What are the causes of brain fog?

There are several explanations for why brain fog happens. Once you identify the underlying cause, you can begin to resolve it.  Here are eight possible causes:

1. Stress

Chronic stress can increase blood pressure, weaken the immune system, and trigger depression. It can also cause mental fatigue. When your brain is exhausted, it becomes harder to think, reason, and focus. This is called allostatic load and is when the burden gets too much. Your brain function slows, a bit like trying to pull off from stationary in a car in third gear. The articles from The Mind Body Gut Company and here ‘Spotting Stress’ and ‘How stress affects your body’ tells you more.

2. Lack of sleep

Poor sleep quality can interfere with how well your brain functions. Aim for 8 to 9 hours of sleep per night and limit intake of alcohol, fizzy drinks and caffeinated drinks several hours before sleep. Sleeping too little or poor-quality sleep can lead to poor concentration and cloudy thoughts. The articles ‘How a goat can help you sleep’ and ‘How to get a better night’s sleep’ tells you more.

3. Hormonal changes

Hormonal changes can also trigger brain fog. Levels of the hormones progesterone and oestrogen fluctuate during perimenopause, menopause, and oestrogen dropping. Oestrogen increases during pregnancy. This change can affect memory and cause short-term cognitive impairment.

4. Diet

Diet can also play a role in brain fog. Vitamin B12 supports healthy brain function, and a vitamin B12 deficiency can bring about brain fog. If you have food allergies or sensitivities, brain fog may develop after eating certain foods. These include, but are not limited to:

aspartame

peanuts

dairy

gluten

foods from the Nightshade family

Removing trigger foods from your diet may improve symptoms.

6. Sugar

Sugar interferes with the absorption of many nutrients, alters the gut microbiome, fuels unhealthy gut bacteria, interferes with the tryptophan pathways affecting the production of happy hormones, causes inflammation of the tissues, spikes blood sugar levels and has no nutritional benefit whatsoever. The article ‘Could I have Candida’ explains more.

7. Medications

If you notice brain fog while taking medication, talk with your doctor. Brain fog may be a known side effect of these medications and is more common than you might think. Brain fog can also occur after cancer treatments. This is referred to as chemo brain.

8. Medical conditions

Medical conditions associated with inflammation, fatigue, or changes in blood glucose levels can also cause mental fatigue. Other conditions that may cause brain fog include but are not limited to:

anaemia

depression

diabetes

migraine

Alzheimer’s disease

hypothyroidism

autoimmune diseases, like lupus, arthritis, and multiple sclerosis

dehydration

viral infections, like Shingles or COVID-19

If you suffer from brain fog on a regular basis, cross-check it with the causes in this list and see if there are any that you can improve yourself, it is important that you also seek medical advice to rule out any underlying medical causes.