I Struggle With Brain Fog: Can You Help?

Brain fog is a vague symptom that makes you feel vague. You’re never 100% “awake” or alert. Your senses may be dulled, or you get distracted easily. Perhaps it’s hard to find the right word when you talk, remember somebody’s name, or recall a memory clearly.

When faced with a lumbering brain, some people joke and say they’re having a “senior moment.” But brain fog isn’t a joke and isn’t normal at any age, nor should you expect yourself to accept it. 

At Advanced Medical Care in Queens and Brooklyn, New York, we first determine what's interfering with your brain function. Our expert team of neurologists and sleep specialists then design a customized treatment plan to give your brain the support it needs to clear the fog.

Do you struggle with brain fog? Following are some of the reasons you don’t feel as sharp as you want to, and a few suggested remedies.

You may have sleep apnea

An estimated 30 million Americans have this serious sleep breathing disorder, but only 6 million have been diagnosed with the condition. If you’re not currently under treatment for sleep apnea and you have brain fog, sleep apnea may be the cause or a contributing factor.

If you experience focus and attention problems or tend to be groggy during the day, our sleep medicine experts can administer a series of tests to be sure you breathe healthily at night. If you have obstructive sleep apnea, the most common type, we may recommend:

• Losing weight
• Sleeping on your side
• Changing your diet
• Getting more exercise
• Improving sleep hygiene

We also may prescribe a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine, which ensures your airways stay open at night so you get plenty of brain-saving oxygen. 

You may have hormonal issues

Brain fog and insomnia are often listed as symptoms of perimenopause or menopause, and sometimes for andropause in men, too. If your hormone levels are changing, you don’t have to suffer through brain fog, night sweats, hot flashes, or other symptoms.

We may recommend hormone replacement therapy to re-balance your hormones. As the added hormones take effect, your brain feels sharper and faster, and you may notice other physical and emotional benefits, as well.

You may be dehydrated

Your body is mostly water. In fact, about 75% of your brain is water. The remaining solid mass of your brain is composed of 60% fat plus carbohydrates, protein, and salts. 

Your brain also needs water to send electrical signals. Being dehydrated by just 2% hampers your brain function. Water flushes toxins from the brain. Without sufficient hydration, they collect in the brain tissue, which can lead to impairments.

We may recommend intravenous (IV) hydration therapy to restore proper hydration to your brain and the rest of your cells. We can add brain-boosting ingredients, such as glutathione, to your IV “cocktail.”

You may be undernourished

No matter how much you weigh, if you don’t get enough of essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, you may not have fuel to power the mitochondria in your brain cells. As part of our medical workup, we ask you about your diet.

Depending on our diagnosis and your present lifestyle, we may recommend changes to your diet, such as:

• Eliminating ultra-processed foods
• Eliminating sugar and simple carbohydrates
• Switching from seed oils to healthy fats like olive oil
• Eating more fresh vegetables and fruits
• Finding healthy sources of pastured proteins, including meat and eggs

We may also recommend a variety of supplements that help support brain function or increase your nutritional status. This could include more healthy fats than you're used to: Your brain is fat-heavy and needs fats to make healthy brain cells.

You may have dementia

Nobody wants to accept dementia as part of their future. However, if you struggle with memory and focus, Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia may be the cause. The earlier you get a diagnosis, the earlier you can start treatment.

In addition to cognitive testing, brain imaging, and laboratory work, an advanced Alzheimer’s blood test — the pTau-217 blood biomarker — is a helpful tool in your neurologic assessment.

We can help you lift the brain fog and get back to clarity. Contact Advanced Medical Care today.