Table of contents:
- What is that brain fog?
- Causes of the brain suddenly "foggy"
- A lifestyle that triggers you to experience sudden daze
- Nutritional deficiencies can also be a cause of confusion
- Triggering health conditions brain fog
- Tips for dealing with cloudy thoughts
Everyone has difficulty remembering some things, but if they happen too often and even in short-term memory, is it dangerous? This phenomenon of suddenly being confused and dazed is known as brain fog or foggy thoughts, which may be a sign the body is experiencing imbalance. Although brain fog is something that is common and can be experienced by anyone, but it is still an abnormal health condition.
What is that brain fog?
Brain fog itself is not a standard medical term, but is a term that describes a feeling of confusion, forgetfulness, reduced concentration and clarity of mind. Brain fog It can also be interpreted as mental exhaustion that makes you unable to think, and it occurs very often in a matter of days or even weeks. Brain fog is also a symptom of dementia, it's just that people with dementia experience it brain fog will have a more serious memory disorder.
Causes of the brain suddenly "foggy"
It is not known exactly why brain fog It can happen to a person because there are many factors that vary, but basically brain fog related to lifestyle, nutritional deficiencies, and health conditions.
A lifestyle that triggers you to experience sudden daze
- Lack of sleep - sleep is when the brain is resting and is a process that helps in repairing memory. Lack of sleep will cause the brain to become more tired and impaired memory formation.
- Lack of physical activity - exercising is one way to keep your mind relaxed. With less physical activity, stress hormones will be more difficult to control, which can lead to cognitive impairment.
- Consumption of excess sugar - sugar which is a simple carbohydrate is one of the main energy sources in the brain. Excess sugar consumption can cause sugar cravingwhere the brain is used to working with high blood sugar levels. As a result, a decrease in sugar consumption will affect blood sugar levels that are lower than usual so that it can indirectly cause brain work disorders.
- Eating too little fat - in addition to sugar, fat is also a source of energy in the brain. The brain, which is mostly (60%) consisting of fat, will have difficulty regenerating cells if too little fat is consumed by the body. Even so, it is still fat from natural food sources such as nuts, avocado, salmon, eggs, meat and coconut and olive oil which are good for the brain.
- Side effects of stopping coffee - caffeine in coffee which is a simultaneous that can help us to concentrate. Changes in consumption patterns from too much to too little cause side effects such as fatigue, headaches, irritability to difficulty thinking.
Nutritional deficiencies can also be a cause of confusion
In addition to physical health, several types of nutrients have important functions in helping brain cognitive function, such as maintaining brain cells and helping to convey signals to the brain. Deficiency of some types of nutrients below can trigger brain fog, among them:
- Vitamin B12 - is useful for helping the thought process. B12 deficiency is generally experienced by vegetarians because vitamin B12 is only found in animal-sourced foods.
- Vitamin D - is useful in strengthening memory, and vitamin D deficiency can be caused by diet and not getting enough sunlight.
- Omega-3 - is the main component of the brain which mostly comes from marine fish such as sardines and salmon.
Triggering health conditions brain fog
- Allergic conditions - consumption of foods to which you are allergic can lead to difficulty thinking and remembering. These types of food include processed products such as milk, eggs, seafood, and nuts. These food ingredients are also often part of the composition of processed foods and foods that are sold in food places. Therefore, you should avoid it within a few days if you experience brain fog.
- Chemotherapy side effects - This cancer treatment causes changes in brain activity when a person is undergoing chemotherapy that triggers it brain fog. But this is also exacerbated by sleep patterns, hormonal changes, stress, and the condition of cancer itself.
- Thyroid hormone disorders - both excess (hyperthyroidism) and deficiency (hypothyroidism) thyroid hormone can cause cognitive impairments such as difficulty remembering.
- Menopause – brain fog possibly due to hormonal changes in menopausal women.
- Experiencing stress - Stress is an abnormal condition in which the hormone cortisol increases in excessive amounts. If it occurs for a long time, cortisol levels will be sufficient to interfere with brain cell repair and growth.
- Dehydration - 75% of the brain's volume comes from water, and a lack of water for at least 2% of that volume can already cause difficulty thinking. Dehydration conditions are also more likely to occur with age, where the amount of water that can be released through sweat will be much more than at a young age. That's why conditions brain fog more likely to be experienced in older individuals.
Tips for dealing with cloudy thoughts
Brain fog conditions have a varied pattern of causes, but if you experience it, it is likely a sign of health problems. Here are some tips that can be done to overcome brain fog:
- Avoid foods that cause allergic reactions, and reduce the consumption of too many processed foods, especially those with flavorings such as MSG, high sugar and sweeteners, and high salt.
- Consume natural fats such as fatty fish, nuts, oil and avocado.
- Improve your sleep patterns, try to make bedtime routines in a few days or weeks.
- Exercise and get active. This will facilitate oxygen and blood flow and make the use of nutrients more effective.
- Avoid and manage the stress you experience.
- If you have certain diseases then try to control them, especially if you have diabetes with uncontrolled blood sugar levels.
- Talk to your doctor if the drugs you are taking have side effects on cognitive conditions, such as causing anxiety or restlessness.