Who hasn’t had a brain cramp at one point or another? You leave the grocery store without remembering to grab that crucial ingredient you were supposed to get, or you run into an acquaintance whose name completely evades you when you start a conversation. All of that is normal.
But then there are the times when your brain just doesn’t feel like it’s functioning — you are having trouble carrying a conversation or you can’t remember the basic steps of a task you’re trying to undertake. It’s almost as if everything in your mind is foggy. Hence why this condition is often referred to as brain fog.
Do I Have Brain Fog?
Although it’s not a formal diagnosis referring to any specific condition, brain fog is still the kind of thing you want to be aware of. Some people experience the symptoms more severely than others, and although these symptoms are often harmless in the short term, they can prove to be a serious hindrance on quality of life and even basic function.
And because it’s not a formal diagnosis, it’s a little loose to determine what brain fog is, though most people experience some combination of:
- An inability to concentrate or difficulty focusing
- Confusion and forgetfulness
- Frequent loss of train of thought
- Difficulty expressing thoughts or ideas
- Delayed reaction time
- Shortened attention span
- Mental exhaustion and fatigue
If you’re experiencing these brain fog symptoms, it’s important to determine why. In a worst-case scenario, brain fog could be an effect of a serious condition, such as multiple sclerosis or early-onset dementia; in other cases, it might simply be the result of unhealthy lifestyle choices that are easy to rectify: lack of sleep, poor nutrition, or high stress levels, for example.
There’s also the mental health aspect to consider. Many people with depression and anxiety find that their mental illness takes up so much of their cognitive energy that they don’t have the memory or focus for important tasks. This can also be the case with neurodivergence, such as ADHD or autism spectrum disorder.
What About Long COVID?
But there’s one major reason brain fog has gotten much more attention in recent years than ever before: It’s one of the symptoms commonly associated with long COVID, and one that Yale Medicine describes as one of the “most debilitating problems” connected to this disease. More than 17 million American adults continue to experience COVID symptoms long after their initial positive test, sometimes for years.
There’s no clear explanation why COVID causes brain fog, but there are theories. Some doctors look at the way coronavirus changes your body’s microbiome, so your body is no longer able to produce enough serotonin, the chemical that your brain relies on for memory and learning.
The brain fog could also be an immune response on the part of your brain, which causes your brain to experience inflammation. This neuroinflammation, as it’s called, disrupts your brain’s function, leaving you unable to process information the way you would if your brain didn’t have to fight off an illness.
But brain fog is rarely the only symptom of long COVID. Somebody who is experiencing brain fog for months or years after a COVID diagnosis will often see other symptoms, such as fatigue, heart palpitations, and joint pain. If you’re experiencing brain fog in isolation, it’s likely due to something else.
So, What Should I Do About It?
A minor lapse in memory rarely feels like a big deal — just a minor inconvenience. But when your brain fog symptoms get to the point that you can’t multitask or you can’t remember important information, it gets serious. This is one of the reasons people who have suffered brain fog as part of long COVID see it affecting their professional abilities or even their relationships. Some patients find themselves changing jobs or growing apart from people they care about.
Even those who don’t have long COVID may see more frequent and severe brain fog symptoms as they get older. It’s not dementia, but their mind isn’t as sharp as it used to be. That’s a natural part of aging.
If you’re dealing with brain fog and have tried lifestyle improvement approaches like better sleep, nutrition, and exercise, you may consider asking your doctor for medication.
Additionally, you can adopt a few healthy mental practices that will help preserve and strengthen your mind no matter what stage of life you’re in:
- Maintain what’s known as an “active brain,” meaning you’re always striving to learn. Read a book, practice a new language, research a topic, or train yourself on a new skill.
- Engage in mentally challenging games or exercises, such as Sudoku, crossword puzzles, or logic problems.
- Try to be an active listener, where you repeat back to somebody what they just said to demonstrate you heard them or repeat it back to yourself later. This helps you remember it. Rewording it slightly or providing context around what you were told helps you to process it and make sense of it.
- When you find yourself in a situation when your mind isn’t at its peak, allow yourself the grace of a short mental break. You can also reduce any sensory distractions by dimming the lights, turning down loud noises, or putting away your phone and other electronics to help you concentrate on your task at hand.
