Brain Fog: What Causes It and How to Get Rid of It?

Brain fog is that feeling of being constantly tired, a bit confused and unfocused, and reacting too slowly to what's happening around you. It's as if your head is full of cotton wool. Hence the term: brain fog.

Some people experience numerous symptoms, but you can also have a mild form of brain fog. This can make it difficult to concentrate at work, or while studying or reading.

Whatever the symptoms, it's an annoying problem. Brain fog makes you feel uncomfortable and significantly lower than usual. This article explains everything about brain fog: what it means, what its causes can be, and how to reduce it.

People describe brain fog as a confused, disoriented, and scattered feeling. You can't react alertly, thinking is often difficult, and you can't express yourself clearly. It feels like you can't handle complex situations.

People with brain fog feel tired and generally uncomfortable, easily distracted, and more easily irritated. Their brain slows down, and thinking doesn't work properly. People sometimes joke that they feel old, because their symptoms are somewhat similar. However, anyone can experience brain fog.

Brain fog, in short, encompasses mental fatigue, memory problems, and impaired focus. Although the term is used more frequently these days, it is not a medical term to describe a specific condition.

Brain fog encompasses a wide range of symptoms. Researchers describe the symptoms of brain fog as an interaction of physical and mental factors.

So, it's clear that brain fog can have a significant negative impact on your daily life. Even though you're not ill, you certainly don't feel like yourself. The symptoms can lead to a lack of inspiration and motivation. And ultimately, it can even lead to increased anxiety and depression.

• Trouble concentrating
• Forgetfulness
• Lack of energy
• Irritability
• Lack of motivation
• Mild depressive symptoms
• Sleep problems
• Headache
• Trouble planning
• Can't find words
• Confusion
• Get scared easily
• Suffering from feelings of anxiety
• Feeling weak and dizzy
• Low libido
• Stomach and intestinal complaints
• Listlessness
• Gloom

Brain fog has no clearly identifiable cause. In fact, it's our lifestyle that throws our entire body out of balance. An unhealthy diet, irregular sleep patterns, lack of exercise, and stress all undermine your health and can lead to brain fog.

But even normal events can cause brain fog. For example, you're more likely to experience these symptoms if you're a woman going through menopause. People with dementia, allergies, or high blood pressure can also experience brain fog.

Furthermore, certain medications are also major culprits in developing this condition. It's important to realize that while brain fog does affect the brain, the underlying cause often lies elsewhere. These are the most common causes of brain fog.

Vitamin B12 is essential for red blood cell production and nerve function. You can get this vitamin from meat, eggs, milk, and other dairy products.

As we age, it becomes more difficult to absorb B12, resulting in low levels of this vitamin in the blood.

This deficiency can also occur if you are a vegetarian or vegan and do not get enough B12 from food.

A vitamin B complex is a good way to get enough B12 and thus naturally support concentration and focus.

A nutritional supplement always plays a supporting role. In this case, the B complex can help support learning performance, memory, concentration, and the production of substances that are beneficial for mood and well-being.

People who suffer from long-term anxiety (for example, in the case of generalized anxiety disorder) and depression (feelings of sadness that last longer than 2 weeks) may experience brain fog.

Anxiety and depression can cause a sense of mental exhaustion. This can make it difficult to cope with whatever comes your way. Often, you can't think clearly or make decisions. This prolonged tension exhausts both body and mind.

One of the main causes of brain fog is chemotherapy and other cancer medications. But all sorts of other medications can also have it as a side effect.

Taking multiple medications at the same time can also cause brain fog. They interact with each other and therefore affect your body differently.

A good night's sleep (at least 7 or 8 hours) gives your brain the rest it needs to recover. If you get at least 7 hours in bed but wake up feeling exhausted, something might be disrupting your sleep.

If you suffer from sleep apnea, your sleep is regularly interrupted because your breathing temporarily stops. This happens so often that it reduces the quality of your sleep. This, too, can eventually lead to brain fog.

But of course, stress, anxiety, or a poor sleep pattern can also be the reason for insufficient sleep. Therefore, it's important to identify the underlying cause of poor sleep and address it.

There are also natural ways to support sleep. For example, a natural sleep aid can help support natural sleep.

If your thyroid doesn't produce enough thyroid hormone (thyroxine and triiodothyronine), this causes various processes in the body to sluggishly function. The consequences can also affect how your brain functions. You may start to feel woozy and become forgetful.

The body needs good nutrition to function properly. By good nutrition, we mean food rich in fiber, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants. If you eat too one-sided or too few valuable nutrients, you may also experience brain fog.

A diet that's too high in sugar can also put a strain on the body. You might also be suffering from food intolerances. If you eat foods you're not normally able to tolerate, your body can react to them.

It's also very important to drink enough. Dehydration can be a cause of brain fog.

Hormones are the body's chemical messengers. They help regulate the activity of cells and organs. The body produces hundreds of different hormones. Some of these, such as estrogen and progesterone, have a significant impact on your mental health.

Women, in particular, can experience fluctuating hormone levels during their menstrual cycle and when they enter menopause. These fluctuations can disrupt neurotransmitter production, which in turn negatively impacts the brain.

Have you been experiencing these symptoms for a while? It's good to know that you can reduce brain fog with a few simple lifestyle changes. If necessary, you can always schedule an appointment with your doctor to discuss the options.

This is especially important if you're taking medication. If the underlying causes are addressed, you may quickly feel more clear-headed again.

Are you suffering from brain fog? You can use the tips below to reduce the symptoms.

Better sleep can have a significant positive impact on brain function. The more hours of quality sleep you get, the better your brain can recover. An adult should get 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night.

Sleep apnea can be a reason you're not getting enough rest, so it's important to get it treated. If this is the case, make an appointment with your doctor.

Many people demand a lot of themselves and stay up later to get more done. Workdays are getting longer, and smartphones are blurring the lines between home and work. How often do you find yourself answering emails before bed?

Not only will this cause you to go to bed too late, but you'll also carry daytime stress into the night. This undermines your own health and can lead to brain fog. Your performance will actually decline.

Tips for a good night's sleep are:

• Go to bed at the same time every night.
• Leave your phone outside the bedroom. Don't surf the internet or answer emails before going to bed.
• Make sure the bedroom is nice and dark.
• If you're awake at night, don't look at the clock to see what time it is. If you know the time, you'll jump to conclusions that will only cause more anxiety.
• Sleep with the window open. A cool, fresh bedroom promotes deep sleep.

A good night's sleep makes you feel better in every way. It's the key to a better mood, balanced hormones, and improved immunity. You'll have all the energy you need to get through the day. Many of the symptoms of brain fog can then be significantly reduced.

Eating the wrong foods is one of the main causes of brain fog. Most people eat too much sugar and processed foods. These are full of substances the human body doesn't need and can't even process properly.

Consider, for example, artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, and chemical sweeteners. These cause low-grade inflammation throughout the body.

You don't immediately notice that you're suffering from these inflammations. They're actually present in the background, causing a lack of energy, weakened immunity, and hazy thoughts—in short, brain fog. Choosing a healthy diet is the first step toward alleviating your symptoms.

Sugar seems like the perfect fuel: it gives you quick energy and makes you feel happy. But soon after, your blood sugar plummets, and you experience a slump. This only makes you crave another sugary snack. That's the vicious cycle of sugar.

Simple carbohydrates cause the same effect. A diet rich in these types of carbohydrates and sugar is the reason why low-grade inflammation develops in your body.

In addition, these fluctuations in your blood sugar levels cause you to constantly feel hungry between meals and eat more than you need. They're the reason so many people become overweight.

Excess weight and fat that accumulates around the organs can also cause more low-grade inflammation in your body.

Healthy food helps

That's why it's crucial to choose a diet rich in high-quality carbohydrates. It's best to avoid sugar. Choose fresh, unprocessed foods. This means cooking tasty and healthy meals with vegetables, meat, or meat substitutes.

You can easily make your own sauces with herbs and spices. The less you use from a can, the better. And importantly, it tastes much better too.

It's also a good idea to check if you're getting enough minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants. This is especially true if you've been eating unhealthy food for a long time or have been under a lot of stress.

Deficiencies may have arisen. You can supplement these with the right supplements. You'll notice that with such a diet, you'll feel more energetic, fitter, and clearer, and the brain fog will quickly lift.

Getting enough exercise can help combat brain fog in many ways. Doing some exercise or training every day stimulates your circulation and keeps your heart and lungs in good condition. Exercising can release accumulated stress from your body, which in turn promotes a good night's sleep.

Exercise balances your hormone levels and improves your mood. All of this has a positive effect on your physical and mental well-being. It's therefore a good way to address the symptoms of brain fog.

I personally love taking a nice walk after dinner. In the article "Benefits of Walking After Dinner," my colleague explains the health benefits of a post-meal walk.

Our brains have never been so overstimulated as they are today. There's a constant stream of information coming in, via computers, smartphones, tablets, and television. As enjoyable as it may seem to be constantly connected to the world, all those messages and facts are stressors.

They provoke you to react, they distract you, and they hinder your ability to concentrate undisturbed. If you handle this digital flood of information unwisely, you're likely to experience significant stress.

Besides the way we interact with digital media, you can also feel pressured by everyday life. Work, family, finances, illness, or the world around you can all be a lot to process.

Meditation is a great way to help you rediscover your inner peace. There are many ways to meditate. You can focus on your breathing, a candle flame, or a mantra. You can also benefit from calming visualization.

It takes some trial and error to find what works best for you. But by taking time to meditate every day, you lower stress hormones in your blood, making you feel less stressed and anxious. It's one way to reduce the symptoms of brain fog.

Besides lowering stress levels, meditation has many more benefits that are useful for your health.

Brain fog can have various causes and can significantly impact your life. By implementing the tips and advice in this article, you can gradually reduce brain fog. My advice is to eat as much unprocessed food as possible and take sleep very seriously. In addition, sufficient exercise and sports are also very important to combat brain fog.