If you're a natural supplements enthusiast, you've probably heard of cannabidiol (CBD). You may even be using a CBD product to improve your overall wellbeing.
CBD's popularity has blown through the roof over the last ten years as people learn more about its healthy properties.
There's no doubt that CBD is incredibly versatile. So, what about brain fog? Can CBD help with brain fog?
What is brain fog?
Brain fog describes a sluggish or slow-thinking state of mind. Brain fog makes you feel disorganized or confused; you may also lack mental clarity. This condition affects your ability to think, focus, and concentrate.
Sometimes, even getting the right words to express your thoughts may be a challenge.
Brain fog can be caused by sleep deprivation or sickness. It could also be due to the side effects of certain medication, chemotherapy, or a concussion from an accident. Luckily, it is not a serious medical condition and often goes away by itself.
In short, brain fog is a symptom of sleep deprivation, nutrient deficiency, thyroid condition, depression, chronic stress, and poor diet.
Causes of brain fog and fatigue
Brain fog can be blamed on people's current lifestyles. Constant exposure to harmful elements like electromagnetic radiation, stress, and sedentary lifestyles increase the risk of getting brain fog.
However, the leading causes of brain fog are:
Sleep deprivation
For your brain to function properly, it needs enough rest. This happens when you sleep.
However, sleeping too much can also make you feel foggy. Doctors recommend 7-9 hours of sleep for anyone to function properly. Therefore, ensure you get the right amount of sleep.
While at it, try to make your sleep restful and fulfilling.
Stress
Being stressed or depressed is mentally exhausting. When you are mentally exhausted, it becomes hard to focus or concentrate on your daily activities.
Further, if you are sad, anxious, or feeling hopeless for two weeks straight or more, you might be dealing with depression. Seek medical attention as soon as possible.
Lack of vitamin B12
The human body needs a lot of nutrients to stay healthy. One very important nutrient is vitamin B12, which plays a role in maintaining healthy blood and nerves.
So, if you are not getting enough vitamin B12, you may find it difficult to focus or concentrate.
Other problems associated with vitamin B12 deficiency are feeling weak or tired, muscle weakness, and walking difficulties. To prevent these complications, ensure you pack your diet with dairy products like meat, eggs, and milk.
It would help if you also got checked to determine whether your body is properly absorbing vitamin B12.
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Being chronically fatigued—mentally and physically for at least six months—is a major cause of brain fog. Other than problems with focus, memory, and thinking.
Other symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome are:
- Sleeping but not feeling rested enough
- Feeling exhausted for no clear reason
- Muscle or joint pains and sometimes sore throat
Unfortunately, there's no cure for chronic fatigue syndrome. However, you can improve things by doing brain training and specialized physical exercises.
Medications
Some medications like anticholinergics can make you foggy. Some of these medications hinder the proper functioning of transmitters in the brain, making it difficult to think clearly.
Chemotherapy is also a major cause of brain fog, as the medicines often leave the patient feeling foggy and fuzzy. Some over-the-counter allergy medications can also cause brain fog.
If you are using antidepressants, you may experience brain fogginess. Talking to your doctor about the brain fog is important. In most cases, your doctor may recommend that the dose be reduced or the medication be switched with another.
Brain fog symptoms
It's pretty easy to tell when you have brain fog. Here is a list of symptoms to watch out for:
Fatigue
When you are mentally and physically tired for more than six months, your brain loses the ability to think clearly. On most days, you feel like you are in a maze; you feel lost, unclear, and disoriented.
Anxiety
Brain fog can also trigger anxiety. You feel anxious and can't seem to concentrate or think clearly. Anxiety uses so many mental resources that it's usually double tragedy for a person with brain fog.
Anxiety makes it hard to finish the easiest of tasks because even the willpower to concentrate on the job is absent. Brain fog is quite common, but people with anxiety tend to get it more often.
Loss of focus
As already mentioned, brain fog is a lack of mental clarity that makes it hard to focus or even remember. You find yourself trying to focus on everything simultaneously, which only worsens the problem.
The way around this is to slow down and focus all your attention on a specific task until you are done.
Insomnia
When you can't focus on one thing and have so many thoughts racing through your mind, it becomes difficult for your brain to shut down. This is a recipe for disaster because you need enough sleep to function and stay focused.
People who experience brain fog don't get enough sleep. And so begins a vicious cycle that drags you deeper and deeper into misery.
Headaches
With brain fog, you are constantly thinking, albeit not clearly. You are always tired because you don't get enough sleep.
Even a normal person gets a headache when sleep-deprived and exhausted. So, imagine how bad it gets for a person with brain fog.
Trouble retaining information
The simple task of retaining information happens when you can focus. But since brain fog messes up your ability to focus, you will be hard-pressed to retain much information.
Scattered thoughts
Scattered thoughts is one of the least discussed brain fog symptoms, but it's probably the most lethal. Not being able to focus on one thing at a time means your train of thought doesn't go the whole nine yards.
You end up having like ten trains of thought, but none gets to be concluded. This can be quite exhausting.
Treatments for brain fog
Brain fog often clears on its own eventually. However, here is a list of things you can do to fast-track the process:
Reducing alcohol and caffeine intake
Caffeine is a stimulant that gives you a boost of energy in the morning or during the day. However, if you are dealing with brain fog, you should reduce your caffeine intake past certain hours during the day.
It takes around 7 hours to get the caffeine out of your system. This means if you take coffee in the evening, you may not get enough sleep. If you're lucky enough to sleep, you will still wake up tired since you had disturbed sleep.
When treating brain fog, you should stay away from alcohol. For starters, alcohol impedes the ability to think even in a normal person. This means alcohol makes brain fog worse and should be avoided when you embark on recovery.
Take a break from screens
Too much TV is exhausting and unhealthy because it exposes you to electromagnetic radiation, which worsens brain fog. The light emitted by the screens strains your eyes and can cause headaches.
If you can't take screen breaks during the day, ensure you avoid the TV, laptop, or cellphone 2 hours before bedtime.
Implementing an exercise routine
Physical exercises are great for a strong body and mind. Exercising gets your blood flowing and allows oxygen-rich blood to reach the brain. Engage in aerobic exercises frequently because these make the brain produce a lot of adrenaline.
A combination of energy and adrenaline has been shown to enhance memory. To reduce brain fog, exercise to activate your parasympathetic nervous system. This system engages during rest relaxation to calm your body and mind.
Brain exercises (puzzles, crosswords, etc.)
Like every muscle in your body, the brain needs constant exercise to strengthen. So the more you exercise your brain, the stronger it becomes. This safeguards it from the effects of aging, such as memory loss.
Recent studies show that engaging your brain with crosswords and puzzles improves its functioning. It is important to do lots of brain games to improve your cognitive functioning.
Focusing on your work for shorter periods and taking regular breaks is healthy. You get a lot done since you can concentrate better and give your eyes a break from too much screen time.
Managing stress
Stress is one of the causes of brain fog. If you manage your stress, you are halfway through treating the brain fog. Talking to a mental health specialist or family and friends goes a long way in handling stress.
Self-reflection and journaling are equally useful techniques when seeking to pinpoint the cause of your stress.
Natural supplements
Sometimes the body does not produce or absorb the nutrients needed for proper brain functioning. That's where natural supplements come in. These supplements help in improving motor skills and brain functioning.
Natural supplements also drive up your energy levels and improve your mood and memory. Examples of natural supplements you should take when dealing with brain fog are:
- Fish oil
- Choline bitartrate
- Ginkgo biloba extract
- L-Theanine
- Vitamin B
- Vitamin B complex
- Vitamin D
- Gamma oryzanol
Essential oils
Essential oils have been used to improve your mental state for years. They can be used to keep one focused and clear mental fog. Essential oils are also excellent for people who want to improve their sleep quality.
Their powerful scents can better your focus and concentration while relaxing the mind and easing stress. The best thing about essential oils is that they are readily available.
There's a variety to pick from, and they also tend to have longer shelf lives. Some of the best essential oils for mental clarity are rosemary, peppermint, frankincense, lavender, and lemon.
Better sleep habits
Sleep deprivation does a lot of harm to the human body and, specifically, the brain. So, try always to get a good night's sleep. Start by creating a routine of going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, even on weekends.
Keep off electronics an hour or two before sleep to reduce the risk of insomnia. Avoid alcohol and caffeine as they interfere with your sleep. If you have trouble sleeping, have white noise in the background and ensure your room is pitch black.
CBD
CBD oil being studied for its potential use against brain fog. As mentioned, brain fog results from many issues preventing the brain from functioning well. CBD oil is being studied for its potential to help alleviate some symptoms associated with brain fog.
Can CBD help with brain fog?
CBD is believed to help reduce brain fog symptoms by how it interacts with the endocannabinoid system and influences brain function. It does this in four main ways:
Reducing inflammation and imbalances
Not only does inflammation affect your body, but it also affects your brain, causing brain fog. The endocannabinoid system helps by keeping any type of inflammation in check.
When there's a blockage or an imbalance, CBD is believed to help by unblocking, regulating, and controlling the inflammation leaving your body relaxed and without inflammation.
Increasing brain cell production
CBD may alter the brain's activity and connective patterns. It is also being studies for its ability to promote the production of new brain cells.
Anxiety and stress relief
The other way CBD helps with brain fog is by promoting relief from symptoms associated with stress and anxiety. Adequate and prolonged consumption of CBD may relieve mental exhaustion and improve overall cognitive functioning.
Promoting a healthy sleep
As earlier noted, sleep deprivation is the most common cause of brain fog. So naturally, the first thing to do is ensure you get enough sleep. Luckily CBD may support a healthy sleep cycle.
CBD oil for brain fog
Now that you know more about brain fog, here serious CBD products to help with brain fog.
Our Premium CBD Gummies are made from broad spectrum or full spectrum CBD and organic ingredients sourced from the USA. Formulated and crafted by top cannabis experts in the industry, they are your gateway to a stress-free day and a calmer night.
Clear brain fog with a gummy in the morning and another in the evening. Modify your dose if necessary but remember that consistent use is the key to realizing results.
Our FOCL Day is the perfect blend of energetic adaptogens and premium hemp CBD to help you beat the brain fog, fight fatigue, regain focus, and power through your day with amazing clarity. Like all CBD products, consistency is the secret to unleashing FOCL Day's benefits. Start with two capsules a day with a glass of water.
Our Premium CBD Drops are made for the discerning user. So it's a simple but effective combination of premium hemp CBD and MCT oil for a much faster delivery into your systemic circulation. These oil drops work wonders with daily stressors and make you feel relaxed faster than you'd expect.
