Brain Fog
Long Covid, Autoimmune disorders (Lupus, MS), Chemotherapy, Lyme Disease
Coaching to help manage your life
Brain Fog
If you’re feeling sluggish and forgetful, easily distracted or completely overwhelmed by mundane tasks, you may be experiencing a common phenomenon known as brain fog.
“It’s becoming a neurological health crisis,”
said Dr. Michelle Monje, a neurologist at Stanford University who has studied both chemotherapy- and coronavirus-related cognitive impairment.
— New york Times 9/13/22
Temporary Causes of Brain Fog
Brain Fog can occur due to a variety of reasons. According to a recent New York Times article (9/18/22), brain fog can be caused by a few nights of bad sleep, jet lag, and the common cold. Most of us have experienced this type of brain fog.
Chronic brain fog
disrupts your life, your ability to function at home, work, and socially
Fortunately there are many ways to combat the effects of brain fog. Many of those strategies are very similar to those used with folks with ADHD or other Executive Functioning deficits.
Brain Fog is also common in the following:
Autoimmune Disorders:
Lupus
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Arthritis
Type 2 Diabetes
Crohn’s Disease
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Lyme Disease
Chemotherapy
Covid-19 and Long Covid Brain Fog
Chronic brain fog is affecting 20-30% of all covid patients and up to 65% of long covid patients (NY Times 9/18/22).
My experience with brain fog.
I was diagnosed with IBS around age 19. I’ve been living with and managing brain fog symptoms for over 20 years. The term “brain fog” didn’t enter my lexicon until I discovered the work and products from Dave Asprey, founder of Bulletproof.
Awareness of what I was experiencing gave me the power to do something about it. I’ve been working for 15 years to manage, treat, and hack my way around brain fog. In 2005 I was diagnosed with ADHD. In 2018, I was finally diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder. The doctors believe I had been living with it for a long time.
Brain Fog greatly disrupted my life. Fatigue, indecisiveness, overwhelm, social anxiety, inability to keep up at work and with my friends are just some of the major life disruptions I experienced.
I wish I could say I found a cure. I have not. But I have figured out how to drastically diminish the effects of brain fog and how to hack my way back to thriving in life. It’s taken a lot of time, research, experimenting on myself, and a lot of money.
I don’t believe there’s any one way that works for all. I do think a lot of the things I have figured out work for many.
Dr. Michelle Monje (quoted above) when talking about treating brain fog went on to state that “some patients have also found relief taking medications used to treat A.D.H.D. and other attention issues.”
When my father was going through chemotherapy, he was prescribed a common ADHD medication to help with his brain fog symptoms.
