If you notice that your memory isn’t as sharp as before, or that you find it hard to focus on your tasks, those might be signs of brain fog. To put it simply, brain fog occurs when you already have difficulty thinking clearly every day. The thing is, there can be many causes of brain fog. Here are some of them.
1. Lack of sleep
It’s already common for many working Singaporeans to not have enough sleep. Though you can say you’re used to it, there will come a time when you’ll definitely experience brain fog because of lack of sleep. Sleep gives our brain some much-needed time to rest. It also helps the cells and muscles tissues all around our body to recover. Sleep is a natural need for humans, so don’t take it for granted.
2. Too much stress
It’s already obvious that too much stress affects us negatively. That’s why it’s one of the main causes of brain fog. The thing about stress is that it slowly builds up and affects our mental health, and sometimes we don’t even notice. When we experience stress too often, our thoughts will be all messed up and we’ll have difficulty getting ideas. That means our creativity and productivity will be affected.
3. Having an unhealthy diet
Eating too much unhealthy food and not drinking enough water can also be causes of brain fog. Usually, when we talk about healthy food, we think about it in the physical aspect. For example, it’s to help you lose or maintain weight. But eating healthy actually has a greater impact on our minds. So, try to avoid food with too much sugar, junk food, processed food, and the like.
4. Spikes in hormones
Hormonal fluctuations can be caused by many things and one of the most common is stress. Hormonal changes can affect our mood and our brain overall, this is why too much stress can be very detrimental. Another cause of hormonal changes that’s not exactly bad is pregnancy. To put it simply, pregnancy can change a lot of things in the woman’s body. If you notice, some mothers have difficulty remembering things sometimes. This may be a small sign of brain fog caused by the hormonal changes.
5. Certain medications
There are prescription medications that actually have side effects. Surely, your doctors will tell you about these though. Some pain relief drugs and hypertension medications, for example, can affect the brain in a certain way. Although it’s nothing big to worry about, it can cause brain fog in the long-term. As long as your doctor says it’s fine, then don’t worry too much about it.
