Causes and Solutions for Brain Fog

Almost everyone experiences brain fog on occasion. Distraction, difficulty focusing, and forgetfulness are all symptoms of this phenomenon. Luckily, brain fog usually dissipates when the issue causing it — often stress or anxiety — is resolved. The best way to get rid of brain fog is to figure out why the brain is otherwise engaged, and deal directly with this overarching problem.

Insufficient sleep serves as a trigger

This is one of the leading causes of brain fog. Each person needs to get a certain amount of sleep to function efficiently at school or work during the following day. The exact amount of sleep each person requires depends on their age, health, lifestyle and other factors, but in general, most people need about eight hours sleep per night. The less sleep you get, the more likely it is to get brain fog because your energy level has a direct effect on brain functioning. Anyone with a job that demands a high degree of alertness, for example, driving, has a special responsibility to get enough sleep to be fully awake.

Get a healthy night’s sleep

Since insufficient sleep is such a prominent cause of brain fog, it naturally follows that improving sleeping patterns removes brain fog. To get a good night’s sleep, avoid eating too late at night, so that food digestion interferes with sleep. Get sufficient exercise and resist the temptation to “burn the midnight oil” on social media or similar addictive activities. If you can set a target each night to get to sleep at a set hour, you will successfully eliminate one of the most common brain fog triggers.

Links to poor diet

There is no shortage of evidence of how poor diet negatively affects health. Brain fog is one of the least serious of these effects, but still, nobody wants to experience this state of confusion. Some experts argue that the greater amount of processed foods and sugared products in your diet, the more chance of getting brain fogs. The preferred solution involves a major diet change that increases the proportion of organic vegetables and fruits in meal plans.

Use of drugs

Both drugs taken for medical use and instances of drug abuse set off brain fogs. The drug addict needs assistance breaking their addiction, and stopping prescribed medications requires a doctor’s agreement. A whole range of medications might have this side effect. The list includes drugs used to lower cholesterol, fight depression and treat the symptoms of a cold. The doctor needs to balance the positive effect of the medicine in treating the patient’s health issue and its interference with full brain functioning.

Smokers face higher risks

Some people may believe that smoking a cigarette or two improves their ability to concentrate but today’s medical knowledge shows that the opposite is true; studies show that heavy smokers are more likely to suffer from brain fog. One of the reasons why they are so susceptible is that smoking reduces the amount of oxygen reaching the brain. It also shrinks the cortex that surrounds the brain. If you never heard doctors make this point, it is probably because there are many more major health risks associated with smoking and they want to stress these as opposed to some of its minor side effects.

Brains also benefit from exercise

It is easy to appreciate how a good exercise program builds up muscles and improves heart health but how it could benefit the brain is less obvious. In addition to helping you get a decent night’s sleep, scientists note how those who get plenty of exercise find it enhances memory and reduces stress and anxiety. All of this demonstrates the importance of exercise in preventing brain fogs since it removes, or greatly weakens, these principal triggers.

Perhaps a more fundamental problem

While most incidences of brain fog give little reason for concern, on occasion a more significant health issue generates similar symptoms. Someone who forgets the names of people has difficulty focusing and cannot remember where he or she put things might be suffering from early signs of dementia. The person themselves, or family and friends might worry that they have Alzheimer disease or some other similar illness. If the brain fog symptoms quickly vanish that was probably the nature of the problem, but if these symptoms linger it is worth consulting a doctor.

A lack of vital vitamins and minerals

Natural health experts often argue that bodies deprived of essential vitamins and minerals are more likely to experience brain fogs. The absence of vitamin B is a common source of such problems according to this analysis. They also advocate taking regular doses of fish oil and other natural substances that they claim improves brain health. The antioxidant qualities of Ginkgo Biloba make it another favored natural substance for those who want to boost their memory capabilities.

An effect of allergies

Some argue that a clear link exists between brain fog and various allergies. Supporters of this theory explain how allergies to certain substances and food cause inflammations and they can produce symptoms associated with brain fog. For example, allergies may be behind the memory problems that are one of its most common and disturbing signs. They are also associated with the depression and anxiety that interfere with normal brain functioning.

A possible side effect of hypothyroidism

The condition of the thyroid directly affects energy levels. People with hypothyroidism experience a slowing down of their metabolism and their low energy levels impair brain operations. The difficulties they have focusing on subjects and recalling matter are classic brain fog symptoms. The brain is one of the body’s high energy-consuming organs, so low thyroid functionalities invariably harm mental abilities.