Brain fog is one of those things we all deal with from time to time. Some people may have underlying medical conditions that cause them to live with brain fog daily. Many of us are totally exhausted, not sleeping or eating properly, and finding new things to stress over, like they are trending topics or something. Luckily, none of us are alone, and science has been studying ways we can find a boost of mental clarity. The best news is that once you can be self-aware of what could be causing your brain fog, some simple lifestyle changes can start to bring out the sunshine on your foggy day!
1. Go to Bed!
This. I feel like a hypocrite telling anyone else to Go to Bed when this could solve many of my problems, too! But alas, here we are. We have to get some sleep, y’all. It needs to be part of our nightly schedule as much as any of the things we stick to religiously during the day.
Why do we think we can add time to our days by skipping out on sleep? Sleep studies have shown that even a short-term lack of restorative sleep can cause long-term brain fog. Scheduling in time for sleep, along with scheduling in a half hour or so of unplugged, quiet time before bed, has been shown to help our bodies and minds declutter and get the restful sleep we have been missing.
2. Get a License to Chill
Stress is probably the easiest thing we choose to blame our brain fog on. You might not even think you have brain fog; you are just constantly blaming stress. Well, let’s get rid of it! There are countless ways to relieve stress daily. One of the most effective ways I have found is walking outdoors. This can be at home, at the park, or maybe you park a little further from the restaurant than usual and walk to dinner like it’s a summer date night. Make that time, move your body, and breathe. Give yourself a quiet, active moment to lower your cortisol and breathe in the openness.
3. All the Ladies in the House Say Hormones!
Hey Girl, Hey. What stage of womanhood are you in today? Menopause, birth control, pregnancy, and thyroids, oh my. All of these beautiful acts of nature can obviously affect hormone balances. This is where you have to trust your doctor; they are your friend when it comes to finding out what hormones might be off balance.
A safe way to support your body through any of these stages is always to stay hydrated. Dehydration literally causes your brain to tell your body to Freak Out! Cortisol levels rise in response, disrupting your other hormone levels, disrupting your bloodstream, and causing all systems to get sluggish. There’s your brain fog, hiding in the sludge. Drink your water, talk to your doctor, and keep a positive mindset through all your stages. You got this!
4. Don’t Eat Crap!
Yes, this is the theme for everything! Don’t eat crap. We all hear daily that processed foods are not good for us. It’s true, y’all, this is not a joke. Processed foods like sugary cereal, cheese puffs, deli meats, and even good ol’ bacon are total crap. There is little nutritional value in these everyday foods, and most of them cause inflammation that, in turn, causes a lack of mental clarity. A few good alternatives would be walnuts, blueberries, broccoli, salmon, apples, and even dark chocolate. All of these foods can be beneficial to brain health. Feed your body, feed your brain, with better choices it will be easier to clear the brain fog.
5. The doctor said, “You have…”
So, you have an underlying medical condition, and brain fog is a symptom. Oh boy, just add it to the stack, right? Well, there are things you can do. First, absolutely talk to your doctor. Be prepared when you talk to them, too. Keeping a journal of your daily activities and foods is going to help you and your doctor see any patterns or reactions that may not be a direct cause of your medical condition and could be addressed easily.
Self-awareness is important to establish while you are learning to navigate daily life with the condition you are living with. You have to keep a positive mindset, watch your habits, and watch what you eat. For many, a diagnosis of a medical condition can cause a depressed and anxious state of being, which in turn can cause stress, lack of sleep, and, you guessed it, brain fog. Things like therapy, meditation, and a spa day can ease the anxiety you might be feeling and take one thing off that stack.
Final Thoughts
Realistically, here are my final thoughts. We are stressed, we are tired, we are busy, and we are going to eat crap. The hope is to declutter a little bit, to take a little more time to breathe for ourselves, and to maybe make more mindful choices when we are eating. Drink your water, talk to your doctor, talk to your friends and family.
None of us is alone in this one. Sometimes we recognize each other in line at the store. That hollow look of “Can you see how stressed and tired I am right now?”, that gets recognized by another and verified with a nod and a half-wink, means the world. Schedule sleep, really, I’ll do it too, get the proper amount of sleep. Allow your brain to reset, and soon we can start to enjoy less foggy days.
