The amount of sleep each person needs can vary, but aim for 7 to 8 hours of quality sleep each night. “It’s easy to get so busy juggling everything you have on your plates that you fail to recognize when you’re headed toward mental exhaustion or burnout,” says Megan MacCutcheon, LPC. So if you manage six hours of focused work, or just ten minutes – take the time to appreciate your effort and mark your progress.
Clear Brain Fog Instantly With These 12 Effective Strategies
However, the good bacteria that keep yeast levels in check can get out of balance, allowing yeast to overgrow. This can happen by taking a round of antibiotics or drinking too much alcohol. Eating a diet high in refined carbohydrates or using birth control pills over a long term can also have an impact. Thyroid disease is a topic particularly near and dear to my heart because I battled thyroid disease in medical school after being diagnosed with Graves’ disease.
Give your digestive system a rest.
- The same is true for individuals who have recently experienced a psychological trauma, such as a loved one’s passing or domestic abuse.
- If your brain is a computer, ongoing anxiety and stress are those programs that run in the background and use up tons of memory and make everything else run slowly.
- Regular physical activity is one of the most efficient deterrents to mind fog, as it sharpens mental faculties, promotes blood flow, and boosts the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the brain.
- This umbrella term for thinking and cognitive difficulties can make you feel unlike yourself, affect your work and relationships, and leave you feeling destabilized.
- By practicing regularly, you can become better at observing thoughts and letting go of the many that aren’t helpful.
You might have heard people comparing your brain to a computer, but the truth is a lot more complicated than that. You might be experiencing brain fog, a term used to describe a set of symptoms that impact your ability to think. As brain fog is common after COVID-19 infections, getting the COVID-19 vaccine is beneficial to reduce your risk. By Michelle PugleMichelle Pugle, MA is a freelance writer and reporter focusing on mental health and chronic conditions.
- In the fast-paced world we live in, foggy brain is an increasingly common problem and it can be a result of a wide range of organic and lifestyle-related factors.
- It turns out, a lack of concentration and an inability to focus on a single task is completely normal in times of high stress, anxiety and uncertainty.
Nonstop, Ongoing Brain Fog: Next Steps
Some kinds of drugs — over-the-counter and prescribed — can cause brain fog. If you take medicine and notice that your thinking isn’t as clear as it should be or you suddenly can’t remember things, call your doctor. It is suspected that sensitivity to some chemicals (both natural and man-made) can also cause brain fog, a possibility that is debated in the medical community.. Even if you believe your brain fog relates to anxiety, it’s still a good idea to talk to your healthcare provider to rule out other causes of brain fog.
Certain foods and vitamin deficiencies play a role in brain function and can be one of the causes of your brain fog symptoms. Some brain fog causing foods are obvious, such as alcohol and caffeine. Alcohol and caffeine exacerbate symptoms of anxiety and stress, which are also causes of brain fog as mush brain I discussed earlier. If your brain fog is disrupting your everyday routine or making it hard to perform daily tasks, you should make an appointment with a healthcare professional. But, if all you’re experiencing is a little bit of fogginess, it might be worth it to test out a few lifestyle changes.
- At Parsley Health, doctors routinely check Free T4, Total T4, Free T3, Reverse T3, anti-TPO antibodies, and anti-thyroglobulin to assess your thyroid health.
- Trying to keep working through a patch of brain fog generally isn’t the best solution, especially if you feel anxious about the outcome of what you’re trying to do.
- But it’s not just beneficial for dropping pounds, calorie restriction and longer periods between meals can also promote neurological health and decrease neurodegenerative diseases.
- But, if all you’re experiencing is a little bit of fogginess, it might be worth it to test out a few lifestyle changes.
- Regardless of whether you’re dealing with mental or physical fatigue, exhaustion could make you turn to comforting or soothing foods, especially those that are quick and easy.
Strategies for when your mind has gone to mush
