7 Ways To Clear Brain Fog

Everyone has a little brain fog. Depending on your season of life it can be age related, hormone related, or be a side effect of something else going on with your health. In the past couple of years it has been associated with multiple issues going on that are affecting a lot of us – and that includes symptoms from illness, meds and or mental health related to both.

But, if you’re regularly suffering from a brain fog for an extended time, there are some things you can do to help, and you can have a discussion with your natural health coach and/or medical health professional.

It feels a whole lot better to think clearly, be able to focus on what we need to accomplish for the day, and have mental clarity for all of our tasks.

Brain fog can be very frustrating to deal with, and certainly limits your productivity, creativity and level of activity.

Would you like to learn about some ways to reduce or even eliminate your brain fog? Here are some tips to try, and then you can evaluate how they might help clear your head and get you thinking better again.

Practice these techniques to maximize your mental clarity and boost your productivity:

1. Exercise your body and your brain. Your brain and your body need a workout each day. Have you ever noticed that you feel better and think more clearly after some kind of physical activity? When you increase your blood circulation, more nutrients and oxygen-rich blood will go to your brain. Plan both mental and physical exercises as part of your daily schedule – it doesn’t have to be a long amount of time but it helps to schedule it into your day.
   
   
   • Mental exercise for even 15 minutes per day can make a difference and can be as simple as working a few brain puzzles or math problems, playing cards, learning something new, listening to music, dancing, or meditating.
     
     
   • Physical exercise for just 20 or 30 minutes will provide benefits you will feel right away. Again, this doesn’t have to be demanding – even a walk outside or inside. The exercise person I follow online does indoor walks as part of the exercises she posts. She also focuses on strength and balance which are great for any age including if you are 60 (+) like me. You will hopefully feel better so that you want to go a little longer a few days a week and increase your heart rate during your exercise time.
     
     

2. Deal with stress. Stress can affect your thinking because it affects your hormones and neurotransmitters that contribute to thinking clearly and managing your day. Stress can be caused by all kinds of things or be the result of not sleeping well. Lots of people deny that they are stressed, but ‘feeling stressed’ and your body being ‘under stress’ from not sleeping well night after night are two different things. Your body can be stressed in all kinds of ways and you may be so used to compensating for whatever is causing it that you don’t notice it. And then something like brain fog hits you. Finding ways to lower your stress levels will help you get back to your best thinking.
   
   
3. Get a checkup. I am guilty in this department. I do so many natural, healthy things for my body every day, and I have been faithful to doing good things (even though I am not perfect and do unhealthy things as well) so that I talk myself out of the need to see a doctor because I don’t have immediate issues that need addressed. But if you realize that you aren’t thinking clearly and it is affecting your work or your daily activities, it may be time to see your doctor. You could have an underlying medical concern that’s causing your brain fog. Or, you might be taking some kind of over-the-counter or prescription medication that’s resulting in cloudy thinking.
   
   
4. Eat healthy food. What you eat makes a huge difference in your thinking. This is true whether we want to admit it or not. It’s so easy to justify eating the feel-good foods that are usually the foods that affect our blood sugar in an unhealthy way and really affect our energy, focus, mood and mental clarity. Food is a very individual thing because certain healthy foods can be hard to tolerate for some people. You will have to experiment and keep track of how you feel after you eat. The good news is that you can research all kinds of healthy foods to eat and then make a list of what you want to try so that you are ready when you go grocery shopping. Writing down your food choices, and what you actually eat during the day, can help you stay on track.
   
   
5. Sleep the right number of hours for you. We talked about sleep above in the stress section but it is worth repeating because so many people struggle with sleep and sleep is SO important for your body to recover from the day’s events. When you miss out on a few hours of sleep, you FEEL it. You feel tired but also ability to think is compromised as well. It’s not as clear as when you are well rested. Lacking sleep is a major cause of brain fog.
   
   
   • It is interesting to consider that you can also suffer from brain fog if you sleep too long. Did you know that just one hour of sleep beyond what your body requires can reduce your focus and alertness?
     
     
   • Not sure how many times people have told me that they do just fine with 5 or 6 hours of sleep each night. There was a time when my kids were younger and there was so much more to do every day that I told myself the same thing. Life doesn’t seem to be less busy for me now, but I have learned more about the value of 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night. It is definitely worth a try if you aren’t getting that amount and you are struggling with brain fog – see if it helps.
     
     
6. Avoid stimulants and depressants. Ok this is where you can get defensive because people LOVE their coffee right?!! Fortunately I became a regular coffee drinker (one cup in the morning) in my mid to late 40’s so was never used to multiple cups per day. It is proven that too much caffeine, or other stimulants, can leave your brain racing and interfere with your sleep.
   
   
   • I read that one in three people to not respond well to depressants. I am not a medical professional, but I would say that if you are not feeling well if you are taking a depressant, you should discuss this sooner rather than later with your doctor. Depressants can leave you feeling groggy and they can cloud your thinking.
     
     
7. Water water water. Did you know that an early sign of brain fog is dehydration? Also one of the major causes of a headache is dehydration. It’s very easy to not drink enough water, and so beneficial to your body to drink water. When I started to learn about natural health 40 years ago, I was taught how drinking enough pure, healthy water (clean of chemicals) is one of the very best healthy things you can do for your body.

If brain fog is due to a recent health issue, maybe it is going to resolve itself in a short time. If you have struggled with it for longer, please understand that it doesn’t have to be one more challenge in your life. Take the time and the necessary steps to evaluate what might be the cause for you, personally.

Try these tips we’ve discusses and if they don’t work for you, I would say that it’s time you schedule an appointment with your physician.

I would like to suggest one more time that if, during the course of your day, you just can’t seem to concentrate on something you need to be doing or to think clearly, have a glass of water and see if you feel more focused and alert. Even though I know to drink a certain amount, life gets in the way and every day is different. I do catch myself lots of times and know that I need to DRINK WATER! If you struggle with this, it can help to create some sort of tracker (write it down, put a timer on your phone, etc) and drink a tall glass of water every few hours – I am almost certain you will feel a benefit.

If you don’t have a source of pure, natural water, I recommend getting a filtered pitcher to drink less chemical-filled water. I use the Shaklee water pitcher and filter since it is the brand I prefer and it outperforms leading brands (See the Product Information Sheet on this pitcher link).

Yes, brain fog can be a serious issue and only you will know the extent of your brain fog. It can be mostly harmless and most of the time it is; and may resolve itself by trying some of the things listed here or go away on its own. Otherwise, do seek other help.