What is Brain Fog
Brain fog, also known as Fibro Fog or Dyscognition, is a loss of lucidity or coherence when it comes to your normal everyday thought processes. Your thinking slows down and you lose the ability to focus. This may not seem like the end of the world to most. Doesn’t everyone have those moments where you forgot what you were looking for or why you went into a room? Short answer, yes. However, for individuals suffering from fibromyalgia it can be far more disruptive to their everyday lives.
Brain fog effects everyone differently, but it can affect things like your stress levels, sleep quality, and mental clarity. Things that seemed so easy before will begin to take more effort. When having conversations, words may come out jumbled and potentially sound slurred. Stroke patients, ADHD folks, and autoimmune spoonies may also experience a type of brain fog that causes the same symptoms.
If you have begun to experience brain fog regularly, first you should speak to your doctor about it so that it’s noted in your medical record. You can then ask your doctor for suggested ways to manage the dreaded “fibro fog.”
Most physicians will point you back to the basics and ask you the following questions:
How has your sleep been? Are you getting enough rest? If the answer is no, then what do you think could be the cause?
When was the last time you remember drinking water? And how much was it? Sadly, the water in iced coffee and tea doesn’t count.
Do you have any type of exercise scheduled in your routine? If so, how much do you do and how often?
These may seem like very simple things. But the simple things are very important in the long run and have a significant amount of influence over your brain’s health.
How to Cope With Brain Fog
Communicate with others. Let your friends and family know that you are dealing with brain fog issues so they can help you get things done. It’s especially helpful if you explain brain fog to them on a previous day, so they understand the signs and how to support you ahead of time.
Simplify your schedule. Take breaks to rest or recover. Go easy on yourself and delegate or delay tasks that are too overwhelming. Most things can wait for another day when you will have better focus.
Write everything down. For the next few days, try to pay attention to when you lose focus. That may seem like an oxymoron, but when you find yourself snapping back to attention. Write it down. Then ask yourself those three questions. Did I sleep well? Have I had water? When was the last time I moved? If you can’t answer any of those, it’s time to go back to the basics.
To help you keep track of things during a brain fog day, here’s a free printable:
To talk with other fibro fighters, join our support group on facebook.
Elizabeth “Mack” McKee lives in Connecticut with her husband Keven, stepson Gregor, and their yellow lab, Honey. She is the Operations Manager for Mystified Escape Rooms. When she isn’t writing or builidng props, she volunteers in the community with the New London Elks.
Thanks for sharing information on this topic. It’s good to be able to identify the symptoms when they arise.
Great tips! Brain fog can be so frustrating and it’s hard to remember what to even do when it arises!
I love that you included the tip of writing every single thing down. Unfortunately, I hadn’t heard anyone suggest that before. Instead, I figured it out on my own. So I really appreciate that you called out this tip and give it the attention it needs so that others learn about it. Maybe they will be relieved of having to figure this out on thier own. Writing down things is something I now live by. I’ll go through stretches when my memory is fine. Then it isn’t. And I get mad and frustrated with myself and my brain for needing to revert back to this happen. Then I try to remember this isn’t my fault. It isn’t my failure. That one is touch and I think it will be a lifelong process for me. Thanks again! Just discovered your website and I’m really impressed by it! Thank you so much for doing this, it is incredibly helpful!
Thanks,
Cindy