A deficiency in several nutrients could potentially contribute to brain fog, including vitamin D, vitamin B12, iron, and omega-3 fatty acids. Low levels of magnesium, vitamin C, and choline may also cause brain fog, but more research is needed.
Commonly referred to as brain fog, slow cognition or difficulty with concentration and memory can all indicate magnesium deficiency. Magnesium is an essential nutrient for the brain, so without it the brain cannot perform as well.
Getting adequate sleep can go a long way towards curing many cases of brain fog. There are several ways you can improve your sleep: Reduce your caffeine intake. We all seem to run on caffeine, and even though it wakes us up, it could contribute to insomnia, stress, anxiety, and even full-blown panic attacks.
People usually recover from brain fog. You may get similar symptoms after other infections, a minor head injury or during the menopause. Brain fog is also common if you have depression, anxiety or stress. While recovering from coronavirus (COVID-19), some people experience brain fog.
Changes to thinking, memory, and attention can affect your relationships, your everyday tasks, and your return to work or school. These challenges may go away in weeks or last for months.
Iron deficiency anemia
Low iron intake resulting from diet and accelerated iron loss, which occurs through bleeding or breastfeeding, are the main causes of iron deficiency. The first symptoms of iron deficiency anemia tend to be neurological resulting in brain fog and fatigue.
#9: Frequent brain fog
A lack of zinc can lead to foggy thinking and memory problems. Because zinc is so important to cognitive function, zinc supplementation has also been successful in improving the symptoms of ADHD.
B vitamins: does vitamin B12 help with brain fog? Yes! Your body needs sufficient levels of vitamin B12 for healthy nerve function, and deficiencies are linked with cognitive decline, slowed thinking and poor memory.
Refining or processing of food may deplete magnesium content by nearly 85%. Furthermore, cooking, especially boiling of magnesium-rich foods, will result in significant loss of magnesium. The processing and cooking of food may therefore explain the apparently high prevalence of low magnesium intake in many populations.
Nassar says that taking a magnesium supplement every day likely isn't unsafe for most people. Just be sure you're not taking too much magnesium. The maximum dietary allowance for most adults is around 400 mg or less.
Magnesium supplements should be taken with meals. Taking magnesium supplements on an empty stomach may cause diarrhea.
The good news is that the vast majority of patients with post-COVID-19 brain fog recover completely over the course of 6 to 9 months. There is a small segment of patients of all ages that experience brain fog persistently for up to 2 years (as of the time of blog post).
What does this mean for your neck and headaches? When the neck is out of alignment then the information system from your brain to your body- your nervous system, can't do its job. This can lead to poor circulation, headaches, brain fog, sleep apnea, jaw tension and tight shoulders.
Brain fog can be a symptom of a nutrient deficiency, sleep disorder, bacterial overgrowth from overconsumption of sugar, depression, or even a thyroid condition. Other common brain fog causes include eating too much and too often, inactivity, not getting enough sleep, chronic stress, and a poor diet.
Sixty-eight percent said they had headaches, and more than half said they had problems with loss of taste and smell, numbness or tingling, and muscle pain. Most were women, with an average age of 43. Less common symptoms included dizziness, blurred vision and tinnitus (ringing in the ears).
Having brain fog or feeling like your memory is slipping when you're in your 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, or even in your 80s is common, but it's not normal. It can be a sign of impending doom. If you live to the age of 85, you have a nearly 50% chance of being diagnosed with Alzheimer's or another form of dementia.