How to Fix Brain Fog?

We all know how a person suffering from brain fog can struggle with tasks that require mental energy. There are several ways to cope with brain fog and restore mental clarity. Some are easy-peasy hacks while some demand adjustments in lifestyle. 

One of the feasible ways to treat brain fog is to organize your schedule. Making a checklist is the best way to organize your day and align your thoughts and actions. 

To be more precise, you can further modify your checklist based on the priority of each task. Pick a symbol for the most important things, then another symbol for moderately important tasks, and yet another symbol for the assignments which hardly take a few minutes. In this way, you can be more focused on the task at hand. 

1) Clean Up Your Diet

It is said that most diseases can stem from a disturbance in the digestive system. Brain fog isn’t an exception. The gut contains 100 million neurons, a tracery of nerve cells lining the digestive tract. 

The expanse of this tracery is often considered a ‘Second Brain.’ When it comes to brain fog, the gut region can’t be overlooked. A bad diet can result in gut inflammation. Lack of hydration and an unhealthy diet can cause inflammation that leads to illness. 

You can opt for Sporadic fasting, for 3 days a week and note the changes that you witness. Some foods to spur your brain functions are walnuts, dark chocolate, oily fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids,  frozen blueberries, pumpkin seeds, turmeric, and broccoli. These foods are effective if consumed in moderate quantities.

2) Get More Sleep

Sound sleep is a one-stop solution to many mild to severe mental conditions. Even those who aren’t suffering from anxiety find it tough to think clearly in the daytime due to sleep deprivation. 

If you are well-rested most nights, then one or two nights of restlessness, once in a while, won’t be a big deal. 

However, you are prone to irritability and drowsiness in the daytime if you can’t get sufficient sleep almost every single night. The major difficulty you might have already experienced is the lack of concentration. 

Caffeine plays a major role in keeping you alert. But it’s just a quick fix and not a good one. Caffeine intake after mid-day may also disturb the night’s sleep. You should aim for at least 7 hours of sleep. Sleeping up to 9 hours is recommended for optimal functioning of the brain. 

3) Manage Stress

The endless loop of thoughts can’t help you fall asleep if stressed. Similarly, stress leads to overeating and making poor food choices. Hence, if unaddressed, stress can directly or indirectly influence the decline in mental clarity. 

Though stress can’t be fully avoided and is regarded as something that leads to success and productivity, excess stress is a serious issue. An overwhelming amount of stress can invite brain diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s. Chronic stress can take you on the path of depression, anxiety, poor decision-making, and brain fog. 

The magic formula for stress reduction is meditation. When it comes to lowering stress, improving the quality of sleep, enhancing creativity, and boosting focus, there is no match for regular meditation. A meditation routine can even decrease your biological age. 

An alternative and quick technique for meditation is brainwave entrainment technology where you have to put on your headset and give ears to the audio being played. Breathing techniques, self-hypnosis, progressive muscle relaxation,  Emotional Freedom Technique, and autogenic training are widely used methods that help you reduce stress. 

4) Get Some Exercise 

Daily exercise is a pragmatic way to handle stress. From head to feet and from physical to mental, exercise has immense health benefits. Some of the surplus benefits of regular exercise are improved sleep, increased blood flow to the brain, and improvement in memory and reaction time. 

To improve your concentration, you don’t need to vigorously hit the gym. Even a workout of 15 to 20 minutes can be of great help. 15 minutes of brisk walking or yoga can also improve cognition. 

Leisurely cycling has its own advantages, also bettering your focus. Exercise invigorates the growth of new brain cells and strengthens mental sharpness. 

5) Check for Underlying Health Conditions 

Sometimes, brain fog isn’t all about replacing the deleterious lifestyle patterns with healthy choices. Brain fog can have its roots in underlying health conditions. Visiting a doctor can lead to discovering what’s causing the brain fog. In many cases, it’s the common side-effect of various medical conditions and their prescriptions alike. 

‘Chemo Fog’ is a side effect of chemotherapy used in treating cancer patients. ‘Fibro Fog’ is a common consequence for people with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. ‘Lupus Fog’ is a cognitive impairment that mostly emerges with systemic lupus erythematosus. Brain fog also arises with Thyroid disorders. ADHD, diabetes, depression, substance abuse, hepatitis C, hormonal imbalances, and seasonal allergies are just a few among many other health conditions resulting in brain fog. 

Going for a check-up is essential to treat the underlying conditions that are causing brain fog. A proper dose of prescriptions and lifestyle changes suggested by the doctor can help in recovering from the brain fog. 

6) Take a Short Break 

Let’s say you are in the middle of a project, anxious to wrap it up, and at the same time, worried if you have given your best shot or not. In such a scenario, you tend to lose focus down the line. You keep going for the sake of completion but lack the concentration to adhere to the quality you desire to give. You outstay your breaks because you get cold feet about the project’s failure and progress. 

To keep going even after a thick layer of brain fog accumulation isn’t a smart move especially if you are way too anxious about the project’s end result. 

Catch your breath. Even a brief break of 15 minutes can make a huge difference. It cranks up your productivity to an impressive extent. All you need to do is gaze at the sky, take a shower, a short stroll, do a quick read, or relax your muscles. 

7) Develop a Stress Management Plan

We know how stress is a major contributor to the loss of mental clarity. But the good news is that it can be controlled with the help of smart stress-management techniques. 

You might not have a great deal of time, but to stitch in time, you need to allow some time for trying the stress-management tips mentioned below. 

Take some time out for self-care: Self-care is of utmost importance when it comes to dealing with brain fog. You must set boundaries to avoid toxic situations or people and invest the saved time in self-care. 

Get familiar with saying ‘no’ during ‘rush hour’: Saying no to offering someone help when you are busy is not a sin. In fact, it ensures you stick to your routine and declutter the anxious moments you may face as a result of nodding your head to almost everything. 

Journal about your feelings and emotions: You can’t overlook your emotions when you are overstressed. Instead of suppressing your feelings, take a little time out to journal. This practice will save you from chronic stress. 

Make a list of solutions: Sit and make a list of things you can do to reduce or manage stress. Meditation, yoga, exercise, reading, and walking can become integral parts of your stress management strategy. 

Conclusion: 

The above recommendations and a doctor’s help can save you from the endless cycle of stress that leads to disturbed sleep, which leads to a lack of coping, mental strength, and concentration. 

Reckon your sleeping, dieting, and working habits and come up with a suitable method to deal with the brain fog. To attain the clarity of mind is not a tough row to hoe. Once attained, it can open a new perspective on dealing with the challenges of life with a clear mind and a re-oriented focus.

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