Strictly speaking, brain fog is not a medical condition itself, but rather a symptom of other medical conditions. It is essentially a type of cognitive dysfunction involving memory problems, lack of mental clarity, poor concentration and/or inability to focus.
“Brain fog” can make you feel like you are sleepwalking through life. People with this symptom often report feeling tired, difficulty focusing, forgetfulness, or have hazy thought processes. With brain fog, even simple tasks can become a challenge. When you can’t concentrate, mental tasks can feel like a moving target. Rather than being able to hone in and focus, your mind constantly wanders off, making it difficult to get anything done.” Instead of feeling sharp and active like you normally would, you feel “off”: dull, unmotivated, unproductive, and maybe depressed. In this state, all of your day’s tasks and activities blur together, making it seem like you are living in slow motion.
Brain fog can have many possible causes, including health conditions like hypothyroidism or depression. Factors related to lifestyle—like long-term stress or your diet—can also cloud your thinking. Some people also describe it as mental fatigue. Depending on the severity of brain fog, it can interfere with work or school.
Chronic stress can increase blood pressure, weaken the immune system, and trigger depression. It can also cause mental fatigue. When your brain is exhausted, it becomes harder to think, reason, and focus.
Poor sleep quality can also interfere with how well your brain functions. Aim for 8 to 9 hours of sleep per night. Sleeping too little can lead to poor concentration and cloudy thoughts.
Hormonal changes can also trigger brain fog. Levels of the hormones progesterone and estrogen increase during pregnancy. This change can affect memory and cause short-term cognitive impairment. Similarly, a drop in estrogen level during menopause can cause forgetfulness, poor concentration, and cloudy thinking.
Diet can also play a role in brain fog. Vitamin B-12 supports healthy brain function, and a vitamin B12 deficiency can bring about brain fog.
Brain fog may be a known side effect of the drug. Lowering your dosage or switching to another drug may improve your symptoms.
Brain fog can also occur after cancer treatments. This is referred to as chemo brain. Medical conditions associated with inflammation, fatigue, or changes in blood glucose level can also cause mental fatigue. For example, brain fog is a symptom of chronic fatigue syndrome, which involves persistent fatigue for longer than six months. People who have fibromyalgia may experience similar fogginess on a daily basis. Other conditions that may cause brain fog include: depression, migraines, hypothyroidism, anemia, diabetes, migraines, lupus, dehydration.
Depersonalization-derealization disorder occurs when one persistently or repeatedly has the feeling that he is observing himself from outside his body or he has a sense that things around him are not real, or both. Feelings of depersonalization and derealization can be very disturbing and may feel like he is living in a dream. Persons with this condition may also complain of brain fog.
It will be good if you can seek treatment from a family physician who can evaluate you and exclude the common causes of brain fog. He or she may then refer you to a psychiatrist for further treatment if he thinks that psychiatric condition is the main culprit in your situation.
