While everyone has moments where they “space out” and misplace their keys or forget the name of someone they met recently, “brain fog” is a real thing – one associated with a number of conditions including Celiac’s disease(1), chronic fatigue syndrome(2), and postural tachycardia syndrome(3), among others.
Symptoms of brain fog include absent-mindedness, impaired memory, difficulty processing new information, fatigue, and disorientation.
Good cognitive function depends on a number of factors, from diet to exercise to getting enough rest. Here are some steps you can take to combat brain fog:
1. Get Plenty Of Exercise
“In animal models, physical activity enhances memory and learning, promotes neurogenesis and protects the nervous system from injury and neurodegenerative disease,” one article explains. “Neurotrophins, endogenous proteins that support brain plasticity likely mediate the beneficial effects of exercise on the brain.
In clinical studies, exercise increases brain volume in areas implicated in executive processing, improves cognition in children with cerebral palsy and enhances phonemic skill in school children with reading difficulty.”(4)
Getting plenty of exercise is key to maintaining a clear mind and healthy brain function, but moderation is key – too much exercise can result in elevated levels of stress hormones which can cause cognitive impairment themselves.