You may sometimes find yourself at an unexpected loss for words, struggling to describe or provide information about something you know well, only to have the details pop back into your mind out of nowhere later the same day. Or you maybe you have a tendency to suddenly go blank mid-sentence, frozen by an unseen distraction that pulls you into off-course, derailing your train of thought. These are examples of a phenomenon known as "brain fog." What is brain fog? Brain fog can most easily be explained as momentary lapses in thinking and concentration which make people feel uncomfortable or queasy. Also known as clouding of consciousness or mental fog , it is a "term used in medicine denoting an abnormality in the regulation of the overall level of consciousness that is mild and less severe than a delirium. The sufferer experiences a subjective sensation of mental clouding described as feeling ‘foggy’." Sometimes, rather than being capable of responding immediately, our brain needs time to process our own requests for information. Those who work in healthcare sometimes refer to brain fog lapses as "senior moments." What are some causes of brain fog? Brain fog is often a symptom of mental health issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, stress and anxiety, and may also occur as the result of medical conditions or personal experiences that place stress on the brain. Personal Traumatic Experiences Resulting in Brain Fog For a period of time after my mother passed away, my brain shut down to process my feelings of grief. My normally excellent memory went on the fritz. I lost car keys and house keys, forgot appointments, and burst into tears at any moment. Each night I dreamed about rescuing a white dog I later realized through counseling was me. At […]

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What ‘Brain Fog’ Means — And How To Get Rid Of It As Quickly As Possible