What Exactly Is Fatigue
Fatigue is a feeling of tiredness that many different things can cause. It can make it difficult to do everyday activities and may lead to feelings of frustration, irritability, and lack of energy.
There are two main types of fatigue: mental and physical.
Mental fatigue is the result of using your brain for prolonged periods of time and can be caused by activities such as studying, working, or attending social events.
Physical fatigue is the result of physical activity and can cause a person to feel tired after exercise or work.
Now that we know what brain fog and fatigue are, lets take a look at some of the most common causes for each condition.
Lifestyle Factors That Promote Brain Fog
Even if your mental fatigue isnt the result of an underlying physical change or a medical condition, your lifestyle choices may be causing it:
- Chronic stress overloads the body with cortisol. This weakens the immune system, increases blood pressure, and can cause mental fatigue and forgetfulness. Your brain cant focus when its too stressed Nor can it stop.
- Lack of sleep is another common culprit. Most adults need 7 9 hours of good sleep . If youre getting less, tiredness may be causing your brain fog.
- Diets high in processed foods, low in vitamin B-12, or packed with foods that cause inflammation can all cause brain fog.
Long Covid: Brain Fog
Brain fog is not a medical term but used to describe a range of symptoms including:
- poor concentration
- thinking more slowly than usual
Brain fog can feel similar to the effects of sleep deprivation or stress. It’s not the same as dementia and does not mean structural damage to the brain.
People usually recover from brain fog. You may get similar symptoms after other infections, a minor head injury or during the menopause. Brain fog is also common if you have depression, anxiety or stress.
While recovering from coronavirus , some people experience brain fog. Symptoms may vary and change over time. It’s not just people who were hospitalised with coronavirus who can develop brain fog. It’s a common part of long COVID.
Anxiety, low mood and fatigue all play a role in affecting how your brain functions.
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Treatment For Brain Fog With Diabetes
To treat brain fog due to diabetes, its important that your blood sugar levels are in target range as much as possible.
The goal is to avoid blood sugar fluctuations. This means keeping your blood sugar within a healthy range not too high and not too low.
If youre prescribed medication to treat diabetes, take your medication as instructed and dont skip doses.
Also, follow any dietary instructions your healthcare provider recommends. If you feel that your brain fog isnt improving, talk to them.
Your healthcare provider may need to adjust your medication. Also, it might help to speak with a registered dietitian for guidance on what foods to eat and what foods to avoid with diabetes.
Managing your diabetes is important because not managing your condition can lead to potentially life threatening complications.
It can cause:
Brain fog should improve as your blood sugar returns to a healthy level.
In the meantime, the following tips can help you cope with cognitive dysfunction.
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Addiction Drug Shows Promise Lifting Long Covid Brain Fog Fatigue
Lauren Nichols, who has long COVID, takes her second pill of the day of the low dose Naltrexone at her home in Andover, Massachusetts, U.S., August 3, 2022. REUTERS/Lauren Owens Lambert/File Photo
CHICAGO, Oct 18 – Lauren Nichols, a 34-year-old logistics expert for the U.S. Department of Transportation in Boston, has been suffering from impaired thinking and focus, fatigue, seizures, headache and pain since her COVID-19 infection in the spring of 2020.
Last June, her doctor suggested low doses of naltrexone, a generic drug typically used to treat alcohol and opioid addiction.
After more than two years of living in “a thick, foggy cloud,” she said, “I can actually think clearly.”
Researchers chasing long COVID cures are eager to learn whether the drug can offer similar benefits to millions suffering from pain, fatigue and brain fog months after a coronavirus infection.
The drug has been used with some success to treat a similar complex, post-infectious syndrome marked by cognitive deficits and overwhelming fatigue called myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome .
Drawing on its use in ME/CFS and a handful of long COVID pilot studies, there are now at least four clinical trials planned to test naltrexone in hundreds of patients with long COVID, according to a Reuters review of Clinicaltrials.gov and interviews with 12 ME/CFS and long COVID researchers.
Scientists are still working on explaining the mechanism for how LDN might work.
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Reduce Your Stress Levels
Chronic stress can take a toll on your mental and physical health, which can lead to conditions like chronic fatigue syndrome and brain fog.
Studies reveal that chronic stress can damage the hippocampusa part of the brain thats responsible for memory and learning.
It can also lead to inflammation, which has been linked to cognitive decline.
To reduce your stress levels, experts recommend:
- exercising regularly,
- practicing yoga or Tai Chi,
- getting a massage,
- and breathing exercises.
If you find it difficult to manage your stress on your own, we recommend talking to a therapist or counselor. They can help you identify the root cause of your stress and give you the tools to manage it effectively.
Stress management is a vital part of maintaining good mental health, so dont hesitate to seek professional help if you need it.
Other Factors That May Contribute To Brain Fog
As mentioned above, inflammation in and around your brain may contribute to brain fog. However, there are other ways that COVID-19 may indirectly lead to brain fog as well.
Some possible contributing factors include:
Researchers are still working to understand how common brain fog is in people whove had COVID-19.
One recent showed that between 7.5 to 31 percent of people experience an altered mental state as a symptom of COVID-19. However, this estimation was based on small studies and may not be applicable to a larger population.
Another recent study reports that neurological symptoms could be more widespread than originally thought and may occur in up to 69 percent of people whove had severe illness with COVID-19.
At this time, its not clear why some people develop brain fog and others dont. People with severe cases of COVID-19 seem to be at a
As of now, the best treatment for brain fog caused by COVID-19 is to adopt healthy habits. The following tips may help boost your mental function if youre dealing with ongoing brain fog.
Researchers are continuing to look at the potential benefit of steroids for reducing inflammation of the brain that may contribute to cognitive changes.
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How To Prevent Brain Fog
Here you can find some useful tips to prevent Brain Fog:
1 Spend less time in front of a screen
Even if your job requires you to look at a screen for many hours during the day, make sure you take some breaks every one or two hours. It could refresh your brain and take away all the cognitive failure symptoms.
2 Exercise as frequently as possible
Physical exercise can make you think less and release satisfaction hormones to your blood. The chemical imbalance in your brain will never develop again.
3 Take supplements regularly
Supplements that boost your memory and improve your brain function such as Mind Lab Pro and Onnit Alpha Brain could give your body the nutrients it needs to avoid brain fog.
4 Avoid meeting toxic people
Persons who make you lose your temper or even worsen your depression with their behavior should better keep away from your company. Prefer to hang out with real friends that can listen to your problems and entertain you.
5 Spend time in nature
Regular excursions in nature can give you more energy to cope up with busy daily life and remove the foggy curtain from your brain. Not to mention, that nature can better oxygenate your brain cells to work smoothly for another busy week.
Diet Deficiencies And Food Sensitivities
Vitamin B12 contributes to the formation of red blood cells and the maintenance of your central nervous system. Its why a deficiency in B12 is sure to impair your energy levels and elicit an overall feeling of fatigue. A vitamin D deficiency can also be behind brain fog as decreased vitamin D levels are associated with impaired cognitive function. An unidentified food intolerance can also contribute to the foggy head feeling youre experiencing. For example, gluten intolerance can lead to cognitive dysfunction via inflammatory pathways. Advanced blood work that looks at your nutrient levels as well as an elimination diet or food allergy or sensitivity testing can determine if any of these could be contributing to your brain fog.
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Common Causes Of Fatigue
Many different things can also cause fatigue, but some common causes include:
- Lack of sleep or rest
- Physical activity such as running a marathon or working out at the gym for long periods of time
- Pregnancy if your body is not used to the extra work
- Mental activity such as working or studying for long periods of time
Just like brain fog, fatigue can also lead to a decrease in cognitive function and make it difficult to do everyday activities.
Now that we know some of the most common causes for brain fog and fatigue, lets take a look at some tips on how you can get relief from these conditions.
How To Treat Brain Fog
Isolated and enhanced Mesenchymal stem cells are used to initiate repair for organ injuries by either replacing the damaged cells with new cells or initiate the bodies own repair system via the paracrine mechanism. When used properly, isolated and expanded MSCs+ stem cells can improve functionality of damaged organs in the body which helps to alleviate the underlying negative symptoms such as heart palpitations and shortness of breath that can lead to chronic brain fog.
Persistent sibo brain fog can be a sign of a more serious medical condition. Dont just shrug it off and blame it on getting older. Many illnesses, injuries, and disorders affect brain function and focus. The sooner you understand the cause of your brain fog, the sooner the health reason behind it can be identified and treated.
At the Regeneration Center, we use functional medical therapies to address a wide array of conditions related to cognition impairment due to brain injuries and brain fog.
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Fatigue And Brain Fog Symptoms
There are many signs of brain fog and fatigue. Here are some of the common symptoms:
- Poor concentration
- Feeling forgetful or having trouble remembering things
- Trouble with mental clarity or thinking processes
- Increased difficulty in decision making
- Trouble with problem-solving
- Having a hard time finding the next words in conversations
- Low mood or irritability
- Exhaustion even after resting or sleeping
- Changes in appetite
Is Brain Fog Curable
Brain Fog is curable since you only have to change your way of life to make it disappear. Supplements and healthy foods can also help you find the lost balance in your nervous system.For most people, it only takes a few weeks to reactivate their body and make it function better. When Brain Fog is there for a long time, it may take you a bit longer to deal with its causes. Determination can give you the key to success for curing Brain Fog.
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What Is Brain Fog And What Does Brain Fog Feel Like
Brain fog is not a disease or disorder, but a set of symptoms that include a general feeling of fatigue and cognitive inefficiencies, such as reduced concentration and difficulty with memory, said Cynthia Funes, PhD, a clinical neuropsychologist at Banner University Medicine Neurosurgery Clinic in Phoenix, AZ. Patients often describe the experience of having a cloud inside their head that makes it difficult for them to focus on daily tasks.
Youve probably heard brain fog more these days especially as it relates to those recovering from COVID-19 or at the very least, experienced the symptoms on your own. Typical symptoms of brain fog include poor concentration, an extra effort to focus on a task, trouble multitasking or managing too many tasks at once, trouble tracking what you are doing and trouble retrieving a memory or information.
To better understand the causes and when you should be concerned, heres a breakdown of potential causes for brain fog.
Can Anxiety Cause Brain Fog
Other antibodies found in blood and cerebrospinal fluid are unique to the samples from cerebrospinal fluid, suggesting the presence of brain inflammation.Depending on your symptoms your physician may also recommend radiology scans like X-rays, MRI, Ultrasound or CT scans. Doctors may also recommend allergy testing and sleep studies.
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Does Anxiety Cause Brain Fog
Anxiety and stress are some of the main causes of Brain Fog to healthy individuals. The modern way of life requires endless hours at work and shrinks the time you have for yourself. Fear for the future and uncertainty are the roots of anxiety and stress for most people. That is why you should reduce your anxiety to the lowest possible level if you want to effectively deal with brain fog symptoms.
Diagnosis Of Brain Fog
Brain Fog could be an emergency if the symptoms begin suddenly and worsen as time passes by. It would be wise to and let him decide about the further diagnostic tools.
The right doctor to deal with your cognitive functions and mental health is the neurologist. He can perform some neurological tests and nerve stimulation to check your ability to perceive and react to the external environment.
The most common diagnostic tools for neurologists are:
- The electroencephalography, showing them how your brain works while you sleep and when you are awake.
- The CT-Scan and MRI, is going to show your doctor if you had a head injury. It may also exclude the presence of a brain tumor responsible for brain fog.
- Blood smears analysis to test if you have elevated cancer markers or hormone changes that lead to mental fatigue and cognitive disease.
Psychologists and therapists are competent at diagnosing Brain Fog syndrome. They can ask you questions about your life and extract useful assumptions about the possibility to suffer from stress, anxiety, or even depression.
These experts follow specific protocols to diagnose Brain Fog and give you the right mental or physical treatment for your case. It is needless to visit a hospital to diagnose brain fog. It would be better to ask your doctor any further questions relevant to this situation, especially if you are under unbearable pain.
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What Might Help Clear The Brain Fog
To help clear the brain fog, I recommend pursuing all of the activities that we know help everyones thinking and memory.
- Perform aerobic exercise. You may need to start slow, perhaps just two to three minutes a few times a day. While there is no established dose of exercise , its generally recommended you work toward 30 minutes a day, five days a week.
- Eat Mediterranean-style meals. A including olive oil, fruits and vegetables, nuts and beans, and whole grains has been proven to improve thinking, memory. and brain health.
- Avoid alcohol and drugs. Give your brain the best chance to heal by .
- Sleep well. Sleep is a time when the brain and body can clear out toxins and work toward healing. Make sure you give your body the .
- Participate in social activities. We are social animals. Not only do benefit our moods, but they help our thinking and memory as well.
- Pursue other beneficial activities, including engaging in novel, activities listening to practicing and keeping a positive mental attitude.
About the Author
Andrew E. Budson, MD, Contributor
Stress Management Techniques That Works Well And Fast
The best stress reduction technique that offers significant added benefits is meditation. Over 20 million Americans meditate regularly. In fact, the US Marines use meditation to help troops deal with stressful situations they face on the job. âItâs like doing pushups for the brain,â one general says. Corporate executives at General Mills, Target, Google, Apple, Nike, HBO, Procter & Gamble, and Aetna Insurance use it to maximize their brain health and fitness. Meditation can make you happier, smarter, and more resilient to lifeâs ups and downs. People who regularly meditate experience improved focus and concentration, greater creativity, reduced stress, and better sleep. Research shows it can even decrease your biological age by 12 years!
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Balance Active Workouts With Active Tune
Many types of exercise stimulate the sympathetic nervous system which is responsible for fight or flight responses. Unfortunately, your body doesnt know the difference between running on a treadmill or running from dangerboth look like stress. Stress manifests as brain fog. In order to reduce stress, you need to flex your parasympathetic nervous system, which is engaged during rest and relaxation and helps to calm your body and your mind. You can do this by incorporating more meditation and yoga into your routine.
Improve Your Sleep Quality
If youre struggling with brain fog, one of the first things you should do is look closely at your sleep habits.
Research found that poor sleep quality and sleep deprivation are two of the most common causes of brain fog and memory loss, so its essential to make sure that youre getting enough restful sleep every night.
To improve your sleep quality, experts recommend:
- following a regular sleep schedule,
- avoiding caffeine and alcohol before bedtime,
- exercising regularly,
- refraining from using screened devices on the bed or 30 minutes before bed,
- not eating anything within three to four hours before bedtime,
- and keeping a relaxed and comfortable bedroom environment.
If youre still having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, there are also some natural sleep aids that can help, such as:
- and lavender oil.
If you suspect that youre suffering from a sleep disorder, we highly recommend that you consult with a doctor or sleep specialist. They may be able to give you a more tailored treatment plan that works for you.
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