Brain Fog, What is it?

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear brain fog? For me it was literally an image of fog all over my mind. While very vague, it does actually mean that. Brain fog is the name of a non-medical condition that influences an individual’s ability to think. The symptoms include confusion, disorganization and a general lack of focus, hindering the process of putting thoughts into words. It is a state of bewilderment when one is released from this condition.

Brain fog is not declared as a medical condition, rather it is a type of cognitive dysfunction that includes memory problems, absence of mental clarity, poor concentration and inability to concentrate. Experts from RoseWellness have described brain fog to occur due to mental fatigue and depending on the severity of brain fog it can become an interference to an individual’s professional life.

Cause Of Brain Fog

Brain fog has been shown to cause those individuals that go through intense emotional changes that include stress, hormonal changes, lack of sleep, unbalanced diet, medications and more. Stress is the biggest and most dangerous component to a human’s life. It not only causes brain fog, but also weakens the immune system, fluctuates blood pressure, and causes depression. All of these challenges pile up to mental exhaustion, creating difficulty to think and focus and the brain shuts itself down by escaping these abnormalities. An average adult is required to sleep 8-9 hours of sleep every night. Cloudy thoughts and weak concentration are the result of sleeping too little or in some cases, too much as well.

Furthermore, hormonal changes in pregnant women and women approaching menopause also become a cause of brain fog, an increase or decrease of estrogen levels are the culprit in this situation. A vitamin B-12 deficient person is more likely to suffer through brain fog as it supports healthy brain function. Moreover if a medication seems to be causing brain fog, it is crucial to consult a specialist as the brain fog may be acting as a side effect of the drug. Other health conditions such as anemia, diabetes, migraines, Alzheimer’s disease, hypothyroidism are a few illnesses that may also cause brain fog.

Since brain fog is not considered as a medical issue, it is vital to address if one is suffering from muddled episodes more frequently. It is important to consult a specialist and begin a soft treatment to reduce the frequency of these occurrences. A doctor may conduct physical examination with queries of mental health, diet, physical activity and medication history. Blood work is also beneficial in identifying the cause of brain fog by detecting any abnormal glucose levels, liver/kidney function, any nutritional deficiencies, or infections.

How to reduce brain fog

Despite how frequently brain fog occurs,it just just as easy to get rid of. There are methods which help you dissipate brain fog:

For an anemic patient, increasing the intake of iron supplements may boost the production of red blood cells and help reduce brain fog. Most often than not, easing brain fog is a matter of correcting nutritional disbalance or deficiency, replacing medication or improving quality of sleep.

Good home remedies that relieve brain fog include exercising, strengthening brain power by exercising the brain with puzzles and crosswords, meditation, taking part in enjoyable outdoor and indoor activities and most importantly giving the body the essential nutrients like proteins, fruits, vegetables and healthy fats. Vegetables iron and vitamin deficiencies are also known as the main culprit of brain fog so it’s a wise choice to have at least a serving of leafy green vegetables daily. Some of the dark leafy greens mentioned in Healthcanal’s article include Kale, Spinach, Cabbage, Mustard…

Tracing back to the source of brain fog is vital in helping reduce it. Additional stress is generally the cause of brain fog, and eliminating that stress goes a long way to reduce the brain fog and help keep a clear mind. To help go back to the source, the need of a therapist arises at times and should be correctly solved.

Self care is your best bet when in need to get rid of brain fog. Allowing yourself to have time for your hobbies and relaxation will remove all unwanted stress from your mind and ensure that your brain is rid of all fog. Having no time for yourself only proves to increase your stress and in turn, allow more brain fog.

Sleep deprivation plays a major role in reducing brain fog. Having enough sleep allows you to have a clear mind and allows your brain to function properly without the involvement of any fog. You’ll notice a great difficulty in concentrating on subjects when the brain has not received enough sleep.

As mentioned before, it is necessary to make sure that along with your mental health, your physical health is looked after. One needs to ensure that your body receives the right food in the right proportions and at the right time. Moreover, allowing your body to stay fit through exercise only allows more of the brain fog to clear and dissipate.

Another major cause of brain fog includes the avid consumption of alcohol, caffeine or smoking. Reducing the consumption of these plays a crucial role in allowing you to get rid of brain fog.

Supplements

There are several supplements that are available to help you reduce brain fog. Some include:

• Fish oil
• Gingko Biloba Extract
• Choline Bitartrate
• Gamma Oryzanol
• L-Theanine
• Phosphatidylserine
• Inositol
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin A Acetate

These are some of the supplements that help reduce brain fog. Generally prescribed by doctors and therapists, it is advised that you consult your doctor before beginning the consumption of said supplements.

Conclusion

As a result of analysing all the given, it can be safely said that the brain fog is not a serious issue that is reason for alarm. The causes of brain fog are as simple as the remedies to reduce it. To say, as simple as it is to contract brain fog, it is just as easy and a simple process to allow it to dissipate.

A person should always keep in mind and inculcate all the causes of brain fog in their everyday life that they are in the habit of performing activities that help you stay away from the cause that is brain fog. And if it so happens that a person suffers from brain fog, the first course of action should be to track the root of the problem and if all else fails, consult your therapist and get a prescription for brain fog supplements.