How to Get Rid of Brain Fog
Have you ever had the strange feeling of being unfocused, confused, disorganized, and forgetful all at the same time? It feels like your brain is not able to work properly. If you’ve experienced any of these symptoms, then you have experienced brain fog. But don’t worry, it is more common than you would think.
Although there are a lot of reasons why you can have brain fog, if you are aware of the underlying causes, you can more easily eliminate it. There are several useful tips on how to get rid of brain fog, so let’s dive into this foggy topic.
What is brain fog?
First of all, it is important to know that brain fog is not a medical condition. This term is used to describe certain symptoms that can have negative effects on your ability to think clearly. Brain fog can cause memory and concentration problems, therefore you may find it difficult to focus or recall your memories. You may also feel confused, disorganized, or like you are not yourself.
Brain fog is very often described as similar to mental fatigue.
Causes of brain fog
Brain fog can be caused by many different factors. Once you figure out what is the possible reason in your case, you can easily start to work on fixing the problem.
Stress
Stress can have a huge role in developing brain fog. As chronic stress can cause increased blood pressure, mood disorders, weak immune system, and insomnia, you may also have brain fog because of it.
Therefore, if you have problems with thinking and concentration, take a look at how stressful your lifestyle is that you lead.
Related read: Coping Strategies for Stress: Dealing with the Paradox of Stressing About Your Health
Sleep deprivation
According to the National Sleep Foundation guidelines, healthy adults (under 65) need around 7-9 hours of sleep every night. Sleep is crucial to make your brain work properly. If you don’t sleep enough, or your sleep has poor quality, then you may not concentrate and think well.
Related read: How to Improve Your Sleep Quality
Poor eating habits
Maybe it will surprise you, but poor eating habits can also result in brain fog. For healthy brain function, your body needs a lot of vitamins and essential nutrients, so if you develop some nutritional deficiencies, you may feel like your brain is fuzzy.
The 3 main deficiencies that can cause brain fog are:
- Vitamin B12 deficiency
- Vitamin D deficiency
- Omega-3 deficiency.
Related Read: Tips for Eating a Plant Based Diet
Lack of physical activity
A physically inactive lifestyle can be found among the most common reasons for brain fog. For your brain it is very beneficial to get a few energy boosts during the day, by exercising you can think more clearly and you should find it easier to focus.
Whenever I need a break from work or a task I can’t seem to wrap my head around, I always put on a workout or go for a walk. It makes a huge difference!
Related read: How to Design Your Own Home HIIT Workout
Medication
If you recently began to take some drugs and you notice brain fog symptoms, consult your doctor, as brain fog can also be the side effect of the medication.
Furthermore, if you are currently undergoing cancer treatment, you may feel like your brain is not working well. They even have a name for this side effect: chemo brain.
Health conditions
Brain fog can be linked to many existing health conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, migraines, anemia, diabetes, fibromyalgia, autoimmune diseases, or Alzheimer’s disease.
Changes in hormone levels
Both pregnancy and menopause can trigger brain fog because hormonal changes have an impact on brain function. When you are pregnant, you have higher levels of estrogen and progesterone which can make you more forgetful than usual. (I can definitely attest to pregnany brain!)
During menopause your estrogen level decreases to a high extent, so you may realize difficulties in memorizing things, or you may have problems with concentration.
Simple and natural ways to reduce brain fog
If you feel frustrated and you don’t know how to get rid of brain fog, don’t panic. The solution may be easier than you would think. Hopefully, from the possible reasons listed above, you have already found one or two that may negatively affect your brain’s functioning. The good news is that if you know the cause, you can reduce the brain fog simply and naturally.
Related read: Simple Self-Care Strategies That Work
Get enough sleep
Make sure that you get enough (at least 7 hours) and good quality sleep every night. If you have a little less sleep occasionally, it’s not the end of the world (our bodies are resilient after all). But try to not skip sleeping regularly.
Also, aim for going to bed at the same time every day, like this your body will get used to it and you will fall asleep easier.
Exercise
Even a short workout can make you feel better. When you exercise your endorphin (happiness hormone) level rises and your cortisol (also called stress hormone) levels decrease. Due to the physical movements, your brain will get more oxygen and glucose. Exercises will improve your memory and your sleep, and you may also react more quickly.
All you have to do is to look for a kind of exercise you like and do it regularly. You can do yoga, walk, go for a run, or you can lift weights if this is what you prefer.
Related read: The Power of Exercise
Reduce stress
Stressful events happen to everyone, the only difference is how people react to it. You have to learn how to manage stress effectively. For example, set boundaries, say “no” if you are already busy, meditate, go for a walk, or write in a journal.
You will see that by reducing stress, your brain will work better.
Related read: Things to Write in a Journal for Your Health
Eat healthily
The next useful tip on how to get rid of brain fog is having a healthy diet. Try to eat healthily and variously. Consume less added sugar, eat healthy fats, and also reduce your intake of vegetable oils. It is a good idea to avoid alcohol and caffeine as well.
Related read: My Experience with a 30 Day No Sugar Challenge
Improve your memory
It can be good to work on improving your memory, especially if you have brain fog. To exercise your brain, you can try different kinds of memory games: card games, puzzles, sudoku, match the pictures, etc. (Note: these are all good if you’re schedule isn’t already packed- otherwise adding yet another task may actually make it worse!)
Having Awareness is the Key
Brain fog can make your everyday life difficult. If you feel that your brain is foggy on a daily basis, I strongly recommend that you take a look into your lifestyle to see what the problem can be. After that, according to the possible reason, you may try these above-mentioned tips on how to get rid of brain fog. Of course, if you have brain fog for a long time, or these methods don’t help you to eliminate brain fog, don’t hesitate to consult your doctor.
Have you ever had brain fog? If yes, how did you get rid of it?
