Why am I constantly feeling brain fog?

First of all, what is brain fog? Is it a disease? Should I be concerned about it? It can be characterized by when you are having a confusion, forgetfulness and a lack of mental and focus clarity. It can be due to many reasons but the most common ones are overworking, post viral, lack of sleep and spending too much time on the computer and electronics.

Most people experienced mental fog since forgetfulness is the most common complaint among older adults. Our body would experience physiological changes that causes us to forget one thing or two as we grow older. It will take slightly longer time for us to learn new things or recall some important information. This definitely should be concerning, since if it’s left untreated, it may lead to other permanent health conditions such as memory loss, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Brain Fog

In summary, brain fog can be a symptom of nutrient deficiency, bacterial overgrowth from overconsumption of sugar, depression, or even a thyroid condition. Other common brain fog causes include eating too much and too often, inactivity, not getting enough sleep, chronic stress, and a poor diet. Ultimately, brain fog can impact the way you feel about yourself. Individuals often do not feel like themselves as the loss of mental sharpness decreases.

• Trouble sleeping, insomnia
• Headaches
• Mood swings
• Forgetfulness
• Low energy or fatigue
• Difficulty concentrating
• Inability to learn new thing
• Diminished joy for living

Impaired Sleep

Sleeping less than seven to eight hours of sleep a night or irregular sleeping and waking time can interfere with the brain function chemistry. An untimely wake time that doesn’t fall at the end of a sleep cycle can also impair your cognitive function and cause you to be more tired and foggy during the day.

Stress

Though stress may seem like a common and relatively harmless term but chronic stress can cause huge strain on your body. When your body perceives a stressful situation, it activates the fight-or-flight response. This response triggers the release of adrenaline and norepinephrine which drains energy away from your body. When your brain is exhausted, it becomes harder to think, reason, concentrate and focus. Learning to reduce your stress over time through interventions like meditation, exercise, or dietary changes, may help when your brain feels foggy.

Depression and Anxiety

Depression and anxiety have been shown to impair cognitive function, affecting attention, and memory. Research suggests that this may be due to low level of energy and feeling fatigue all the time, or physiological effects on the brain that make it difficult to function properly. If you struggle with depression or anxiety, talk to someone or a healthcare provider to explore further on the treatment options that suitable for you.

Diet Deficiencies and Food Sensitivities

When it comes to brain, vitamin B12 contributes to the formation of red blood cells and the maintenance of your central nervous system. That’s why low level of vitamin B12 can impair your body energy levels and cause fatigue. A vitamin D deficiency can also be behind brain fog as decreased vitamin D levels are associated with impaired cognitive function.

Treatment to Reduce Brain Fog

Thirty minutes of moderate intensity exercise such as jogging is recommended. However if you are unable to make some time for some exercise, try squeezing out 10 to 15 minutes of your time then slowly increase the time day by day. Don’t forget about housework and yard work. If you break a sweat, those activities count as well.

Sometimes it do really hard to keep up with sleeping well since we need to deal with work, school or whatever project deadlines that are keeping us up. One classic mistake that we usually make is that we will try to maximize our time by staying up late or getting up early to complete all the deadline, this actually will backfires on our body can causes to be even more sleep deprive.

Since our brain is made up of a lot of fat and protein, sugary processed stuff is still not our brain’s favourite food. Get plenty of omega-3 fatty acids ( like oily fish) and a lot of antioxidants, which both are essentials for body energy and boost your body’s natural energy production and regeneration with essential vitamins and minerals.

Low level laser benefits of brain fog

1. Increase blood flow: low level laser has been shown to increase blood flow to the brain which can improve oxygen and nutrient delivery and support better brain function.
2. Improve cellular energy production: low level laser has benefit cellular energy in brain cells, which can help to reduce fatigue and improve mental clarity.
3. Enhanced brain plasticity: low level laser increases brain plasticity, which means the brain is better adapted to changes in response to new experiences. This can also improve cognitive function and reduce brain fog.

At Lakeside Laser, we provide laser therapy as a part of the treatment plan for patients experiencing brain fog. Low level laser focuses on improving the function of the nervous system and low-level laser therapy supports this goal by improving blood flow and enhancing brain plasticity. It may be used in conjunction with other therapies such as spinal mobilisations and remedial massages to help alleviate brain fog and improve overall brain function. It’s important to consult with the laser technician about how many sessions will be needed and how often.