The Hidden Cause of Your Brain Fog

Getting plenty of water, rest, and exercise can also help clear away mental fog. This disease affects your central nervous system and can change the way your brain “talks” to the rest of your body. About half the people who have MS have issues with memory, attention, planning, or language. Learning and memory exercises can help, and a therapist can give you new ways to handle the tasks you have trouble with. “Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help individuals adapt to cognitive impairments by developing coping strategies and enhancing mental clarity​,” Dr. Faynboym says. Since chronic stress can also exacerbate brain fog, he also recommends stress reduction techniques like yoga, meditation, and journaling.

• If your brain mush doesn’t clear up with lifestyle changes, it might be time to consult a healthcare professional.
• But when anxiety operates underground—when it’s the soup you’re swimming around in—it’s easy to confuse the signs and symptoms of anxiety with your essential YOU.
• If you’re having side effects like these, you can talk with a healthcare professional about changing your dose or type of medication.
• Be patient and remember that brain fog isn’t always something you can fix overnight.
• This is a condition doctors call postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS).

Is brain fog a mental illness?

Brain fog is a common group of symptoms that affect how you think, remember and concentrate. You might lose your train of thought in the middle of a conversation. It’s usually temporary, but the length of time you’ll experience brain fog can vary. When brain fog sets in, accomplishing even a small task such as writing a grocery list or writing a letter can seem insurmountable. Brain fog makes it difficult for us to think quickly, remember things, and in some cases even hold a conversation. Most people report feeling spaced out, mentally slow, and as if they are experiencing significant fatigue.

• Always remember that every one of us is larger and more complex than the mischief of anxiety, fear, and shame may have us believe.
• Changes to a person’s hormone levels can affect their brain functioning, especially during pregnancy or menopause.
• Such tests are all about helping medical professionals sift through the clues so they determine why you’re feeling so mentally cloudy.
• Dr. Small explains that the treatment and prevention of brain fog depend on the underlying causes.

Medical Interventions

Scientists do not know exactly how fibromyalgia leads to these types of symptoms. Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome are also inflammatory conditions. The 24/7 hotline will connect you with mental health resources in your area. Trained specialists can also help you find your state’s resources for treatment if you don’t mush brain have health insurance. When you’re stressed and overwhelmed, it can be hard to open up, especially if you feel like your loved ones are under stress, too.

Does brain fog go away?

Maybe you’re in a situation where something absolutely has to get done, but you just don’t have the time or energy to do it. 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. Work with a Parsley Health medical provider and health coach to leverage both the timing and contents of your meals for better mental focus. In the case of blue light exposure, the blue wavelengths decrease production of the hormone, melatonin, which is essential for deep REM sleep. Both REM and non-REM sleep are required to consolidate and process memories from the day. If you’re looking to create healthier habits for improved mental well-being, consider enlisting the help of a coach.

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Lowering your dosage or switching to another drug may improve your symptoms. Depending on the severity of brain fog, it can interfere with your work, school, or other daily tasks. Brain fog is a type of cognitive dysfunction characterized by confusion, memory issues, and lack of focus.

Cancer and Cancer Treatment

• It usually goes away fairly quickly, but some people can be affected for a long time after treatment.
• Depending on your preferences, these foods may have a lot of sugar, or empty calories.
• Hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis can lead to hormone imbalances.
• When you’re stressed and overwhelmed, it can be hard to open up, especially if you feel like your loved ones are under stress, too.
• And there is chronic anxiety which operates as a silent, invisible force.

Cancer itself can also cause “brain fog,” for instance, if the cancer has affected the brain. 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.

• According to a 2016 study, daily consumption of caffeine or coffee can help lower a person’s risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, or a stroke.
• Learning and memory exercises can help, and a therapist can give you new ways to handle the tasks you have trouble with.
• Signs of brain fog include reduced cognitive functioning or difficulty with paying attention, keeping focus, multitasking, and memory recall.
• Some people describe it as a foggy haze that makes accessing their thoughts or plans harder.
• It is normal to experience occasional brain fog and anxiety, especially during high stress.