Brain fog is essentially inflammation of the brain. You may feel fatigued, distracted, moody or just plain “off”. Other symptoms include low energy, headaches, trouble sleeping, poor memory, and anxiety. A hangover is an example of extreme brain inflammation. Alcohol is a neurotoxin, and the way you feel the next day is due to brain inflammation. Most people with a hangover have a hard time thinking clearly, have a headache, and are moving slowly. There are many other things that can cause brain inflammation including poor food choices, insufficient quality sleep, a blow to the head, allergies, and mold exposure. Luckily, it is easy to reduce inflammation in the brain and eliminate brain fog.
Balance Your Blood Sugar
Making a habit of eating foods that spike your blood sugar can rapidly lead to inflammation in the brain. You can help keep your blood sugar balanced by eating a healthy diet full fiber rich vegetables and avoiding sugar and simple carbohydrates. Staying hydrated is another way to balance your blood sugar and it is important for brain health as well. Hydration also helps control sugar cravings and promotes healthy circulation. Try adding lemon to your water for extra benefits. Lemon water provides electrolytes that helps communication between your cells. This is important because the brain communicates with itself, and the rest of the body, through electrical signals and requires adequate amounts of electrolytes to do so.
Movement
Exercise sends oxygen to the brain and actually repairs damage. It lowers inflammation and increases energy levels. Any kind is helpful, so start where you are now. Even a walk or gently jumping on a min-trampoline will help reduce stress, lift your mood, and increase blood flow to the brain. Over time, increase the variety and intensity of your exercise. The increase in blood flow and oxygen to the brain will help eliminate brain fog. If you’re sitting all day at your job, make sure to get up and get moving for a couple of minutes every hour. Take a walk, raise your arms over your head, or do some quick air squats. You’ll feel more alert and will be ready to get back to work.
Essential Oils
Essential oils can be a quick and convenient, yet powerful way, to quickly eliminate brain fog. Just diffusing certain essential oils and inhaling them can help by opening up your air passages, dilating blood vessels in the sinuses, and allowing more oxygen to get up into your brain. All while providing anti-stress and anti-oxidant benefits at the same time. One of the most popular oils for this purpose is peppermint. Just inhaling a food grade peppermint essential oil and you can feel the stimulation almost instantly. Some other great essential oils to try are eucalyptus, rosemary, balsam fir, or citrus. For nighttime brain support and relaxation, lavender oil can also be a great one.
Protein and Health Fats
We all require a steady supply of amino acids and essential fatty acids in order to make all of the brain chemicals we need to think clearly. Essential amino acids are particularly important because your body can’t make them on their own. Good food sources of essential amino acids are meat, dairy products, fish and eggs. Goji berries, or wolf berries, also contain all 8 essential amino acids. This makes them a healthy alternative for meeting your daily protein requirements.
DHA is a type of an Omega-3 fatty acid and is anti-inflammatory for the brain. It can be found in wild-caught fish, grass-fed eggs or beef, olive and coconut oil, avocados, and certain nuts/seeds. Unfortunately, the majority of people eat too many of the inflammatory Omega-6 fatty acids found in processed and fast foods. Do your best to eliminate these type of oils which include corn, safflower, sunflower, grapeseed, soy, peanut, and vegetable oil.
Supplements
If you’re eating a healthy diet, avoiding allergens, getting good sleep and exercising, but still experiencing brain fog, there are some supplements you may want to try. B vitamins help convert nutrients from the foods you eat into usable fuel for the body, so taking a B complex supplement can make sure you’re in the optimal range. Taking an adaptogenic plant based supplement like maca, ashwaghanda, or holy basil can help the body in a variety of ways. These plants support brain health and brain function and reduce stress and inflammation in the body.
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