Ever felt confused, unclear? Like a mental barrier where you know you have to do certain activities, yet there’s something holding you back? This definitely leads to frustration and a lot of unwanted feelings. Most people describe it as a “foggy feeling”. Commonly known as “Brain fog”. Let’s look at it in detail!
Brain Fog
Also known as clouding of consciousness, it is when a person is slightly less wakeful than normal. Sometimes people describe it as mental fatigue. This might still be not clear, so let’s look at people’s description of brain fog- Some describe it as a fuzzy feeling, synonymously used are also foggy feeling, misty thoughts. Other ways in which it is described is spaced out feeling, being out of it, a dreamy state, inability to think straight.
Challenges and Symptoms
Brain fog is known to be a symptom of cognitive dysfunction which can vary from person to person, and it can lead or show up in the form of:
Memory problems/ lack of mental clarity
Poor concentration
Problems in focusing
Headaches
Forgetfulness
Sleeping troubles
Low energy
Demotivation
Emotional detachment
Feeling distracted
Feeling tired
Taking much longer to complete tasks
Causes
Sleep Deprivation
Lack of sleep can overwhelm you, and you can have trouble thinking straight as less sleep makes your brain tired.
Diet
Improper nutrition can cause memory problems as the brain needs energy, and proper nutrition to function.
Hormonal Changes
You may have commonly heard pregnant women often forgetting things, finding it hard to concentrate. In layman’s terms people often call it pregnancy brain, but all these are caused due to changes in hormones. This similarly transfers to menopause as well where there are again changes in hormones.
Physical Inactivity
When you are physically inactive, the brain also slows down which may lead to clouding of consciousness.
Medication and medical conditions
Brain fog can be a side effect of medications and medical conditions.
Stress
Stress, especially prolonged, chronic stress can put your brain in overdrive. This exhausts your brain, and lowers your thinking, reasoning, and focusing capacities.
These were the physiological causes of brain fog, now let’s look at psychological causes, psychology, and brain fog.
Brain Fog and Anxiety
Anxiety alters how we perceive the world. In an article by Sarigiannidis I. et al. (2020), they found that anxiety takes up mental resources. So, this means that an individual has to use more energy to focus on a task other than anxiety. Individuals with anxiety also have difficulty doing relatively easy task because it requires more effort. The effects of anxiety also do vary from person to person. As more mental efforts are required, an individual’s thought process can be undermined. This causes brain fog. Anxiety causes brain fog, however there can be a different factor affecting it as well such as depression, or other mental health disorders, physical health issues that cause anxiety, chronic fatigue syndrome may cause both anxiety and brain fog.
Brain Fog and Mental Health
We saw that mental illness can increase risk of brain fog. Along with this, scientists have found that- Mental illness can interfere with brain functionality. For example, it is well-established that people with depression have lower levels of serotonin pass between their neurons. This change interferes with the brain as it is not at its optimal level of functioning. In this way other disorders affect the brain as well leading to brain fog. Mental illness and brain fog can have similar causes. The common causes may be lack of sleep, poor diet, stress, etc. Some scientists believe these similar causes may demonstrate a link between brain fog and mental illness. Another finding is that mental illness and brain fog are linked with brain inflammation. Mental illness in most cases tend to activate inflammation. The opposite is also true. Inflammation hinders brain to work at an optimal level. This triggers brain fog.
Treatment and Prevention
Brain fog is often said to be a symptom rather than a disease itself. It is suggested to manage the conditions which cause it. For instance, diet, hormonal change, lack of sleep, stress can be managed by the improvement of lifestyle. There are also many factors not in our hands that trigger these. For them, psychotherapy can help, exercise, meditation, relaxation techniques help us manage our emotions, and not make them go haywire. Professional help for anxiety and mental health is recommended. These professionals help prescribe appropriate medication when needed. Some self-help strategies can also help.
References
C. (2021, July 11). What Is Brain Fog and How Does It Relate to Mental Illness? StoneRidge: Center for Brains. https://pronghornpsych.com/how-does-brain-fog-relate-to-mental-illness/#:%7E:text=Also%20known%20as%20%E2%80%9Cmental%20fatigue,Lack%20of%20mental%20clarity
Sarigiannidis, I., Kirk, P. A., Roiser, J. P., & Robinson, O. J. (2020). Does overloading cognitive resources mimic the impact of anxiety on temporal cognition?. Journal of experimental psychology. Learning, memory, and cognition, 46(10), 1828–1835. https://doi.org/10.1037/xlm0000845
Sörensen Duppils, G., & Wikblad, K. (2007). Patients? experiences of being delirious. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 16(5), 810–818. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2702.2006.01806.x
Villines, Z. (2021, April 21). What to know about anxiety and brain fog. MedicalNewsToday. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/anxiety-and-brain-fog#anxiety-and-brain-fog
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