One study on people with rheumatoid arthritis, and other research on people with multiple sclerosis, showed that an anti-inflammatory diet may help alleviate some of the symptoms of the diseases, including improved cognitive function. For example, according to the Arthritis Foundation, people with rheumatoid arthritis often report feeling forgetful and unable to concentrate, and separately, anywhere from 40 to 80 percent of people with fibromyalgia and lupus may experience brain fog, per Duke Health. For that reason, she recommends a low-inflammatory diet, which roughly means limiting or avoiding highly processed foods and red and processed meats, and sticking to a plant-based or Mediterranean-style of eating that emphasizes whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats.īrain fog may be one symptom of certain autoimmune conditions, Wilhour adds. “There’s some thought that one mechanism that causes brain fog is inflammation,” says Dr. “If we can get something off our plate, we can avoid possible self-deprecation or criticism, which a huge help.” 3. “If we forget something, we get frustrated with ourselves, which doesn’t help with the fog,” Pudumjee says. This may help take away some of the stress associated with brain fog. “Using cognitive aids can be really helpful,” says Pudumjee.įor example, use the alarms on your phone, schedule reminders through a voice assistant, set up auto pay for your bills, and organize your meetings into a calendar. Managing a busy life takes work, but there’s no need to stress yourself out about small things you might forget (hint: defrosting the chicken). Prioritizing your absolute-must tasks while scheduling downtime can help support mental stability while working with the fog, she says. “But it’s important to accept that you may not be back to your cognitive best,” she says. It’s normal to want to push through your day and resume your typical to-dos, says Dr. For example, the aftermath of having COVID-19 may leave you with lingering brain fog, even when you feel physically better, due to possible inflammation associated with the virus, notes Harvard Health Publishing. This is important for everyone who’s swamped with a multitasking lifestyle, particularly if you’ve felt under the weather. “Your cognitive efficiency benefits from taking downtime or pacing activities with short breaks throughout the day,” says Shehroo Pudumjee, PhD, a neuropsychologist at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas. If you zip from task to task throughout the day, you may not be giving your brain the break it needs to function well. Take a Break, Especially After Getting Sick If foggy, fuzzy feelings persist past a couple weeks, or if you’re concerned about your symptoms, talk to your doctor.Īdditionally, there are a handful of lifestyle tweaks - from observations by experts - that may help alleviate brain fog and inspire mental clarity. Sometimes brain fog may be a signal that your health and wellness regimen needs further attention and professional guidance. This type of cognitive sluggishness can exist for a range of reasons, including stress, poor sleep, nutrition, and more. Among other symptoms, brain fog may include the following, she says: Rather, it’s a casual, or lay, term used to describe an umbrella of cognitive symptoms, says Danielle Wilhour, MD, an assistant professor in neurology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver. One potential culprit? Brain fog.īrain fog isn’t a medical diagnosis. Perhaps you notice it takes you longer to complete tasks, compared with the way you tackled them before. Or something important came up at a meeting, but you can’t recall the details. Let’s say you’ve opened the refrigerator but forgot what you were going to grab.
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