COMMON CAUSES OF BRAIN FOG & HOW TO OVERCOME THEM
Brain fog is exactly what it sounds like. A fog that clouds your thoughts, memory, comprehension, and judgment. Brain fog can affect your sleep, professional life, personal relationships, and lead to other health problems such as obesity. When you lack mental clarity, you make poor decisions and may take inappropriate actions. If you suffer from brain fog, you are not alone. Brain fog affects roughly one out of every nine Americas during their lifetime. In the past, brain fog was also called mental fatigue.
If you aren’t sure whether you’ve felt brain fog, check out the symptoms of brain fog below. Keep in mind the symptoms will vary from person to person but usually includes one or more of the following symptoms.
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- Lack of Mental Clarity Confusion
- Emotional Detachment Depression
- Forgetfulness Headaches
- Inability to Focus Insomnia
- Irritability Mood Swings
- Body Aches Anxiety
- Low Energy Low Motivation
- Poor Concentration
Brain fog can be part of many of many issues, conditions, and illnesses. Here are four of the common causes of brain fog and what you can do about them.
Inflammation and Hormone Imbalances
Poor diet and exercise routines can lead to poor nutrition and vitamin levels that cause inflammation. Inflammation is by far the number one culprit to many diseases and symptoms. It restricts oxygen and blood flow needed for your brain to function at its best. Consult with your physician and request a complete blood count if you struggle thinking clearly. In addition, low blood levels of vitamins such as D, B12, and iron can easily cause inflammation, lack of mental clarity, and difficulty focusing.
Stress and Anxiety
Oxidative stress or free radicals caused by environmental stressors such as pollution and heavy metals damage your cells and tissues. These free radicals are responsible for many symptoms of stress and anxiety seen around the world. Vitamin E, flavonoids, and polyphenols are great resources to use to combat these free radicals. Chili peppers, whole grains, red wine, and fruits and vegetables are few examples.
Poor Sleeping Habits
If you aren’t sleeping soundly and wake up feeling tired, you may have one or more sleep habits that are inhibiting a good night’s rest. For instance, you may be a night owl, suffer from sleep apnea or insomnia, have a sleep pattern that varies, or a poor sleep environment. All of these can contribute to struggling to think. As an adult between 17 to 64 years old, your body needs seven to nine hours of sleep each night to give your body time to repair itself on a cellular level. Sleep deprivation can cause mood swings, depression, and even permanent brain damage in advanced cases, due to constant over stimulation.
Electromagnetic Radiation and Over stimulation
Smartphones, personal computers, or any technology that requires radio waves, microwaves, infrared, optical, ultraviolet, x-rays, or gamma-rays will cause problems when overused. In other words, scrolling on social media or spending too much time in front of the television can cause strain on your eyes and affect your sleep patterns, ultimately leading to brain fog. Therefore, limiting time spent on or with technology is crucial.
Don’t let it get in the way of living a successful, happy life. Many of the causes of brain fog can have lifelong or permanent damage. Try these solutions and seek the help of a physician to find the underlying cause of it before it is too late.
