Brain Fog: Meaning, Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment
Posted By Suborna Fermi
Posted on Apr 02, 2025
What is the meaning of brain fog?
Brain fog is a series of symptoms that deeply impact one’s ability of thinking, concentrating and remembering. As the name suggests, it actually clouds your ability to think, which eventually increases your ability to perform common daily tasks naturally. Brain fog usually takes place after any type of illness or as an after-effect of certain medications like chemotherapy.
It’s not really possible to completely avoid brain fog, but any individual suffering from brain fog may consider taking necessary steps to improve physical health as well as mental health to stop the symptoms from turning severe.
What are some common symptoms of brain fog?
An individual suffering from brain fog may experience mild or severe stages of the below-mentioned symptoms.
- Confusion
- Forgetfulness
- Fatigue
- Mental exhaustion
- Feeling of losing the train of thought
- Difficulty to concentrate and focus
- Decreased reaction time
- Lack of ability to pay attention
What are the potential causes of brain fog?
As mentioned before, some health conditions, as well as certain medications, can be the reason for brain fog. Some of the conditions that may be the reason for brain fog may include
- Lack of sleep
- Autoimmune conditions like multiple sclerosis, lupus or fibromyalgia
- Mental health conditions like depression or anxiety
- Poor nutrition
- Hormonal changes after menopause or pregnancy
- Stress
- Poor nutrition
- Neurodivergent conditions like autism spectrum disorder or ADHD
Apart from all these, long-term suffering from Covid-19 and chemotherapy treatments can also be the reason for brain fog. Another research shows that brain fog can be caused by a particular type of virus that lives in the gut, and it changes the microbiome of an individual’s gut, which reduces the body’s serotonin production. It affects the cognitive function of the body, which may lead to the symptoms of brain fog.
How can we prevent brain fog?
Although no specific treatments are available to cure brain fog, bringing certain changes in diet and lifestyle habits can help you improve your immune system, which may help to reduce its impact and avoid its symptoms. Some of those preventive measures are mentioned below.
- You must get involved in at least 30 minutes of physical activity daily.
- You must eat nutritious and healthy meals.
- You must improve your sleep quality and get enough sleep every night.
- You can also seek medical attention to get psychotherapies like cognitive behavioral therapy
If none of these works, the medical professionals may recommend certain medications to you. However, they will also discuss the probable side effects of those medications on you. You may consult a reliable medical expert to fetch more necessary information in this regard.