Mental health is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. However, there are times when your mind can feel slow and sluggish. If you feel like your brain can’t keep up at the moment, you may be dealing with a case of brain fog.
Let’s explore what this unclear condition is and what you can do to improve things.
What Is Brain Fog?
The term “brain fog” is used often, but its specific meaning is a bit hazy. Everyday Health clarifies that the term isn’t a diagnosable condition. In other words, your doctor isn’t going to tell you that you have “a case of brain fog.”
Instead, brain fog works as an umbrella term. It’s a catch-all for a variety of cognitive symptoms that people deal with on a regular basis. Most of these concerns relate to a feeling of inefficiency or “fogginess” in the brain.
Brain fog can develop in a variety of ways. This spans the gamut, from hormones and diet to chemotherapy, medications, and medical conditions.
Harvard Health points out that brain fog can also be a symptom of COVID-19. The virus has the potential to negatively affect the brain, which can lead to fuzziness and other subtle side effects.
Regardless of whether it’s from COVID-19 or other factors, brain fog can lead to multiple symptoms. For instance, someone with brain fog might:
- Feel like they can’t stay focused and are easily distractible.
- Struggle to learn new things.
- Be inarticulate and fail to formulate sentences and use words they normally could use.
- Be forgetful and absent-minded.
None of these are life-threatening concerns. However, they can be uniquely frustrating.
Ways to Beat Brain Fog
If you’re struggling with brain fog, the good news is that, even though it isn’t a diagnosable condition, there are still solutions when you feel like your brain is too foggy to function. Here are a few ways you can improve your cognition when you’re feeling sluggish.
- Get better sleep: Sleep is a critical part of staying focused. If you struggle to sleep, consider a natural sleep supplement to give you deeper, longer rest.
- Exercise consistently: Exercise can help your memory, concentration, mood, and energy levels.
- Eat well: Look for brain-building foods. The Mediterranean diet is particularly helpful in the area of reducing cognitive impairment.
- Reduce stress: Chronic stress can be debilitating to the brain. Meditate, socialize, journal, laugh — do whatever it takes to destress your mind.
- Avoid mind-altering substances: Don’t consume things like caffeine, alcohol, and recreational drugs if you want to keep your mind focused and sharp.
Brain fog isn’t pleasant. But it doesn’t have to be inevitable. If you invest in your mental health, you can reclaim greater cognitive clarity as you go through each day.