Brain Fog Meaning
Brain fog isn’t a medical condition. It is just a symptom that can affect one’s ability to think. It is a temporary state of the brain to think unclearly. Here, one may find it hard to focus or put their thoughts into words. The new mothers also call this “baby brain,” and it can become very frustrating and irritating.
Brain Fog Symptoms
Brain fog is where the head feels very heavy and dense. A simple example would be where the lights are switched on, but you can’t see. Having brain fog is slightly tricky, as one may be unable to concentrate on a task for a long time.
Brain fog can even be a symptom of a nutrient deficiency, sleep disorder, depression, or even a thyroid condition. Brain health is very critical to mental capacity. Our feelings and moods are connected with us to feel and think right.
One may always need energizers and boosters to keep themselves conscious. In the worst case, one might also have headaches and a feeling of nausea.
Brain fog is also characterized by confusion, forgetfulness, and a lack of focus and mental clarity. This is caused because of lack of sleep, stress, etc. Furthermore, brain fog syndrome can lead to other conditions such as obesity, abnormal menstruation, and diabetes mellitus.
The Common Symptoms of Brain Fog
Lack of Concentration
When one cannot concentrate, all the mental tasks can feel like a moving target. Hence, it results in massive distraction, making it difficult to get anything done.
Forgetfulness
Brain fog can affect one’s ability to memories all kinds of information, including daily tasks like forgetting your car keys or personal memories.
Fatigue
As a brain fog symptom, Fatigue is characterized by extreme, never-ending tiredness that can’t be remedied by rest or caffeine.
Other symptoms of brain fog include
- Memory problems
- Inability to focus or concentrate
- Feelings of confusion
- Insomnia
- Headaches
- Getting fatigued
- Mood swings
- Trouble concentrating
- Depression and anxiety
- Low or no motivation
Brain Fog Means in terms of Cognitive Functioning
Having brain fog also means that someone cannot be themselves because they have lost the ability to think independently. Suffering from brain fog is the opposite of knowing the feeling of what is peace, being calm, optimistic, and motivated. Brain fog can easily rob one’s mental stability, and it becomes room for anxiety and depression soon.
Brain fog creates the following type of cognitive dysfunction involving
- Memory problems
- Lack of mental clarity
- Poor concentration
- Inability to focus
Brain fog is a sign that your lifestyle and food habits need an upgrade. This can make decision-making especially hard, and it can interfere with daily work or home life. Once we can identify the cause of brain fog, we can take steps to minimize its effects.
Brain Fog Causes
Brain fog is your body’s way of telling you that you probably need to make some changes in your daily life. Below are a few causes of brain fog.
Hormonal changes
Hormonal transitions are common throughout one’s life, whether during pregnancy or just unexpected changes in your environment and lifestyle. Often, these times leave us confused. In some cases, sleeping pattern and changing mood due to unavidable circumstances could be contributing to one’s confusion. Hormonal changes can also trigger brain fog.
Impaired sleep
Poor sleep hygiene, like an irregular wake and wake time, getting less than 7-8 hours of sleep a night, or Electronics Gudget’s blue light exposure before bed disrupts your natural circadian rhythm, also known as your internal body clock. It has been found during research that during the hours of 10 pm and 2 am is when your brain and body detoxify the most, and if you are active during this time it is going to hamper the body’s natural detoxification process and can contribute to fogginess. Lack of sleep/low sleep quality can also interfere with how well your brain functions.
Stress
Chronic stress can bring impairment in blood pressure, negatively impact the immune system, and may start depression. Research has indicated that it can also cause mental Fatigue. When your brain is exhausted, it becomes harder to think, reason, and focus.
Heavy metal exposure
Heavy metals are everywhere in our daily lives – our food, beauty products, and even teeth fillings. The most common heavy metal exposure sources are arsenic, mercury, aluminum, lead, thallium, and cesium. Pathological Testing levels of heavy metals in your blood is an excellent way to ensure your body is toxin-free and safe.
Lack of exercise
Regular physical exercise impacts lungs and blood flow to the brain, and releases happy chemicals which results in to reduce stress, improve sleep, and boost memory in addition to its physical health benefits.
Brain Fog Remedies
Brain fog treatment depends on the cause. Lifestyle and habitat modifications can also help.
Digital Detox
Spend less time on electronic devices and go for long walks. Being glued to one place for a very long time can lead to major mood swings. Unless and until it’s important, one must learn how to manage time and be able to break away from the daily chaos, at least for a bit.
Positive thinking
Every person has ups and downs. This doesn’t mean that only negative things will happen in the future. Yes, it is impossible to predict the future, but at least you can make your present the best, to predict your future!
Regular exercise
All the sites have various workout plans and charts. One has to just hit that button and go for it! The goal is to sweat, no matter which exercises you pick.
Finding enjoyable activities
Binge-watching Netflix the whole day is undoubtedly very entertaining and pleasing. But have you thought of its consequences? One needs to get out of that bed and do something even more fun. Be it walking outdoors, dancing, singing, or even making food. This diverts the brain and increases its power to do various things.
Change your diet
Poor diet is something not very acceptable. This leads to lit of problems physically and mentally. Hence, fuelling up with the correct food is essential.
Avoid alcohol, smoking, and drinking coffee
Every fruit and vegetable has some water and electrolytes. One should try avoiding/limiting the intake of caffeine, alcohol, and cigarettes and replacing them with fresh protein sources, vegetables, and fruits.
Our brain clocks in at 73% water, and according to a study at the University of Connecticut, even a 1% dehydration level can impair cognitive function. Drinking 3-4Litres of water, staying hydrated, and having a balanced diet is also one major point to remember.
Get enough sleep
In today’s world, sleep is something that many people long for. Not sleeping as per schedule can disrupt one’s whole day and cause Fatigue. Later the complications can increase and worsen the situation even more.
Cognitive Training
The concept of the Cognitive Reserve holds out the promise of interventions that could slow cognitive aging. A Multi-Domain Cognitive Training could improve behavioral performance and affect neural activity. For more details, please this form
Brain Fog Supplements
A few supplements to help to deal with brain fog are
- Fish oil
- Ginkgo Biloba Extract
- Choline Bitartrate
- L – Theanine
- Vitamin C (Calcium Ascorbate)
- Vitamin A Acetate
- Vitamin B Complex
Every brain changes with time and age and mental decline are widespread. People who think that they are experiencing brain fog should speak with a doctor to discuss ways to address it. But, the good news is that brain fog is Temporary. By Making necessary lifestyle changes and the right steps, you can reverse the symptoms to find a clear mind and prevent them from happening again.
16 thoughts on “Covid 19 Brain Fog: 7 Basic Facts to Clear it Systematically”
Very aptly, timely and very well written. Especially, In our current situation given the fact that 38-40% of people who recovered from Corona virus disease suffer from brain fog, this information shall definitely help them understand their situation and recover faster.
Thanks, Dr. Kameshwar Rao, for your encouraging words!!!
I am impressed with your latest Projects
https://www.kameshrao.com/projects
Thank you very much !!!
You’re welcome.
Good Article!!!
Thanks, Glad you liked this one.
Specially, Younger generation is facing this issue and in the Covid-19 situation this problem is speaking out more loudly.
The useful information written in blog will definitely help and lead the healthy lifestyle.
Yo Amol. Many thanks for the considered comment!
Yes, I agree with what our youths are going through.
I wish I could put more effort into writing about them more often. I’ll have to keep trying my best to get there.
Thanks again for your thoughts. ?
Very well presented and well explained article Swaraj Bhaiyya.
Thanks, Dr. Noorie! Glad you liked this one.
Very valuabke infirmations ,important is to practice good things in life to avoid this horrible experience of brain fog!
Thanks brother for a good reminder !!
Welcome, Anju Ji.
You rightly said that Developing good habits is the key.
I’m really happy to say that it was an interesting article to read. I learned new information from your article, you are doing a great job?.
This article will surely help lots of people ?.
Thanks, Priya! Glad you liked this one.
Very nice,informative article with practical points.hopefully would benefit many.
Thanks for your encouraging words Dr. Anuradha, happy that you found them informative!!!