What is brain fog?
Many people experience what they call “brain fog” during their lives. This feels like a haziness in the head, lack of concentration, forgetfulness and maybe confusion. This can be common in the menopause, following viral infections and indeed was talked about a lot during the time of Covid. It has also been linked to pollution.
What actually is it? The answer is, we don’t really know. It could be that we need a boost of blood and oxygen circulating to our brains? It could be we are tired and have littler energy reserves to fire up our brain cells? People describe “brain fog” associated with menopause, so is there a hormonal link? Fog that arises following viral infections could be linked to the immune system or mitochondrial dysfunction. Sorry – the science can get complicated very quickly, but mitochondria are the batteries in our cells converting glucose in to energy, and we know that in fatigue some of the processes aren’t working efficiently.
Practical help in the short-term
What can we do now to lift the fog? The first thing is not to worry and cause yourself extra stress. Stress will make the fog worse. The fog does not mean you have cognitive decline. The second thing is to review your mental wellbeing and sleep. Is there something going on for you day-to-day making the fog worse?
Thirdly, we can get practical and manage our heads a little better. You may wish to keep a diary, lists, or develop new routines to help you manage your home, work or life. When we are overwhelmed with many things going on, this can almost overload our brains, so learning some strategies to help our memory can be useful.
Clear your head with a cup of tea!
We probably know most about brain fog and cognition through the extensive research that has gone into the tea plant – Camellia sinsensis. Who does not love a good cuppa! The tea leaves are plucked and can be processed in different ways to create green tea, black tea, white tea and oolong tea. Green and black tea contain plant compounds that include caffeine – yes, like we find in coffee, and other helpful compounds like polyphenols and amino-acids. These are flavonoids (green colours) mainly in green tea, and the amino acid l-theanine in black tea.
By these combinations of compounds, tea can help us feel more alert. L-theanine is also calming which is also important for us to think clearly. Maybe ask yourself, is your brain fog worse when you are stressed, if so, can you do something to relax?
Lift your emotions
Brain fog may also be related to us just feeling emotionally down, and using an aroma to uplift us can help. Mint is a fabulous plant with essential oils that are cool and crisp. Just smelling a leaf can refresh how we feel, and lift the feelings of fatigue and fog.
Also doing some invigorating breaths can make us feel more clear headed. Taking three deep breaths in can have a surprising effect – you can read more about breath work here.
Doing so outside in the light, in the garden or in nature is even better to give yourself an emotional lift.
Increase your blood flow
You can also try lifting the fog by exercising. I would suspect that even a 20 minute brisk walk would be enough to increase your heart rate. Increasing the blood flow to the brain has been shown to improve thinking, and decreased cerebral blood flow is observed in fatigue syndromes. In one interesting study, the spice turmeric can enhanced the blood flow in exercising older adults. Spices like turmeric and ginger are heating and stimulating, so spicy food or a ginger tea may be beneficial.
Tips for relieving brain fog
- Try short-term practical things to help your memory – make lists, use a calendar, prioritise tasks.
- Ask yourself is there something making it worse – are you stressed or not sleeping well? Is there something else that needs to be addressed?
- Lift your emotions by going out in nature, connect with your favourite plant, or inhale the invigorating essential oils in mint.
- Try a cup of tea for its stimulating properties, coffee too will also make you feel more alert. Do not drink tea or coffee late in the afternoon or before bed, particularly if you are sensitive to caffeine or are struggling to sleep.
- Do breath work or exercise to get the blood flowing. Spicy foods like turmeric can also increase blood flow to the brain.
- If your symptoms have gone on for a long time or are worrying you, do see you Doctor.