When anxiety monopolizes the brain, other tasks suffer—including processing information, concentration, paying attention, and remembering. The result can feel like brain fog, a state that causes people to act spaced-out, distracted, or forgetful.
A 2019 study suggests that anxiety can disrupt cognitive processes — such as thinking, problem-solving, and decision making — which could lead to foggy thinking. The brain is so busy processing anxious thoughts that it has little room left for these other functions.
Because brain fog is a common symptom of anxiety and chronic stress, it needn't be a cause for concern. It will subside when the body's stress has returned to a healthy level. Yes, brain fog and foggy head can be uncomfortable and interfere with thinking. But, they aren't harmful.
Anxiety has also been linked to chemical imbalances in the brain and body. Scientists have found connections between anxiety and some strange physical, cognitive, and emotional sensations that seem to mainly affect the head.
Brain fog anxiety happens when a person feels anxious and also has difficulty concentrating or thinking clearly. Many conditions may cause anxiety and brain fog, including mental health diagnoses and physical illnesses. It is normal to experience occasional brain fog and anxiety, especially during times of high stress.
In some cases, the emotions become so severe they lead to a panic attack, a sort of weaponized anxiety that hits fast and hard and includes such symptoms as dizziness, rapid heart rate, depersonalization or out-of-body experience and a fear of losing control or dying.
Brain fog can be a symptom of a nutrient deficiency, sleep disorder, bacterial overgrowth from overconsumption of sugar, depression, or even a thyroid condition. Other common brain fog causes include eating too much and too often, inactivity, not getting enough sleep, chronic stress, and a poor diet.
While spacing out can simply be a sign that you are sleep deprived, stressed, or distracted, it can also be due to a transient ischemic attack, seizure, hypotension, hypoglycemia, migraine, transient global amnesia, fatigue, narcolepsy, or drug misuse.
How long brain fog lasts can vary from person to person. A common duration is a range from several days to a few weeks. You can clear the fog sooner rather than later by making positive lifestyle changes and taking care of yourself, especially your brain.
People usually recover from brain fog. You may get similar symptoms after other infections, a minor head injury or during the menopause. Brain fog is also common if you have depression, anxiety or stress. While recovering from coronavirus (COVID-19), some people experience brain fog.
Vertigo may cause you to feel like you are floating, tilting, swaying, or whirling. Most cases of vertigo are caused by inner ear disorders, which send signals to your brain that aren't consistent with the signs your eyes and sensory nerves are receiving.
Having low magnesium levels may negatively affect brain health. Supplementing with magnesium may help reduce certain symptoms of brain fog.
A deficiency in several nutrients could potentially contribute to brain fog, including vitamin D, vitamin B12, iron, and omega-3 fatty acids. Low levels of magnesium, vitamin C, and choline may also cause brain fog, but more research is needed.
Magnesium Threonate is one of the best for neurological issues, particularly because it has a high absorption rate and can penetrate the blood-brain barrier.
feeling tense, nervous or unable to relax. having a sense of dread, or fearing the worst. feeling like the world is speeding up or slowing down. feeling like other people can see you're anxious and are looking at you.
being irritable. getting tired easily. having difficulty concentrating or feeling your mind goes blank. having difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep.
Brain fog can happen for various reasons, including a medical condition, stress, poor diet, a lack of sleep, or the use of some medications. If symptoms result from a medical condition, they may improve with treatment.
Anxiety can also affect your behaviour. You may withdraw from friends and family, feel unable to go to work, or avoid certain places. While avoiding situations can give you short-term relief, the anxiety often returns the next time you're in the situation.
For example, brain fog is a symptom of chronic fatigue syndrome, which involves persistent fatigue for a prolonged period of time, according to 2020 research . People who have fibromyalgia may experience similar fogginess on a daily basis, according to a 2015 research review .