http://www.care2.com/greenliving/5-causes-of-brain-fog.html
5 Causes of “Brain Fog”
By Brock Edelson, Natural Solutions magazine
Your mind feels like San Francisco in the springtime: The fog is rolling in and it might not leave again until fall, unless you do something about it. Here are five common causes of “brain fog” and what you can do to bring back the sunshine.
1. Stress. Chronic stress overstimulates the brain. Turning down the figurative volume helps repair damage done to brain and nerve cells. Adaptogens (such as ashwaganda, panax ginseng, and rhodiola) can help your body cope with stress. L-theanine has been shown to reduce anxiety and increase sleep quality.
2. Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. Both of these are relatively recently recognized disorders that can cause impaired mental function. Magnesium supplementation has been shown to alleviate symptoms of both disorders. Light to moderate exercise can boost the immune system and improve mood and sleep.
3. Fatigue. As obvious as it sounds, fatigue affects the ol’ gray matter. Lack of sleep can cause symptoms mimicking mental illness. We need from seven to nine hours of sleep per night—and quality counts. Don’t check email or do work right before going to bed. Avoid drinking caffeinated drinks late in the day. Practice calming techniques, such as meditation or deep breathing.
4. Nutrient deficiencies. Your brain is cranking through nutrients at a furious pace. Make sure a steady supply is at hand. Vitamins C and E have been shown to delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. The B vitamins can help improve memory. Zinc, Co-Q10, and essential fatty acids also help maintain healthy brain function.
5. Depression. Almost 10 percent of Americans suffer from depression, which can cause difficulty concentrating, remembering, and making decisions. Read Natural Cures for Depression for what you can do to help relieve depression.
Neurotransmitter-boosting supplements, such as SAMe and 5-HTP, help lift levels of dopamine and serotonin. St. John’s wort, although bruised in recent media reports, is still a great option for minor depression.
Natural Solutions: Vibrant Health, Balanced Living offers its readers the latest news on health conditions, herbs and supplements, natural beauty products, healing foods and conscious living. Click here for a free sample issue.
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53 comments
add your comment »From my own experience and observations, most people experience brain fog every day somewhere between 2-4pm every day. Also, My Parkinson's meds tend to produce brain fog, fatigue and depression. The fix for me was as simple as two things...diet and exercise. Instead of the old "3 square meals a day" I decided to eat a mixture of cranberries, raisins, walnuts, pecans, soy beans,peanuts, sunflower seeds ect. I make the mixture myself. I eat a small handful of this combo every hour and take a swig or two from a shake I make consisting of Banana's, strawberries, blueberries and or seedless grapes, Organic whole milk, organic yogurt, Flax seed oit, vegetable protein. During the day I also alternate between water and green tea.
I just eat and drink a little of the above every hour or so...the key is to always be a little hungry...never eat until you are stuffed! Combine this with any type of exercise you prefer every day for 15 to 30 minutes and you will notice a huge improvement, if not completely eradicate brain fog and fatigue.
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thanks...
Kabin
Konteyner
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Our modern lifestyle so easily leads to multi-tasking and overload. Especially when we have email, mobile phone, Twitter, texting, home phone and family all demanding our attention! We can really do only one thing at a time - we kid ourselves that we are multi-tasking but we're not - we are just skipping from one thing to another and doing none of them really well. Gillian-from-the-Brain-and-Memory-Foundation.
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If you have chronic brain fog it is best to seek medical attention to determine if it is something that needs to be treated medically. People with Hepatitis C almost always have brain fog & there is many people who have it that don't know that they do. It is a silent epidemic. In fact, 1 in 50 people are positive for Hep C. If you have any of the risk factors such as, sharing needles, transfusion, tattoo's or body piercings, sexual contact with possible blood interaction, needle pricks, kidney dialysis, shared razors or toothbrushes, plasma or any blood product shot (such as gammaglobulin), or you are a Vietnam Vet.. get tested. It could save your life.
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If you feel you have brain fog should you seek medical advice/diagnosis?
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Some meds advertised to treat bladder control problems are notorious for this side effect. And some nursing homes routinely administer them to elderly patients. They should not and you should know about it.
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Pamela C., I just wanted to let you know that your comment touched me. I am quite young, and have suffered from the effects of Fibro for most of my adult life. I started developing symptoms of it in my mid-teens after having lyme disease and meningitis. Everyone thought it was growing pains and depression. I am now on disability myself. I too have had to let go of a life I used to have, as well as friends and some family because they did not understand what I go thru day to day, week to week. I have tried one thing after another to help with the impairments of Fibro. Nothing seems to work. I continue to search. I've recently vowed to only try natural remedies due to the side-effects of so many man-made meds that only worsen the effects Fibro has on my body and mind. I have never looked into a group for Fibro support, I have felt like such a failure for being so young, and not being able to "walk this one off". So I have not heard much on anyone elses experience with it. I should already have known from the statistics of how many sufferers there are, but for some reason having read what you wrote, it hit home finally. I'm not alone. Thank you for helping grasp that there really are (saddly) others out there who FULLY understand what it's like. Especially the annoyances of Fibro-fog. It was a simple comment, but thank you for sharing. Best wishes to you.
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"protein/carbohydrate balance in meals..."
@ Lynx
I heard from meddics that mixing of animal and vegetable proteins makes fuss too...
never mix those 2..
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Candida, or the over population of yeast in one's system can cause brain for. Getting rid of yeast by following a candid diet has greatly helped me. The diet was hard to follow, but I never knew I could feel as energetic, clear brained and full of positive energy in my life. I heard certain food sensitivities, such as gluten or lactose can cause brain fog. I would recommend a process of elimination to find out if the food is responsible.
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Celiac Disease (effects nutrient absorption) can cause major brain fog, and I know from whence I speak!
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