Does Brain Fog Go Away?

by Evelyn Montgomery Jun 24, 20220 comments

I’m imagining that you have found this post because you are struggling with brain fog so I’m going to keep it short and to the point.

I often get asked,

"Can I get rid of brain fog?"

The answer is yes.

The key is to reframe it as a message from your brain.

It's important to listen to it.

Are you fed up with feeling fuzzy in your head and just want it to go away? You want to feel like yourself again.

Are you worried that it might be something else or that you have dementia?

I know many women who worry that they have early signs of dementia only to find out that their cognitive symptoms of brain fog are due to the perimenopause.

Brain fog can feel similar to the effects of sleep deprivation or stress.

But I’d like to reassure you - it’s not the same as dementia and does not mean structural damage to the brain.

And yes, it usually goes away. People recover from brain fog.

Let's go through a few things.

Have I got brain fog?

Do you have:

An uncomfortable feeling of being spaced out

Feel mentally exhausted

No motivation or energy to get anything done

Struggle to think clearly and quickly

Difficulty focussing on tasks, thought or ideas

Difficulty following conversations

Slow recall and forgetfulness

Have trouble paying attention to what’s going on around you

Make mistakes that you never used to

Feel out of sorts and unlike yourself.

Have headaches

Have low mood

High anxiety

Feel hopeless or have a sense of despair

Not sleeping well

Don’t recognise yourself or feel like yourself anymore

Ultimately, brain fog can impact the way you feel about yourself. Individuals often do not feel like themselves as the loss of mental sharpness feels foreign to them.

— SABRINA ROMANOFF, PSYD

Brain fog isn’t a health issue itself, but rather a symptom of something else going on in your brain.

Why have I got brain fog?

Stress brain fog

Three out of four British adults struggle with high stress.

Unmanaged stress changes the structure of your brain and affects your brain’s hormone and neurotransmitter levels, leading to poor focus, higher levels of mental fatigue, and other symptoms of brain fog.

Anxiety brain fog

Brain fog is a common symptom of anxiety.

Anxiety is characterised by a variety of symptoms including the symptoms associated with brain fog. Anxious and recurrent thoughts can cause sleep disturbances and problems leading to cognitive decline. The brain’s fight or flight response associated with anxiety and the stress hormones triggered can explain why anxiety can cause brain fog symptoms.

Anxiety is associated with the production of the hormones cortisol, adrenaline, and norepinephrine which can overwhelm and exhaust the brain. Amygdala activity in the brain during anxiety increases causing hypervigilance and a decline in rational thinking. Activity in the hippocampus of the brain with anxiety decreases which can cause memory and learning difficulties.

Depression brain fog

Brain fog can occur during depressive episodes because of what happens to the brain. The physical makeup of the brain can be altered during long periods of depression.

Depression can lead to impacts on the hippocampus and amygdala brain regions.

The hippocampus can shrink causing difficulties with executive functioning skills, concentration, and making decisions.

The thalamus changes with prolonged depression can impact sleeping patterns and the processing of sensory information.

The amygdala may be overactive with depression and cause a heightened level of fear and anxiety leading to brain fog symptoms.

Menopause brain fog

There’s a strong link between hormonal health and brain health.

For instance, testosterone in men and oestrogen in women affect cognition. This is why older men whose testosterone levels are dropping often struggle with brain fog. And it’s why 60 per cent of middle-aged women report experiencing menopause brain fog.

But many other forms of hormonal imbalances and changes can influence your brain health too. For example, an under-active thyroid can cause forgetfulness and fuzzy thinking.

Covid brain fog

Brain fog has been found to be a very common symptom of Long Covid. Other medical conditions (e.g. chronic fatigue, depression, anxiety, chemotherapy) also have brain fog as a commonly experienced symptom.

This highlights the need to discuss your brain fog worries with a medical professional in case it’s part of a more serious health concern.

Vegan brain fog

Your brain requires a constant supply of key vitamins, minerals and nutrients to fuel its many neurological processes.

A vegan diet can leave with some crucial gaps for optimal brain function particularly vitamin B12, folate and amino acids (found primarily in animal products) but also vitamin D3, omega-3, selenium, iron and iodine. Without good levels of these nutrients your cognitive functioning can start to slow.

Nutrient deficiency brain fog

If your diet isn’t providing the nutritional foundation your brain requires for optimal cognitive function, it’s time to dive deeper into the relationship between diet and cognition, and consider adding plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, good fats and high quality proteins to your meals. Then add a natural supplement for brain fog to fill in any dietary gaps you’re experiencing.

How do you get rid of brain fog?

If you’re suffering with brain fog it might surprise you but the answer is usually with your brain health.

It sounds like you might have low acetylcholine (ACh) levels.

Is that surprising?

How much do you think about the levels of energy in your brain? And do you know what impacts how well your brain is working?

But I’d like to give you some hope - it’s amazing how quickly your brain fog, your energy and your mood can be lifted when you give your brain some good fuel.

If you give your brain and body the ingredients to make acetylcholine then you will really quickly start to feel completely different.

What is acetylcholine?

Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter that determines how quickly your brain is working. Acetylcholine plays an important role in brain function and memory.

What causes low acetylcholine?

Causes of low acetylcholine are:

high levels of stress
nutrient deficiencies
genetic glitches
chronic illness
chronic inflammation
some medications
ageing

Symptoms of Acetylcholine Deficiency

brain fog
depressed mood
tiredness
exhaustion
feelings of burn out
depression
chronic fatigue
anxiety
poor physical and mental stamina
irritability
cognitive decline
learning difficulties
memory problems
sensitivity to stress
negative thoughts
recurring negative memories
chronic inflammation
low energy levels
easily fatigued
difficulty focussing and concentrating
poor short term memory
poor word recall
low acid levels in digestion
poor digestion
poor absorption of nutrients
constipation
dry mouth
dry eyes
orthostatic hypotension
low muscle tone
fast heart rate

Brain Fog + Poor Memory

In the brain ACh has many functions, among them learning and memory. Low acetylcholine causes difficulties with memory, focus, concentration, cognition, brain fog and mental fatigue.

Can you do something to raise your acetylcholine levels?

Yes, you can.

A great place to start is with nutrients.

It’s the one 2 second action you can do right now to start to increase your energy levels.

I think we all accept that supplements can help keep us well. We need them for our bodies to function properly. And lack of vitamins has been scientifically proven over hundreds of years to cause various illnesses.

Nutrients can also help us to produce energy.

They have a huge impact on your brain, your body and your energy levels.

What are the best vitamins for brain fog?

Fuel your brain right by drinking plenty of water and boosting your brain’s nutrients - especially with methylated B vitamins and acetyl-l -carnitine.

This can be a complete game changer.

If it’s the one thing you can manage to change, boost your nutrients.

Start with a multi-vitamin with added Acetyl-L-Carnitine.

Acetyl-L-Carnitine

Improves mental and physical energy, improves brain power, lowers inflammation, boosts circulation, increases mental focus and increases fat burning [28].

Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALC) plays a critical role in producing acetylcholine.

which may help improve mood, memory, prevent neuronal ageing, as well as help muscle strength.

It converts fat into energy and increases the activity of nerve cells in the central nervous system.

It plays a vital role in energy production and metabolism.

What can I take for brain fog?

Vitamin B Complex

Taking METHYLATED B vitamins is crucial to brain health and for clearing your brain fog - especially methylated B vitamins.

The body is a very complex machine, with various gears and switches that need to be all functioning properly to operate optimally. Think of methylation as the mechanism that turns biological switches on and off for a host of systems in the body.

What is methylation?

Methylated vitamins are the active versions of vitamins which your body can readily make use of, while un-methylated vitamins must go through a conversion process before your body can actually use them.

Sometimes this is the key that unlocks energy production in our brains and bodies.

Look for these words on the label:

These are the forms of the nutrients that help to optimise energy even if you have the genetic mutation that slows down the methylation cycle:

Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)

Vitamin B5 (Calcium pantothonate)

Vitamin B6 (pyridoxal 5’-phosphate)

Vitamin B9 Folate acid (L-5MTHF)

Vitamin B12 (methylcobalamin)

The most important B vitamins are:

Vitamin B9 (Folate acid L-5 MTHF)

Vital for cognitive functioning

Vitamin B12 (Methylcobalamin)

It helps with tiredness, fatigue and exhaustion by helping your body produce energy.

This is especially important for vegans and vegetarians as the main source of B12 in food is animal products.

Vitamin B1 (Thiamine HCL)

Low energy, brain fog, depression, tiredness and fatigue, PMS and sleep disorders may be signs of mild deficiency [12]

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin 5’-Phosphate)

Riboflavin helps our brain with energy and tiredness, mental clarity and a healthy mood [13]

Vitamin B3 (Niacin Nicotinamide)

Niacin helps us feel less tired as it boosts our brain with energy, mental clarity and a healthy mood [36].

Vitamin B5 (Calcium Pantothenate)

Enhances memory, reduces brain fog and fatigue helping with focus and concentration as part of the production of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine [14]. If you are lacking this vitamin it could lead to brain fog, low energy, fatigue and feeling tired all the time.

Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxal 5’-phosphate)

It is one of the vitamins you may be lacking if you are tired all the time.

Vitamin B7 (Biotin)

Depression, tiredness and fatigue are symptoms of low Biotin levels [2] and it is one of the vitamins that is indispensable for the normal functioning of the brain.

They are effective usually within one week of starting to take the supplements. And often people feel a difference the same day.

Other vitamins you may be lacking in if you have brain fog

Vitamin C (Calcium Ascorbate)

Vitamin C deficiency has been linked to depression, anxiety [7] and low energy levels [8].

It has also been shown to improve thinking and memory.

Vitamin D3

Having low or deficient vitamin D levels may negatively impact cognitive health and contribute to brain fog symptoms. People who have depression or depressive symptoms often experience brain fog symptoms such as poor concentration and memory problems.

CoQ10

CoQ10 is a compound in charge of producing energy in the cells of your body so boosting your body with this nutrient can be the missing link to explaining your brain fog, tiredness and exhaustion.

L-Tyrosine

If you are lacking tyrosine you can feel tired, have low mood and lost the joy for life.

Tyrosine turns into dopamine which helps you feel joyful, energised and motivated [31]. Dopamine also influences serotonin, and together, they play a central role in regulating your mood and energy levels [19].

Do you want to make life easier…

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Full of methylated B vitamins and the most active and bioavailable forms of all the vitamins all in one place

Energy Me has got all the vitamins you may be lacking if you are struggling with brain fog in just 2 easy to take capsules.

Energy Me

For someone who has had depression and anxiety pretty much all my life I find these tablets amazing.

Within 2 days of taking Energy Me I was amazed, as suddenly i had this burst of energy which I was so lacking.

Whereas before I would feel awful most days through lack of sleep, which would make my depression and anxiety worse, I now feel on top of the world because of Energy Me.

I feel so lucky that i stumbled across your products, and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the work you're doing.

I couldn't imagine not taking these now

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Yopto Verified Review

It’s pretty amazing how nutrients can help isn’t it?

We all tend to eat the same sorts of foods each week which means that over time we start to miss some crucial nutrients.

It means that we end up with deficiencies and gaps without even realising it.

This has a huge impact on how our bodies and brains work. We adjust and just think that it is our normal.

We think it’s just what we have to put up with.

But this isn’t the case. Just as you have changed from how you used to feel, you can change again to how you would like to feel.

Your brain is very responsive.

You are a unique ecosystem so you might have to experiment to see what works best for you.

If you start with making sure you shop for the ingredients so that when you open your fridge or larder cupboard you have everything there that is good for your brain, your choices become simple.

Giving yourself permission to rest is key to your recovery

Take a real break

Have you ever felt like you just couldn’t get yourself to focus on a task, no matter how hard you tried? Well, research suggests the solution isn’t to push through, keep going and try harder. The best way to recharge is to take a break.

A 2016 study suggested that stepping away from a task and taking a break can help your brain recharge to improve your performance, focus, and degree of self-control. But of course, that means not reaching for your phone in stead.

One 2019 study showed that reaching for a phone did not allow the brain to recharge as effectively as other types of relaxation.

To give your brain a real break, try:

Meditating - Just a few mindful minutes of breathing can increase your ability to concentrate
Calling a friend or loved one - social connection has been shown to improve brain function
Taking a power nap - give yourself permission to take a nap as they have been shown to strengthen memory retention and cognition
Doing something creative - try painting, writing, colouring, dancing, cooking, or lego to recharge your brain
Going outdoors - nature helps to reduce your stress levels and boost the GABA in your brain to help with brain fog
Get moving - a wide range of exercises have been shown to improve brain function. something as simple as going for a walk enhances brain function
Eat the rainbow - red and purple fruits and vegetable are high in antioxidants and help reduce the effects of oxidative stress in your brain