Not everyone who experiences brain fog is elderly. As a matter of fact, it’s become a go-to phrase for almost anybody of any age on any given day when mentality clarity seems lacking.
Dr. Anthony LoGalbo, a neuropsychologist at Health First’s Holmes Regional Medical Center, isn’t sure where the term came from, but says, “I define it as ‘fuzzy minded.’ It’s the feeling people have when paying attention and concentrating are difficult.”
Cleveland Clinic says brain fog can feel slightly different for each person. The most common symptoms are:
- Difficulty concentrating or focusing.
- Confusion.
- Fatigue.
- Forgetfulness.
- Losing your train of thought.
- Mental exhaustion.
- Not having the right words.
- Slow thought process and reaction time.
- Trouble paying attention.
Some of the lifestyle choices we make cause us to be overwhelmed, according to Dr. LoGalbo.
“Most humans aren’t built for multitasking. We can’t do more than one thing well at the same time. In fact, most people aren’t actually multitasking anyway – they’re switching back and forth between one thing or another.”
Causes of brain fog include:
Stress. “Brain fog is a fluid condition,” explains Dr. LoGalbo. “Whether or not you have it on a given day, and how severely you’re feeling it, can be affected by several things and stress is one of the primary causes.”
Healthline.com explains that chronic stress can increase blood pressure, weaken the immune system and trigger depression. It can also cause mental fatigue, and when your brain is exhausted, it becomes harder to think, reason and focus.
Dr. LoGalbo adds, “People don’t always acknowledge when they’re feeling stressed, but learning to have balance in your life and being able to step back and calm your body down is important.
Meditation, yoga and listening to music are all excellent tools to help you do that.”
Lack of sleep. According to Healthline, poor sleep quality can interfere with how well your brain functions. The goal is to aim for eight hours of sleep every night. Sleeping too little can lead to poor concentration and cloudy thoughts.
Dr. LoGalbo adds, “Sleep apnea is a common condition that many people don’t even know they have. It’s easily diagnosable and can be reversed once a medical professional identifies that you have it.”
Hormones. Levels of the hormones progesterone and estrogen increase during pregnancy. These changes can affect memory and cause short-term cognitive impairment. Similarly, a drop in estrogen levels during menopause can cause forgetfulness, poor concentration and blurry thinking.
Diet. As more and more studies find evidence of the gut-brain connection, brain fog, too, has been found to be influenced by diet and nutrition, according to Dr. LoGalbo. Foods to avoid include those with gluten and refined sugars, as well as others that can cause inflammation.
Healthline adds that Vitamin B12 supports healthy brain functioning. A vitamin B12 deficiency can affect cognitive function and bring about brain fog. If you have food allergies or sensitivities, brain fog may develop after eating foods like peanuts and dairy. Try to identify trigger foods.
Removing them from your diet may improve symptoms.
Medications. “Many medications have side effects that include mental cloudiness,” advises Dr. LoGalbo. Talk with your doctor about the possibility of changing prescriptions.
Healthline states that in addition to sleep and pain medications, cancer medications are known to cause “chemo brain.”
Medical conditions. Healthline explains that there are medical conditions that bring on brain fog, especially those associated with inflammation, fatigue or changes in blood glucose levels.
Brain fog can be a symptom of chronic fatigue syndrome, which involves persistent fatigue over a prolonged period of time. People who have fibromyalgia may experience fogginess on a daily basis.
Other conditions that can cause brain fog include:
- anemia
- depression
- diabetes
- migraine
- hypothyroidism
- autoimmune diseases such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren’s syndrome and multiple sclerosis
- dehydration
- viral infections like COVID-19
Dr. LoGalbo has several additions to this list. “Pain – whether physical or emotional – can be distracting and keep you from getting a good night’s sleep. Things that are on your mind, like managing finances or a recent social media post, may keep you awake.”
So, eliminating trigger foods, getting treated for causative illnesses, getting enough sleep, reducing stress, practicing yoga and meditation, and taking B12 are possible routes to reduce brain fog. Exercise can help too.
“The challenge is to find whether the patient has brain fog or something else,” says Dr. LoGalbo.
“Is it age-related or more than that? A thorough evaluation of the patient will help us make the correct diagnosis and treat him or her accordingly.”
Dr. Anthony LoGalbo, Ph.D., is a neuropsychologist at Health First Aging Services. He received a BA from New College of Florida, an MA and a Doctor of Philosophy from University of Alabama at Birmingham, did his internship at University of Washington Medical Center and Harborview Medical Center, and is a post-doctoral neuropsychology fellow from VA Puget Sound Health Care System. He is board certified in Clinical Neuropsychology. His office is located at 3661 South Babcock Street, Melbourne. You can call 321-434-7611 for an appointment.
