(Just don’t fall into the revenge bedtime procrastination trap where you stay up late to claw back the time you didn’t have for yourself during the day). Being sick can have lingering effects, so it’s pretty normal to feel a little bit “off” even though you’ve recovered from an illness. The flu, COVID-19, or even mush brain just a bad cold can make you feel like your brain’s still trying to play catch up. Talk with a doctor if you have a persistent lack of clarity that worsens or does not improve.
Practice mindfulness
- This may be related to inflammation in the nervous system that affects the brain.
- A 2020 study noted that alertness and impaired short-term memory may underlie reports of brain fog in people with POTS.
- Start by assessing your lifestyle and make tweaks that will support your cognitive health.
- C60 Power’s C60 avocado oil may help you fight free radicals and address oxidative stress in the body.
- Many types of exercise stimulate the sympathetic nervous system which is responsible for “fight-or-flight” responses.
Try to remember that the people who care for you probably want to help in whatever way they can, even just by listening. When you’re already functioning at full capacity, thinking about a big job you have to get done can make you feel as if your brain is ready to shut down. You’re already mentally exhausted, so a new project may seem too daunting for you to even make a start. Regular exercise improves thinking abilities in people with ADHD, studies show. Activity boosts executive function, which is the set of skills that allow you to remember, plan, focus, and follow instructions. It’s also known that people with ADHD have an increased risk of having other inflammatory health conditions like asthma and eczema.
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It’s not a diagnosable condition, but it can be a sign of something deeper. You should let a doctor know about other symptoms you might have. For example, someone with hypothyroidism may have brain fog along with hair loss, dry skin, weight gain, or brittle nails. Brain mush may be a frustrating and all-too-common experience, but it doesn’t have to be a permanent state of mind. By understanding its causes, recognizing its symptoms, and implementing strategies to combat it, we can take proactive steps towards maintaining our cognitive health and mental well-being.
Is your brain tired? Here are 6 ways to treat mental fatigue
But your body needs sleep even more than usual when you have a lot going on. Cynicism, apathy, lack of motivation, and trouble focusing can all be signs of an overworked brain. Intermittent fasting is all the rage in the nutrition and weight loss world. 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. If you think a thyroid issue may be at play, talk to your doctor about a thyroid test.
Consider supplements for brain fog
You might want to talk to a provider if you frequently forget about appointments, have trouble completing ordinary tasks or find it difficult to pay attention when someone’s talking to you. Brain fog is common, and a provider can help you find out what’s causing your symptoms. Other common brain fog causes include eating too much and too often, inactivity, not getting enough sleep, chronic stress, and a poor diet. While this list can help you identify symptoms of cognitive brain fog, you shouldn’t try to self-diagnose the issue.
Then, fast forward to college and I degenerated into a mindless party-happy binge drinker who said fuck it to academia and did the bare minimum to get through my liberal arts major. For example, early exposure to pollutants like cigarette smoke that cause inflammation can increase the risk of ADHD in young children. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can have a big impact on your ability to think clearly. Always remember that every one of us is larger and more complex than the mischief of anxiety, fear, and shame may have us believe. While you might feel like jumping right back into the full swing of things, sometimes it’s best to hold back and give yourself the time you need to recover fully.
It may also seem impossible to focus on tasks, even ones you’re interested in and enjoy. This long-term disease causes your immune system to attack your body, and the symptoms can be different in different cases. About half the people with lupus have problems with memory, confusion, or trouble concentrating. There’s no cure, but medication and talking with a therapist can help. It usually goes away fairly quickly, but some people can be affected for a long time after treatment.
- People with brain fog have trouble remembering and processing information.
- They sound simple, but Dr. Khandelwal says that caring for your baseline well-being can go a long ways towards supporting your cognitive health.
If you need help finding a primary care doctor, then check out our FindCare tool.
Clearing the haze: A brighter cognitive future
Also, my sense of direction, shaky in the best of circumstances, is especially vulnerable to the brain-numbing effects of anxiety. You’ve probably observed that when you feel anxious, your thinking center may shrink to the size of a pinto bean. Often we can identify a high level of anxiety as the culprit responsible for a temporary brain glitch. We conclude that we’re frightened and anxious rather than the victim of a plummeting I.Q.