Brain Fog

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What is Brain Fog?

Brain Fog isn’t an official medical term but is a commonly used name to define symptoms contributing to struggles with fatigue, cognitive function and memory. Brain fog can contribute to feelings of confusion, inability to organise thoughts and actions and to put thoughts clearly into words as well as a lack of energy and vitality.  Activities of daily living become much harder to engage with. 

Symptoms of Brain Fog

  • Reduced cognitive function
  • ‘Wooly’ Head
  • Lack of mental clarity and sharpness
  • Feeling disconnected
  • Trouble reacalling memories
  • Trouble concentrating on tasks
  • Decreased energy or fatigue
  • Trouble multi-tasking
  • Everything taking more effort
  • Trouble tracking what you are doing
  • Compromised decision making

Causes of Brain Fog 

Current research suggests that depression is caused by a number of factors including genetics, biology, environment, and psychological.

  • Auto-immune response eg Lupus
  • Inflammatory Responses 
  • Chemo Brain – after cancer treatment
  • Chronic stress, anxiety, depression
  • Certain medical conditions and medications
  • Hormonal changes e.g. Menopause, pregnancy, decrease in testosterone levels
  • Chronic Fatigue (CFS), Fibromyalgia
  • Long Covid
  • Poor sleep
  • Histamine Reactions
  • Burnout 

Brain Fog Treatment

Depending on the causes of your brain fog there are be a few approaches that can be helpful

NeurOptimal Neurofeedback can be fantastic for brain fog. I have worked with people with chemo brain, C-PTSD, chronic anxiety, eating disorder, CFS, peak performance, long Covid and NeurOptimal helps because it directly trains the brain to harness its ability to self regulate and balance, no matter the cause of brain fog. The brain continues to learn and change over our lifetime and it is this neuroplasticity that neurofeedback helps with. Our brain and nervous system are designed to rise to challenges and then to re-balance, regardless of whether those challenges are internal or external. NeurOptimal helps the brain harness its natural capacity for flexibility and change. Helping your brain and nervous system return to resilience means that some cases of brain fog will he helped significantly or clear altogether.

Breathwork uses different breathing techniques to help regulate the nervous system. We know that the vagus nerve, the seat of our parasympathetic nervous system and our ability to return to calm after stress runs throughout our respiratory system and that breathing in certain ways changes activates and balances parasympathetic activity and cognitive function. In my practice I have seen breathwork help people become more energised and mentally sharp as well as to help others find calm and inner quiet.. Breathing is also free and accessible all the time so, once you learn the exercises, they are a very handy way to regulate the nervous system and emotions 24/7.

Brainspotting is a therapy technique that targets how the brain processes emotions and memories. Using eye position to find activated ‘brain spots’ for emotions or sensations in the body means that the brain can be harnessed to balance the source of depression in the deeper brain areas without interference from the conscious ‘thinking’ mind.