What causes “brain fog”?

If you’re unfamiliar with the phrase, Brain Fog is a term used for those moments when your thoughts become suddenly unclear. You become unfocused. Simple math somehow becomes challenging.
It’s a scary feeling for most people — a sudden loss of control of the most important part of their body. As we get older, these moments become more common, but dismissing them as a normal part of aging can be a mistake. People remain sharp well into their 90's.

So what’s the cause? What makes the difference between that sharp-minded 90-something and the 30-something that gets recurring episodes of forgetfulness?

There are several, and if you get Brain Fog yourself, you may need to do some experimentation before you find the one that’s been affecting you, but I assure you it is well worth it to finally feel as though you can make it through each day without having a ‘senior moment’.
Here are some of the biggest causes as well as some suggestions for solving the problem.

LACK OF SLEEP, OR TOO MUCH

I’ve gone over this so many times on this blog that if you’re honestly still trying to get away with less than six hours of sleep all I have for you is a sort of disappointed roll of the eyes. If you haven’t gotten the message that you need sleep by now, I must refer you to this article, as well as this gif:

Now I haven’t harped too much on getting an overabundance of sleep, but recent sleep guidelines have made it clear that getting too much sleep can absolutely cause Brain Fog and fatigue.
For adults you really don’t need much more than 9 hours of sleep, so aim for that as your maximum. If you are one of those who struggles no matter what time you wake up, I recommend the Sleep Time App, which monitors your sleep and attempts to wake you at the right time in your sleep cycles so that you don’t wake up feeling groggy. It will also present you with loads of info on your sleeping habits.

STRESS
Stress is often called the silent killer in American culture, and its damage on the body is constantly being discovered to be more and more harmful.

Nootropic Caffeine Energy Gum is the best Stress reliever.

This is most apparent in your brain. Sadly when you seem to need it most, your brain shuts down in face of too much stress, bombarded with the hormones your body is releasing.
If you feel that stress is likely the cause of your Brain Fog, check out our 5 favorite techniques to relax in the face of stress.