.
But once you find out the leading cause, you can work on fixing it.
So lets understand in detail about these causes.
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Join The Mental Health Community You’ve Been Dreaming Of
This discord family is a safe place where we can all talk about and seek help for what is going on in our heads.
Have you been having trouble with productivity lately and cant seem to focus on anything?
Youre not alone. A lot of people are experiencing brain fog right now, especially those who have been affected by the covid-19 virus, even after they have healed.
Brain fog can be frustrating and debilitating, but there are steps you can take to get back your mental clarity and keep your brain healthy and sharp in the long run.
In this blog post, were going to discuss how to overcome brain fog in 14 simple ways. So, read on to learn more.
What Does Brain Fog Feel Like
Brain fog can show up in a variety of ways. Mostly it feels like your head contains cotton candy where there once was dense intellectual nervous tissue. The lights are on, but theres nobody home.
You might be unable to concentrate for long enoughon work tasks, conversations, or even on the words youre reading right now. You may have difficulty making up your mind, small decisions are a big deal, you need more coffee to focus, more snacks to stay awake, and more booze at night for temporary relief from the fog. In more severe cases, you might have headaches, problems with your vision or even nausea.
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Stop Eating Processed Foods
Its no secret that eating healthy is important. But sometimes it can be hard to know where to start. Poor diet or nutritional deficiencies can cause brain fog. These deficiencies can also be caused by issues with the digestive system.
Eating a Mediterranean diet can promote physical and brain health. This diet is full of plant-based foods and omega-three fatty acids . Mediterraneans usually prefer unprocessed foods within a complete diet.
Rehydrate Well And Often
Dehydration can cause a number of problems, including brain fog.
Researchers believe that even mild dehydration can lead to impaired brain function, while rehydration can enhance cognitive performance almost instantaneously.
So, its important to make sure that youre drinking enough water throughout the day.
We recommend aiming for eight glasses of water per day. But if youre working out, sweating a lot, or living in a hotter climate, you might need even more than that.
In addition to water, you can also rehydrate with:
- sports drinks, or
Drinking plenty of fluids is essential for maintaining good mental clarity. So, make sure to stay hydrated throughout the day.
If youre struggling to drink enough water, we recommend carrying a water bottle with you everywhere you go. That way, youll always have water on hand when you need it.
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How To Get Rid Of Brain Fog Cause #: Lack Of Sleep
We all know what sleeplessness looks like!
Feeling tired and angry all the time.
But do you know your sleeplessness can affect your thinking abilities?
Oh yes!
Lack of sleep can cause blurred thinking.
And not just this, it can also interfere with your brain functioning.
Your sleep time is when your body rejuvenates itself, and when you dont get enough sleep, you are depriving yourself of that relaxation.
This lack adds to your brain fogginess.
Be An Efficient Sleeper
The classic mistake people make with their brains, whether its dealing with work, school or whatever looming project deadline, is that they try to maximize their time by staying up late and/or getting up early. This typically backfires because cognitive abilities decrease with sleep deprivation. Sleep at least seven hours nightly, preferably eight or even nine when possible. The quality of your work will increase while the time it takes to produce such quality work will diminish.
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Exercise Regularlyoutside If You Can
One of the best tools for stress-busting or fighting depression is exercise. But its also important for thinking more clearly.
When we exercise, we encourage blood flow through our bodies, including our brains, which need oxygenation to perform at their best. Sitting for long periods of time without taking breaks to move has been tied to brain changes associated with dementia, as well as poor cognitive functioning. Getting exercise, on the other hand, is tied to better cognitionand even moderate exercise can help us think more clearly and perform better on tasks requiring focus.
If you have a park or open space nearby, try spending some time moving while in green spaces . Research confirms that being out in more natural settings is helpful for our well-being and has positive effects on our cognition above and beyond those coming from exercise alone.
Your Therapy Toolbox Includes:
- Live video, voice, or text chat session with your therapist
- 8 easy-to-follow sections, including 25 worksheets
- Activity plan, journal, and tests
- Yoga and meditation videos
What I love about Online Therapy is that there are several life-changing options and therapists available, and you dont even have to leave the comfort of your home.
This means you never need to worry before getting help.
The cost of Online Therapy ranges from $0-$80 per week. Whereas, traditional therapy will charge $100-$250 per week.
Thats a huge savings, especially if you dont have insurance!
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