Most of us know what it feels like to be at the top of our game, physically, emotionally, and mentally. Our mind is clear, we get everything done that needs to be done and life is flowing as it should, and then we wake up one day and everything changes.
Suddenly, we are not as productive; we are lagging and dragging through the day or days without the ability to focus.
Stress is a part of everyone’s life. One of most common symptoms of excess stress is what’s known as “brain fog,” also known as “clouding of consciousness.”
So how do you know you have brain fog and not some other condition and what can you do to counteract the effects of this disorder? That’s what you’ll soon find out by reading this report.
What is Brain Fog?
The brain is one of the most mysterious parts of the body and with all science knows about this extraordinary organ, it still knows very little.
Brain fog can simply be defined as when you are not as alert or even focused as you usually are when you are at your best.
Besides “clouding of consciousness,” brain fog is also sometimes referred to as “brain fatigue.”
It involves having an episode of mental confusion can be mild, moderate, or severe. Brain fog often comes on without prior notice, and is experienced as having poor memory, a lack of concentration, and a decrease in mental fitness.
Brain fog isn’t usually a primary diagnosis and often is due to something else going on in the body. If these underlying causes are not adequately identified and treated, brain fog can affect many areas of your life, including your personal life and your work life.
While most cases of brain fog are not serious, some can be more serious than others, necessitating intervention to make sure that the brain fog does not become permanent.
As mentioned, brain fog is also referred to as “clouding of consciousness.” This is a real disorder that can be identified and treated, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental disorders (DSM). It used to be clumped under the diagnosis of “delirium” but more recent versions of the DSM, the DSM-III-R, and the DSM IV, have ceased calling it “clouding of consciousness” and now refer to it as “disturbance of consciousness.”
This is just semantics, however, as both ways of identifying brain fog is essentially the same thing. It is a condition that is not as severe as delirium but still causes real symptoms that need to be identified and treated in order to improve the symptoms.
Another term sometimes used to identify brain fog is “subsyndromal delirium,” which is delirium that is less severe than normal cases of delirium.
Brain fog is different, however, from normal delirium. It is often less severe than normal delirium and lacks the acute onset and length of time as is seen in normal delirium. Patients with brain fog often have a normal sleep-wake cycle and do not have abnormal motor changes seen in typical delirium.
The most common symptoms of brain fog are language difficulties, difficulties in comprehending things, abnormalities in thought processes, and a lack of attention.
These symptoms are often less severe when compared to full-blown delirium. Even though the symptoms are less severe than normal delirium, they still require a thorough evaluation and treatment of the underlying disorders causing the brain fog.
There is no test for brain fog. The diagnosis of brain fog depends on subjective symptoms, as identified by the patient’s primary physician. According to the DSM IV TR, brain fog should be diagnosed and treated under the DSM category known as “cognitive disorder not otherwise specified.”
Brain fog involves having part of the brain being less aware of the environment, less aware of oneself, and a decreased level of consciousness.
Note that occasional brain fog, such as that experienced from stress, overwork, fatigue, and lack of sleep can afflict you on an intermittent and periodic basis, without being given a formal diagnosis, but something you can address by simply changing lifestyle habits and taking better care of yourself. Of course, you should always consult your physician for any medical issues you are having.
As you will see, there are many causes of brain fog that affect a person’s level of consciousness. Even though the level of consciousness is impaired, the patient with brain fog may or may not feel drowsy. It is possible to be completely awake and still suffer from brain fog.
Often, brain fog is not just a single diagnosis but represents a cluster of symptoms that are usually caused by something else going on in the body that results in a block of mental clarity.
Signs and Symptoms of Brain Fog
People with brain fog often feel a sense of fogginess or mistiness. Some may feel a bit “spaced out,” feeling as though they are in a dream.
Typical symptoms seen in brain fog include forgetfulness and difficulty with concentration.
If brain fog is persistent, you may experience the following symptoms:
- Being unable to process information quickly
- Speaking with a stutter or stammering when speaking
- Having a poor memory, particularly short term memory
- Being unable to focus on tasks, including the familiar and unfamiliar. Have you ever tried to do something yet your mind is having a hard time focusing on the task at hand? Have you tried to read a book only to have other thoughts enter your mind or experienced the inability to concentrate or comprehend even a simple sentence? Have you ever looked at a person who is talking to you yet you cannot really hear them, because your mind wanders away from what they are saying. These are some of the symptoms of brain fog. A lack of focus can really impact your quality of life, work, and productivity.
- Forgetfulness is another sign of brain fog. There are a few things that we can forget during any given day. We forget where we put our keys, or our purse. We can forget words and forget to do something we intended to do. Most of the time we can attribute our forgetfulness as random happenings in our lives brought on by many different things, but sometimes it is brain fog.
- Feeling confused or groggy, even when you have had enough rest. This can manifest as you being in a familiar situation, but feeling confused about what to do, say or think. You know when you can solve any problem and keep moving forward but all of a sudden your brain is not functioning with the same clarity that it used to and you just feel confused, and are thinking in a confused manner. This is a part of brain fog.
- Lack of motivation may be another result of brain fog. You may love doing something, but for some reason you cannot find the motivation to do it. You may have found the motivation yesterday and the week before, but on this day, it is lost. No motivation can very well be a sign of brain fog.
Brain fog is a condition where you feel a lack of focus and foggy. You may feel that you are unable to think properly. When this happens, it involves your brain giving you a crucial signal that your life is unbalanced and you feel as though something is going on that needs to be addressed.
It’s similar to having a nagging feeling that you have forgotten something but exactly what it is you’ve forgotten cannot be identified.
Brain fog is relatively common but is not considered a normal phenomenon. When you have feelings of being unfocused, have an inability to think, and feel foggy, this is brain fog. It can happen periodically or can be something you experience every day.
Three Types of Brain Fog
- Lifestyle-related brain fog
- Brain fog as a result of a medical condition
- Brain fog as a result of a medication
Each of these types of brain fog require a bit of digging to see what kind of brain fog you have so that the underlying condition can be identified and properly treated.
This is why you should see your doctor if you feel you are suffering from brain fog. Your doctor can help you sort out the various causes of brain fog so that you can begin to feel better.
If you experience all or some of these signs and symptoms, then you are probably suffering from brain fog. There is hope though, as there are things you can do to help this condition and get your clarity back. However, before the solution can be learned, it is important to look at some of the things that cause it.
Causes of Brain Fog
As mentioned, there are many causes of brain fog. Some of these causes are completely treatable, while others are not as easy to treat, here are some typical causes of brain fog.
Eating the Wrong Foods
If you are experiencing brain fog, look first to your diet to see if you are eating something that is causing your symptoms. Certain foods predispose a person to suffering from brain fog and avoiding these foods can greatly improve your symptoms.
Eating Too Much Sugar
When you are consuming too many processed foods and foods that are high in high fructose corn syrup, you tend to have fluctuations in your blood sugar that can lead to brain fog.
These foods cause a sudden increase in blood glucose levels that later results in a “crash,” in which your blood sugar is too low. This lowering of blood sugar can contribute to brain fog. Low glucose levels in the brain lead to symptoms of brain fog, including fatigue, irritability, impairment of judgment, mood swings, and confusion.
Yes, you can still function while eating a lot of sugar but you will not be able to function at your best, the low that you get after a sugar high is just a small example of brain fog.
Although the damage from sugar may not be felt immediately, the change over time that results from sugar abuse is not good. This abuse can result in increasing risks for chronic disease later in life, and the type 2 diabetes epidemic in the United States certainly reflects this fact. Avoiding or greatly limiting sugar can decrease symptoms of brain fog.
Low Fat Diets
Low fat diets have become increasingly popular although they often cause a person to suffer from brain fog. The brain is 60 percent fat by weight and needs the right amount of healthy fats daily in order to function.
Eating a low fat diet may cause weight loss but it also deprives your brain of the fat it needs to function properly. Instead of ingesting dietary fats, the brain starts to digest its own fat, resulting in the typical symptoms of brain fog. You may not be making the neurotransmitters necessary for proper brain function if you eat a low fat diet.
Even though the brain uses glucose as its major source of fuel, it also uses fat in order to help the brain function at peak capacity. You need to eat fat from healthy foods, such as eggs, wild salmon, grass-fed meats, avocados, olive oil, coconut oil, and nuts.
Avoid canola oil, safflower oil, and sunflower oil, which contain a high concentration of omega 6 fatty acids, which cause your brain to become inflamed. This excess inflammation is considered by some doctors to be the underlying reason why some people suffer from brain fog.
It isn’t dangerous for the brain to eat more cholesterol either. Your brain is high in cholesterol so that, if you restrict the cholesterol in the diet, you may suffer from brain fog, depression, suicidal ideation, and certain types of dementia. This may mean that a diet low in fat and cholesterol may be damaging your brain.
Food Allergies
You can suffer from brain fog if you have a food allergy or a sensitivity to a particular food. If you are like the typical American, you consume 2/3 of your calories from soy products, corn-related foods, and wheat-containing foods. These are foods that cause many food allergies.
If you are allergic, your brain fog may be stemming from a food intolerance or food allergy, try cutting out this food from your diet for a couple of weeks to see if you feel better.
The Information Age
It is easy to get brain fog as a result of our newfound obsession with electronic gadgets. Surfing the web, playing video games, constantly looking on social media, or staring at our smartphones for hours on end can lead to brain fog.
Your mind may just blank out and become fatigued from too much info and digital stimulation. No one is saying do not use electronic gadgets, they are wonderful, but moderation is the key to everything and anything working properly in your body.
Overwork Overload
Working too much, and related fatigue is a common problem for many people. Sometimes, brain fog occurs when you are simply overworked and the mind needs a break, as it can no longer keep going.
Wheat Consumption
As mentioned, wheat-containing foods can lead to brain fog. Intolerance to wheat is called celiac disease. This is an autoimmune condition that is triggered by the glutens found in wheat products, as well as barley and rye-based foods.
By avoiding these foods, you may lessen your brain fog, even if you don’t technically suffer from celiac disease as the sensitivity to wheat can lead to brain fog in anyone.
Menopause/Pregnancy
The changes in hormones occurring around the time you are going into menopause can contribute to brain fog. This type of brain fog doesn’t usually happen until you are middle aged and start to have reductions in the level of hormones produced by the ovaries, such as estrogen and progesterone.
This lack of normal female hormones is perhaps the number one cause of brain fog in women who are nearing or are in menopause. The brain fog in menopause is usually the result of a defect in your working memory, which is the memory you rely on to add numbers and remember lists of things.
Female hormones help to shape the brain so that, when the levels of these hormones fluctuate, it is natural to have fluctuations on brain cognition and an increase in brain fog.
Brain fog symptoms can also be a part of pregnancy, which is another time in a woman’s life when hormones are not functioning normally. In pregnancy, it is the spatial memory that is mostly the cause of brain fog. Spatial memory is the type of memory you need to remember where you have left things or remember what tasks you have to do.
Depression or Bipolar Disorder
The changes in neurotransmitters in depression or bipolar disorder can contribute to brain fog. Researchers have found that brain scans of people with these disorders can be seen on brain scans. One study involved women with depression and found that those who suffered from this disorder performed more poorly when compared to women who didn’t have depression.
Women with depression or bipolar disorder have dysfunctions in the brain that are responsible for memory and cognition. There may be a reduction or elevation in neurotransmitters that causes the brain to work in a different manner so the person suffers from brain fog.
Excess Stress
Stress can contribute to brain fog. In fact, worrying about your brain fog can actually feedback in the brain, causing even more stress and worsened brain fog in a never-ending cycle. Stress causes an impairment in your physical and mental performance.
You can help decrease your brain fog by recognizing those things that contribute to stress in your life and avoiding those things in the future. If stress becomes unmanageable on your own, you can see a therapist who will help you overcome your stress.
Medications
There are many medications that can contribute to brain fog. The more medications you take, the greater is your likelihood of developing brain fog. Medications for high blood pressure, medications for incontinence, and some types of antibiotics can result in brain fog.
Painkillers, allergy medications, and antidepressants can also result in brain fog. If you feel that a medication is causing your brain fog, seek the advice of your doctor in order to find an alternative that doesn’t contribute to your symptoms.
Cancer Treatment
People who are undergoing chemotherapy for cancer can also suffer from brain fog. In such cases, it is referred to as “chemo brain.” Symptoms of chemo brain include having a difficulty in word formation, disorganization, difficulty concentrating and problems forgetting things.
You can counteract brain fog from chemotherapy by eating plenty of nutritious foods that can feed your brain as you go through this necessary part of cancer treatment.
You can also make lists of things to remember and use sticky-notes in places you are likely to forget things. Fortunately, most people suffer from brain fog only while on chemotherapy, although in a select few, the brain fog can last up to five years after receiving chemotherapy.
You Have an Underlying Medical Problem
Certain medical conditions can result in brain fog. These include neurological diseases, lupus, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, and other autoimmune diseases.
If you feel that you are suffering from a medical disorder that is causing your brain fog, you need to see your doctor for a thorough evaluation as to what might be underlying your symptoms of brain fog.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
People with chronic fatigue syndrome often suffer from brain fog. No one knows exactly how chronic fatigue syndrome causes brain fog but researchers have discovered fundamental changes in the brains of those suffering from brain fog. These brain changes may be part of the underlying brain fog you are experiencing.
If you find yourself feeling brain fog and fatigue at the same time, see your doctor about which things you can do to counteract the effects of chronic fatigue.
Chronic fatigue syndrome causes a reduction in cytokines in the brain. There are receptors in the brain that bind cytokines, so a lack of these cytokines may be why chronic fatigue sufferers are experiencing brain fatigue.
Poor Sleep
There is nothing that will keep your mind from being clear and productive more than lack of sleep. You need sleep in order to regenerate your brain for the next day.
Many studies have found that a lack of sleep interferes with normal brain functioning and has various real and detrimental effects and so there is definitely a link between brain fog and not getting enough sleep.
When your sleep is interrupted or if you don’t get enough sleep, you can easily suffer from brain fog, particularly in the mornings.
Caffeine can counteract this cause of brain fog but it doesn’t work on everyone with sleep-related brain fog.
Diabetes
Fluctuations in blood glucose levels are typical of diabetes. These fluctuations can lead to brain fog. Keeping your blood sugars as stable as possible is one way of avoiding the brain fog associated with having diabetes.
These are some of the causes of brain fog that are known, now let’s look at some of the things you can do to detox your brain of brain fog.
