8 Ways to Beat Brain Fog and Get Your Mind Back
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Yesterday, I noticed something extraordinary. For the past five years, I’ve frequently driven a challenging seven-hour drive between a small mountain town and my hometown of Vancouver, Canada.
For most of the drive, I listen to electronic dance music to stay alert and engaged. Here and there, I slip in a podcast or an audio app to practice my Italian. I can’t normally sustain that type of attention for long. As soon as my brain starts getting tired, I switch back to high-energy music.
Yesterday, I navigated the first two mountain passes in contented silence and then tuned into one of Stanford neurobiologist Andrew Huberman’s long-form Huberman Lab podcasts.
For two hours, my brain eagerly processed complex information on vagus nerve anatomy, neurophysiology, and function. Next, I listened to an episode on dopamine. Rather than feeling tired, I felt stimulated. My own dopamine levels rose from the deep pleasure of learning.
Next, I listened to some other podcasts, mixing Italian practice in between. Only in the final half hour did I finally turn on some low-key music.
Earlier this week, I was talking to a coaching client about increasing her cognitive performance and mentioned that I no longer find myself searching for words. My overall focus and attention have improved, as well as my memory.
I need a high-performing brain to do my work—and earn a living—and over the past few years I’ve proactively pulled multiple lifestyle and medical levers that I believe have had an impact.
Here are eight of my favorite, evidence-based ways to transform brain fog and lagging cognitive capacity into increasing clarity and sharpness:
1. Improve the Quality of Your Sleep
In the past two years, I drastically improved my sleep quality, with the help of my Apple watch and a sleep tracking app. I observed, over and over again, that alcohol destroys my sleep, as does being sedentary. If I move throughout the day (10,000 steps or more), get some cardio in, avoid sugar, eat a light, early dinner, and keep a consistent sleep schedule, I sleep like a baby.
2. Get Rid of Toxic Stress (or People)
When you regularly feel unsafe, be it a result of a relationship, situation, or circumstance, your brain and body live in chronic sympathetic activation (aka chronic fight or flight mode). This continual activation of the brain’s limbic system suppresses the performance of your prefrontal cortex, suppressing executive function and other cognitive abilities. It also impacts your sleep.
3. Test Iron Levels and Thyroid Function
Like many women, I’ve had chronically low iron stores my entire adult life. Low iron levels lead to chronic fatigue and issues with focus and memory. Finally, last year, a doctor I was seeing insisted that I get an iron infusion. My exercise capacity increased, and my mental clarity improved.
An under-functioning thyroid is also a common cause of low mood, fatigue, and brain fog.
4. If You’re a Woman in Midlife, Get Evaluated for Perimenopause
Progesterone is usually the first hormone to drop, sometimes as early as age 35. This can increase anxiety and negatively impact sleep. Hot flashes and night sweats can also decrease sleep quality.
Decreasing estrogen levels are a primary reason for the classic “where did I leave my keys” and “why did I just walk into this room” brain fog and declining cognitive capacity in perimenopause and menopause.
I’m still in perimenopause and have been on progesterone for years, and recently added in some estradiol when my natural estrogen levels fell. I’m sure this is a key reason that my cognition has improved so much.
5. Practice Mindfulness Daily
Focus-based mindfulness practices are like push-ups for the brain. Whether you’re following your breath, doing a body scan, or listening to a guided audio, even just one session of focused practice can have significant cognitive benefits. I do a 20-minute “non-sleep deep rest” mindfulness practice every morning.
6. Eat Brain Food
I have a history of depression, anxiety, burnout, and trauma. My first degree before medical school was in dietetics, and I’ve used an anti-inflammatory, Mediterranean style of eating to support my brain and mood for decades. This way of eating is known to slow cognitive decline.
I soon notice the negative impact when I switch from my usual diet of fish, chicken, vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains, and olive oil to refined carbs, processed foods, red meats, and high-fat dairy. The same goes for alcohol, which I’ve largely eliminated.
7. Exercise in Nature
It’s well established that aerobic exercise significantly enhances cognitive capacity. Get out and move in a natural setting to potentially double that impact. When I’m in the mountains, this one’s easy. When I’m in the city, I take my daily hill walk around a local park.
8. Learn Something New
I suspect that in my case, this might be the magic ingredient.
Over the past year, I resurrected my lifelong dream of spending time in Italy and started traveling there again. I’ve been learning and practicing Italian daily using a language app. Last month, I spent 10 days in southern Italy, in essentially full language immersion.
Learning a new language enhances brain executive function, boosts memory and multitasking, increases cognitive flexibility, and may also delay cognitive decline.
If you’ve noticed that your brain just isn’t what it used to be, please see a doctor. And, do everything that you can to support your mind. You really do have a lot of personal power to power healthy change in your brain.
By Dr. Susan Biali Haas, MD