Hormonal Imbalances which Causes Brain Fog
When all your hormones are in perfect balance, they prevent brain fog along with a lot of other symptoms. Your brain may not function properly when your hormones go out of balance. At that moment, it is important to adjust your hormone levels else your body might suffer greatly. Brain fog may manifest in different ways such as weight climbs, memory sputters or energy drops.
Below are the four key hormones which can cause many symptoms along with brain fog if they are imbalanced.
• Insulin Block
Your insulin will surely spike if you consume too many refined carbohydrates. This makes your sugar level go from high to low which can cause brain fog. Everyone needs a little bit of sugar every day to be able to function properly. No matter how hard you try, your body does store fat. If you are fasting or dieting, it is reasonable to keep your sugar level around 70 to 85 mg/dl to avoid any other health issues. Always remember that too little or too much of insulin is not good for you.
• Low thyroid
Another reason behind your brain fog might be that your thyroid is not functioning properly. When your thyroid is low, your brain gets foggy too. Other symptoms which come along are weight gain, fatigue, depression, cognitive impairment, depression, irritability, constipation and intolerance to cold. The thyroid can be genetical. If you know anyone from your blood relatives who suffer from thyroid, it might be a good idea to get yourself tested as well.
• Cortisol Problems
You may experience brain fog when your cortisol is too high or too low in your body. The main cause of cortisol disbalance is high perceived stress. This disbalance causes brain fog, anxiety, addiction and memory problems. High stress can affect the function of your mitochondria which leads to low energy, reduced stamina, and less mental flexibility. While you may not feel stressed but it is always present in the form of sick parents or demanding schedule.
• Estrogen Resistance
As a woman reaches 40 years old, her brain starts to slow down in a metabolic rate which is also known as cerebral metabolism. One of the symptoms would be brain fog. For a matter of fact, estrogen is one of the most important nutrients that protect your brain from declining. Estrogen is also important when it comes to libido and sexuality in women.
How to clear the brain fog
Brain fog happens to anyone occasionally. However, if it is persistent then you should make a change in your brain-body diet. There are things which you can do to diminish the symptoms.
1. Eat properly
Too many toxins in your body can make you feel foggy. Once you start clearing the toxins, the fogginess will disappear as well. The best way to start doing so is by analyzing your food. The first step is to decrease inflammation by opting to eat for anti-inflammatory food which is rich in healthy carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
• Eat sea vegetables such as hijiki which protects the brain from the side effects of air pollution.
• Consume good fats such as coconut oil, olives, avocados, olive oil, and nuts.
• Cook with turmeric because it is one of the best anti-inflammatory spice.
• Eat healthy fibers as it is good for your gut flora.
• Include probiotics in your meals.
• Avoid sugar. It is pretty much present in ketchup and salad dressings. Get rid of all artificial sweeteners. Stop drinking diet soda.
• Stay away from alcohol.
• Decrease the intake of dairy and grains for 40 days. Slowly add them back to see how your body reacts to it. If you are still feeling foggy when you stopped consuming dairy and grains, try to cut down on soy and corn.
• Make sure that you turn off all your electronic devices one-hour prior to your sleeping time.
• Make sure that gluten is off your diet for a while, as for many people gluten might be the culprit behind brain fog.
• It is also high time that you start drinking much water for your body to stay hydrated.
In order to get rid of brain fog, it is advisable to consult your doctor so that the latter can prescribe multivitamins for the lack of vitamin B12 and D as well as you should consume sardines or salmon in order to be rich on Omega-3. Having some brain supplement such as magnesium will also be good for you especially if you are dealing with symptoms such as anxiety or depression. In order to manage your chronic stress, it will be beneficial is you start practicing some yoga or meditation. It will make you happier and smarter. You can start learning some mind-body relaxation techniques as well.