What is Brain Fog?

I also feel I have brain fog. I am disabled due to many things. Heart problems, legally blind, diabetes and fibromylagia and too many other things to list.

I am 55 years old -- most of you appear much younger. I don't sleep even tho doc gives me Ambien to take. I average three hours a day. I am home 24/7 as I am unable to drive. I have no worries other than health, no bills at all, wonderful family but, I feel totally stupid all the time. I cannot say what I want to say. I know it in my head but it just won't form into words. I take 19 meds a day.

I have talked to my doctor about getting off of them and they say no I have to stay on them and I even went off of them at one point and did vitamins and minerals for each illness I had after much searching. They had a cow because of my blood work after that. I feel really lost at this point and not sure where to go next I fell so very very lonely and lost and am not sure what to do next? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

I've had brain fog and want to sleep 24 /7 my whole life.

Everyone will have a different reason for it and this article has helped. One size does not fit all. Try the basic items first like eating better, staying away from electronics, Wi-Fi, take basic vitamins. Then start analyzing things closer and if you have money get testing. Most general doctors won't test you in proper ways though. For example my thyroid falls in the proper zone with a regular doctor but not in the proper zone, according to a more specialized hormonal balancing doctor.

At last I found out I am not the only one dealing with this. I thought I was suffering from some mental illness until I found this website. God bless the one who made this website.

I'm seventeen and from India. The study pressure is tremendous here and brain fogs don't really help with the pressure. I don't have 'brain fogs' very often -- about twice a month, normally. It happens in the morning or when I'm at school. It really annoys me because I can tell there's something wrong.

I told my friends about it, saying that it was like a 'brick wall' feeling. I know that I'm supposed to understand a particular topic or I already know it, but then it's like my brain just refuses to hit the nail on the head. I find that taking a nap or playing some football or cricket or basketball really helps clear the brain fog feeling.

I'm 15, and it started for me about three or four months ago, as soon as I moved from my mom's house to my dad's house. My mom's house was chill, barely any stress there, freeroam basically (with restrictions of course). I'd like to add about a year and half ago I was heavy into marijuana use. Once I started to go off in a daze and became "stupid", I quit. And for about two or three months after I quit, I had the fog, but then it disappeared through going through math cards, doing algebra, and just doing stuff that was academic, like stuff that's good for your brain.

Then, after two or three months of doing that, I became clear headed and it was amazing. Then, after a month of living at my dad's (Just to let you know, my dad's house was very punctual, a lot of structure, integrity, and a very good but extremely hard environment), it came back even harder than the first time. At first I thought it was because I was fatigued, so I made sure to get 9-10 hours of sleep a night. But, when it persisted I realized something was wrong. I realized it was because the switch from an extremely relaxed environment to an extremely punctual environment was very, very, very stressful. At my dad's house there's always something you have to worry about and do.

So I visited my mom's house for a week, without any worries and I realized it disappeared a little. Then, when I went back to my dad's, the fog appeared again. I handled it for the next two months, and in that two months, my back was extremely aggravated and it hurt a lot. So then I came to the conclusion that the stress was causing my back to go out of whack (studies show a lot of stress can mess up your back), and the stress and back problems caused it.

After I went to a chiropractor two or three times, my head was completely clear again!

Note: Medication won't help you with this problem. It's most likely a problem with your brain and stress levels. And if not just that, it could be your back is out of alignment or something of the sort. Medication will only make your depression worse. Try going to a chiropractor, and if that doesn't show results, go on a week's vacation. And if that doesn't work, then I'm not sure. -God bless, Preston

I am 24 and I really didn't know that all this really happens. I think I have this brain fog problem and I am becoming very forgetful. This article will really help me.

I'm 18 and I've been suffering from this for three years now. At first I thought I was stupid. I don’t feel much, but I know what I have to do when I get myself into stressful situations. All of the symptoms written here matches mine. I can’t feel much and I've gotten myself into a lot of bad stuff without realizing what I'm actually doing.

Is this normal? What can possibly help me get better? The only times I feel happy and normal are when I drink myself to death! If this goes on, I could get myself killed someday.

Pollen allergies, anyone?

@anon92867, post 90: Could it be that you are allergic to some types of pollen, e.g. do you suffer from hay fever? Since you say it gets worse as the weather is hotter, it may be something in the air. It could be dust, also. I think humidity binds to certain impurities in the air so you are less exposed to them, and on a hotter and drier day, your symptoms could get worse for this reason.

For me brain fog is due to my bad diet. When I start eating better, it is unbelievable how clear headed I am.

After several years with brain fog, I had almost every symptom that I’ve read here. I've never given up, and I was super sensitive to my body, so step by step, I’ve improved very much and now I’ve reduced it dramatically, and the smile that I had always on my face is back. There are still remaining symptoms, though, but I'm very optimistic that they will go with time.

A really good benefit was from consuming organic oats, not the instant ones. They really, really help keep your mind clearer and I could concentrate at higher levels. I really hope they will affect you in the same way.

I use a natural probiotic yogurt with no sugar and without any sweetener, and add sliced almonds to it. You should eat one spoon at a time until you feel OK again, or better. Do not drink after that. Let it do its job, and after it does, then you should drink regularly.

Other things that helped me improve: Eat foods with soluble fibers; only use bread from organic source without any supplements in it, and no yeast. I eat one with 95 percent whole rye and 5 percent whole wheat. Only eat it after it is toasted and crisp. Otherwise you might get brain fog. Lose some weight and get in shape. Add sprinting. It’s the most effective. Run as fast as you can for a short distance for several times. Do heavy weight training. Do hill/stairs running and mind training like dual N back. The training was very difficult, because my starting point was with a brain fog, and everything was super hard, and this is the last thing you want to do. Also, check if you need glasses and need to change them. I’ve changed mine).

Things you should not do: do not consume coffee at all; do not smoke; don’t eat junk food: pizza, hamburgers, etc.; do not eat simple carbohydrates; do not eat processed food that is made outside of your home; do not eat fatty cheese; I eat only cheese with 1 percent fat; do not eat fried things or things with oil in it. Choose your fat source wisely. Do not eat fatty meat. I eat only lean chicken breast and Schnitzel. I get it dried from fats, on a net in the oven. I put water underneath, to make the meat soft even after it dries from fats, so I can enjoy eating it too.

Do not eat very big meals. Do not consume alcohol. I prefer not to consume milk as a drink. Do not eat tomatoes.

Furthermore if you have any other addictions, or if you can check yourself to see if there there are addictions you may not aware of, you must stop it, because it interfere with your dopamine levels and depress the sensitivity of your brain to dopamine, so it makes you be less socialized, and cold, and you stop enjoying simple things, because the brain has chemical changes.

Sex is interfering with your dopamine levels too, so if you cut out sex for a while with no orgasms at all, it will make your brain more sensitive for other things.

If you use internet porn, stop it. It may cause a lot more damage to your brain than one can even imagine. You can look for more information about it on the web.

Check yourself if you have an internet addiction. That by itself can cause a lot of problems with your dopamine levels.

Warning: any addiction that you stop, you will usually have withdrawals symptoms, and things can be worse for several months, but it worth it, because you'll feel better after.

I hope these suggestions will help you too. Feel better and have good health.

hello to everybody.

after several years with a brain fog, i've found something that can solve it right away as long as you maintain doing it.

I've found that Organic Oats, not the instant one, make it disapear, with a very very little remaining, but it keeps your mind clear and you can concentrane to an high levels again, I really hope it would effect you the same way.

when you eat it, you should use a very little of something liquid,

so all the effect of it is going on in your stomach.

i use a natural probiotic yogurt with no sugar and without any sweetener, or i eat this only with elmonds so it can be eaten.

you should eat one spoon at a time until you feel OK again.

do not drink after that, let it do the job, and after its effect then you should drink regulary.

of course regular training help it farther, for your training you should use especially sprinting, run as fast as you can for a short distance and do it several times.

heavy weights are welcome too.

hope it will help you too

yours, Namo Dingo

I started having these, I guess now I'm finding out they are now called "brain fogs," about six months ago! I’m on several types of medications, so I thought it was the mixture of meds, one in particular, which was doing it (the Abilify).

I went to my neurologist and told him my symptoms which include my brain gets very foggy and its hard for me to concentrate anytime, especially when I get up or start moving around, which leads to more lack of motivation, which then leads me to have to sit back down and not being able to continue what I was previously doing (very hard for me being that I am a very fast paced and go-go person).

Also at times when I awake from a nap, etc., I will wake up in some sort of a daze/confusion or have everything around me distorted for about 10-20 seconds, and then it will go back to normal! Also, I have been having minor seizure auras that last only for maybe five seconds, and then go away.

These are just a few of the symptoms. I have many more. If you would like to know more, feel free to ask and I’ll gladly tell you! This is just a lot to write! Like now, I’m writing and getting brain fog because it’s a lot to write. It seems like once I start doing a lot of things or maybe get a bit stressed, it comes on harder! I then get scared and upset, and start to cry.

Can someone please help me and tell me if they think this is because of my meds or not, or how to cure this problem? I’m a 30 year old mother of a three year old little boy. I also have a fiancé and I don’t understand why this is happening to me! I’m in tears now as the brain fog is coming on strong now. Thanks for listening. And suggestions will help. Nutrition, maybe?

I have read lots of the posts and my symptoms are also the same. Pleas,e would someone tell me what really we should do to cure ourselves? Here you will read too many comments but won't be able to find what one has to do to be treated.

I have great news for all you. I also suffer from this and tired of doctors diagnosing me with everything under the sun: vertigo, TMJ, etc., etc.

I'm now four days free from brain fog as well as all my other symptoms. Do some research on atlas bone, as it may seriously help solve your mystery.

I am 38 and most of this started at the age of 30. I have suffered from brain fog for several years. I suffered from a marital affair, and that seems to be the start of it for me. I believe it was triggered by the stress. I could totally see how I retreated into that place to hide from the pain. Then as things got better, I couldn't shake this fog.

It started with migraines that came with my monthly cycles that progressively got more aggressive. It progressed to being severely affected by any hormonal swing throughout the month. My periods were progressively getting out of control. After about eight years of this, it finally progressed to the point that my migraines were constant. I was chronically fatigued. My brain fog was permanent. My food sensitivities constantly aggravated everything. If I ate chocolate or candy, the fog would be debilitating. If I ate bread, my stomach would bloat and I would gain weight. I couldn't eat without something making me feel sick. I was irritable, constantly anxious, panicky, and couldn't remember anything for longer than five minutes and I suffered from two to three migraines a week. My migraines went from one migraine a month to tow to three migraines a week in a very short period of time. It was about the last six months before my surgery when everything started escalating very quickly.

Finally, a mass was discovered in my uterus that they couldn't identify. I had been complaining to my gynecologist for two years and she kept putting me on birth control to manage my hormones, periods, migraines, abdominal pains and such. When I finally I got an ultrasound, they discovered my mass. When they couldn't identify the mass, I was referred to a cancer specialist. It turned out to be a fibroid and was totally benign. They removed my uterus and cervix, and I got to keep my ovaries.

My point of all this is I tried to explain to my doctor that before my surgery I was barely functioning and after surgery, all my symptoms cleared up. I got off all my medications and I felt great! My doctor looked at me with skepticism and a blank look with a shrug that said, “I have no idea why you felt like that. Your uterus shouldn't have made you that sick, but that's great, I'm so glad you feel better." That lasted for about four months.

Now I'm back to dealing with just the food allergies. I believe I had a combination of several things going on. I had a huge stressor in my life (my husband's affair) that knocked me off balance and then a hormonal imbalance from the mass in my uterus that had been forming and then add the food allergies on top of it and I was a huge mess! I believe it all snowballed on me, one thing compounding onto the next.

I believe now I am dealing with just the food allergies and I need to figure out what specifically is bothering me and how to control them. But since my surgery, everything is much more manageable and feel like I can handle everything much better. I'm not overwhelmed by the littlest things anymore. My ability to cope, manage, think, process, make decisions and my emotions are so much better. I am able to think clearly. My reflexes are functioning again. Like when something is falling off the countertop, I am able to respond and catch it. My brain processes so much quicker than before. My productivity at work has doubled. I no longer need an ongoing list to keep me on track and remember what I need to get done next. My energy levels are like night an day difference. Compared to how I felt before, I feel amazing! I've got my life back.

Now I just notice the difference when it is self induced by something I put in my mouth. Wheat and chocolate or candy are the worst offenders. I am just beginning to research my food allergies, which led me to this site. And my hormonal migraines are almost gone. It's been five months since my surgery. I've only had two migraines since the surgery, when I used to have one every month with each cycle since I turned 30. When I've gotten those two hormonal migraines, I think it was because I wasn't very careful with my food sensitivities during that sensitive hormonal time.

Lyme Disease and Bartonella are classics for causing this. A quick, easy and cheap test is available at IgeneX, the CD57 NK count (this is low with infection).

I'm 22 years old, and I've had brain fog at least since I was 17. It started when I had a cold during a stressful time in my life and then it just never went away. At first I thought it would go away with the cold, but now, five years later, I am still having problems with no relief. It seems like it's always getting worse, and I've ended up in a sort of depression. There were some situations that have caused the depression (stressful wedding plans last year and a job that has taken a toll), but I think I could have functioned much better without the fog.

When I was a kid, I used to "forget" to do the dishes and pretended like I didn't hear, but now I honestly don't remember things (which has been totally new). I didn't bring it up to anyone at first, so when I finally brought it up last year, no one could tell the difference. I tried checking to make sure I didn't have MS or anything, but nothing came back in the test results.

It pretty much feels like my brain is a house, and all the objects in it are my thoughts, but the house is filled from the floor to the roof with stuffing and I have to wade through it to get to anything. It is also hard to get things in. I don't retain information very well, and nothing seems very clear. It is hard to problem-solve and express myself to other people since it started. A lot of people here described it as walking through life like a day dream, or running on auto-pilot. That is exactly how I feel almost all of the time.

So far, I have felt best in stress-free environments, which leads me to believe a lifestyle change would be the biggest contributor to my good health. I feel like if I were able to wipe all or most of my stressors away, I would be able to function normally and take on new stressors better than before.

I don't like taking medication unless it is necessary, but I have started taking Vitamin D supplements and Biotin. I think it has helped a little. I feel best when I get plenty of sleep, wake up to a quiet morning, and start doing something that uses my body or my creativity (like exercise, crafting or writing). Not eating "fake" foods has helped as well. I've been avoiding simple carbohydrates and refined sugars, as well as mysterious ingredients in foods that I don't recognize.

Exercise makes a huge difference, but I struggle with nausea and breathing issues when I push myself physically. This has made me afraid to exercise, as has the cost of the things I actually like to do (martial arts, swimming).

Either way, the search to remove this brain fog has consumed my life the past few years so I must find a remedy as quickly as possible. There are so many things that cause it that I am somewhat intimidated, but I plan to try to get a job that uses my talents, rather than one that reinforces my weaknesses. At the same time, I want to take better care of my lifestyle and the important people around me so that I can do better when presented with issues later.

There I was thinking I was stupid or the only one dealing with something like this. I just woke up this morning and decided to do a search on the internet and came across this chat room. I wanted to write my symptoms but it seems everyone here have already done so in very accurate details.

There are so many suggested remedies I'm not even sure where I should begin. But thanks, guys. I've bookmarked this page and will be visiting regularly if I can stay focused long enough or remember.

However, anon320347, I have to say your symptoms are almost identical to my symptoms and the way I feel about the whole thing. I'm 32 years old and I've been suffering from this or something like it all my life.

Everyone just thinks I'm stupid but I know I'm not. I too have those moments where I'm depressed and just think I'm stupid and worthless and just live like I'm on autopilot and my life is like a day dream then there are the moments where I feel like I'm a super human full of energy confident and I can take on anything, but I can talk a lot during that period and I also notice I'm very irritable during that period. After that, I'm right back to feeling worthless again. But it's just a feeling.

I've had brain fog off and on for as long as I can remember. My job (scientific research) means I have to be able to use a functioning brain in order to work. I developed many coping (and covering) mechanisms, the main one being allocating tasks so that on fogged days the cognitive load was not as great as on clear days. It was difficult though. The fog could last weeks. Recently research led me to try CoQ10 (clinical grade).

After two days of taking it, my world opened up. I haven't had a fog day since. I get tired, certainly, but not that awful exhausted brain that literally cannot click into gear. I have been taking it now for over six months. Absolute godsend.

It's interesting that so many of you suffer from brain fog and seek mineral supplements, probiotics and herbs to correct your problem. Yet you fail to consider common sense problems which may be affecting you, like a vitamin deficiency and if a deficiency was caused by problem with your stomach absorbing vitamins ("probiotics" is a marketed product and have no proven benefit) or a condition with your body.

Almost all of you fail to mention whether it could be depression or stress, the most likely cause and are sleep related. A sleeping disorder would cause "brain fog", difficulty concentrating, memory problems and other cognitive issues.

The fact that almost none of you have considered a sleep study is astonishing. First, you should focus on likely medical problems that could cause your brain not issue not obscure, rare medical problems. Focus on lifestyle changes and if you have other symptoms, see a neurologist, as well as perhaps a psychologist.

I'm 22 and have been suffering from this "fog" forever. I've spent countless hours researching this throughout the years. And it only seems like I'm getting closer to finding out the problem. This forum is gold! I can't wait to try everything and weed out the problem. I have plenty of amalgam fillings and ate way too much crappy food when I was younger. Hopefully that's not the issue, because these other remedies are way easier!

I exercise religiously. I use a pre-workout, which I will now be cutting out. For the next four weeks I'm going to combine everything I've learned on this chat and see if it helps. I really hope it works and I can help everyone else with this horrible issue. It's completely draining and disheartening. One difference I see in myself is that I either feel super spacey, depressed and uncomprehending of mostly anything no matter how much time I invest. I walk around as if I were in a day dream (but I'm not thinking about anything). I can read something, hear something, or see something and not process it. It's as if I'm on auto-pilot. I can speak or write. yet no thought goes into it whatsoever.

It's either that or I have ridiculous energy, the feeling of being able to accomplish anything/change the world. I become super outgoing and talkative and very confident. I notice that during this period, I get very irritable, though.

The consistency with these though, is the fact that even though I feel like I've conquered it when I feel amazing, I haven't. In retrospect, after I've come down from my high I was on the same auto-pilot just feeling good while on it. I'm in the military, and I don't use drugs. Recently, I was prescribed Concerta, though, since I went through a period of thinking I may be ADD. I'll provide an update in two weeks to tell you if the lifetime symptoms have gone away.

Things I'm now going to do: keep electronics away during sleep and limit them during the day; 15 minutes focused breathing in morning; eliminate starches, sugar, alcohol, dairy, most fruit; test PH levels to ensure slightly alkaline levels; eliminate caffeine, high carbs, gluten (same as starch); take borage oil, evening primrose, cayenne pepper, vitamins C/All B/E/D, eat more vegetables and 85 percent dark chocolate (I am aware it contains both caffeine and sugar, limit to very small amount). I intend to increase my fiber, and exercise, and eat garlic, ginger, chicken, along with taking co Q10, zinc, magnesium, cinnamon, oregano, legumes, lemon juice, switch from syntha-6 to regular whey, continued melatonin before bed, as well as study and probably implement probiotics, alkalizing soups, nutritional yeast and immune system boosters.

To everyone out there with this, I know exactly how it feels. And if you knew me you'd know I won't stop pushing until I find a solution to the problem. Let's solve this personal issue so we can move onto the bigger problems facing the world. Even if you feel like you can't function here are some things I've found to help me feel better.

Help anyone you can with anything (requires zero thought, stop being shy/stubborn/hating people). It'll make your day better, as well as theirs. Every day, you change the world, either positively or negatively. Choose to be the light.

Stop feeling bad about yourself, and work towards fixing it. Never give up. Don't judge anyone.

Don't judge anyone. It's there twice for a reason. Everyone has their own story. Everyone has genetic and medical predispositions (look at us on this forum!) and everyone was influenced by different environmental factors (location, parents, friends, foods, disease, events). We don't choose who we are. Be glad you are the way you are and that you've realized some self enlightenment. We are all one, all equal. Help each other. After this life, much better things await us. Play with the cards you've been dealt.

Surround yourself with the right people, and don't feel the need to jump in the idiot group because you're alone. Be patient and good things will come.

Always be honest, no matter what. The truth is what matters, always. Truth equals respect. If you find yourself in the pickle of being asked about another person's actions, you probably failed to surround yourself with the right people.

Give back, and be thankful for everything you've been given. You have a computer, so obviously you don't have it too bad. You are speaking well, leading to the fact you probably had a decent education. And you're alive, which means you have food, sleep, and someone who cared enough to support you. Many people don't have these. When the chance presents itself, help them. This doesn't mean give all your stuff away. You have to build yourself before you positively affect the masses, and that's what we're doing here on this forum, correct?

I hope I've helped in some way and get responses. If anyone wants to partner up and work out this kink for real, I'm completely committed. Have a wonderful day and stay positive! --Mike

I'm 19 years old and I have struggled with brain fog my whole life. About a month ago, I went to a psychologist and discussed my problems and I was diagnosed with mild to moderate ADHD, as well as social anxiety. Because I did not want adderall because of the health side effects, I was prescribed wellbutrin. My fog has not gone away completely, but this has helped but the thing that has helped the most are sleep and exercise. When I sleep until I feel like waking up, go for a run in the morning, then eat a big breakfast are the days that my brain is the clearest. When my sleep is disrupted (because of my dog or other reasons), I do not think as clearly.

Just trying to help everyone out there. If there is any other things that have helped you guys, I'd love to read about them on here.

I have had brain fog for a couple of years now and I am having a hard time dealing with it, searching for answers. I had a gastric bypass three years ago and I believe that it has affected my concentration and memory. I have began crushing vitamin B1 and taking daily. This is absorbed in the part of the intestine that I had removed. It seems to have helped some, but my problem is still there. I also take Centrum, B12, Biotin, and sertrilene daily. Has anyone else experienced gastric bypass surgery and brain fog?

You all need to check if you have high insulin levels which is pre type 2 diabetes. I am on a vegan diet and eat no sugars. All symptoms of brain fog have gone away.

@anon292350: I am not a doctor, but my dad was a teacher who taught special needs children, and if I had to guess, I'd say you have a learning disability in the reading area. There are several kinds, and they all include being forgetful, although the severe emotional trauma you suffered as a child may also have a great deal to do with it.

You say you're good with your hands. That means you are probably a kinesthetic learner. In other words, you learn by doing -- by actually getting your hands on something. I'm the same way about some things. Once I get my hands on something new, I can usually learn it much more quickly than just reading about it.

This is just one person's recommendation, but you might consider seeing a counselor to work through some of the trauma you've experienced, and also see a learning professional and get tested for a learning disability. If you know what's going on, that's half the battle in getting past it. That way, you won't have to be embarrassed about your difficulties. You can just say, "I'm dyslexic" or whatever. These are common terms now, and people do understand. Good luck.

Let me start by saying that I am a 44 year old man. I really thought and still think that I am really stupid and thick. I find it very hard to remember things. I really thought it was something I grew up with so I just got on with it. So here is my story.

From the young age of seven-ish, well what I could remember from, I was taken away from school by my Mum in the afternoon. My Mum was running away from my Dad as he was a violent man and my mum was afraid that some day it could be dangerous for me and my sisters. Anyway, it kind of went downhill for me more than my sisters. Even though my Dad was the problem for me at that time,I didn't really understand. It was a boy-dad thing, I think. My sisters were O.K. as they had their mum, but I couldn't understand why my mum was starting to see other men later on, so I started to play up and misbehave so badly that I was taken away to a children's home where I stayed until I was 16. I was sent from home to home over a year period, until finally I stopped at one for about three and a half years.

So the thing that sticks in my brain are the times when I was beaten buy my Dad for the smallest of things, etc., especially forcing me to read hard books. Once, I lied that I had read the book and he asked me to tell him the story and I couldn't, so he hit me with over my head with the book, so that made me so afraid, so when I tried to read any book it was on my mind that I could be hit again so I really couldn't remember stuff. Then there was the time when I was riding my bike in the back entry up and down, when my dad started to spray water over me for fun, but the water caused me to take my hands off the handlebars and cover my eyes, and by the time I could get hold again it was too late and I went straight into the wall with the bike, hurting myself and the bike, but my Dad didn't even ask if was all right. Instead, he hit me very hard and told me to get in because I damaged the bike.

I really can't think of too much childhood stuff. My Dad was a truck driver and use to drive all over the UK, and sometimes I would go with him. I can remember that. When I was 15, my dad found me, so over the year before leaving on the weekends, he would let me stay with him and his new wife. So finally then they went to court to get me out of the home, but when I started to live there, things were not so glossy as I thought. My step mum didn't really like me, even though she didn't say. I could tell my dad didn't really like her children coming to stay at the house because my dad is angry man. I think this is why my step mum was not so close to me. Every evening, without fail, after eating (don't forget I am sixteen now), she would get me to wash all the dishes and pans clean. This didn't really get me but to do have to it every night without fail was a little too much.

What I am getting at is my school time was messed up. I couldn't think straight and my family life was messed up. I was so upset that my mum (even though I still love her) put me in a home where I got bullied. I didn't grow up in a proper family with love.

To this day, I don't know why I see my Dad, who is on his own suffering from depression, getting his house taken away through divorce and I am worried I must be really stupid, but I feel he is still my Dad. Why do I feel like this? I see me mum whenever I get a chance and I also love her with all my heart.

So the reason I was writing is my wife, whom I love, kept telling that I can do these easy tasks such as teaching a very young girl English and one of the tasks is reading and helping, but I explained that I will be O.K. with listening to the reading but find it very hard to correct her as I forget it. I get very embarrassed about it, so we had a little argument about it.

So, when she went to bed I looked it up, saying I have a memory problem and then I got this link, so what do you think I have? I am very good with my hands, and things I like, I remember. I am so sorry for this long message. Please can you help or just tell me what you think I have? --J Yeats.

I am 52 year old architect, and supposed to be a very smart man as my friends tell me. Now my brain works great for about an hour or two then gets blocked and I cannot think, and lose concentration. After I rest or sleep, I can function normally again.

Sometimes, I come up with genius ideas, and sometimes not. Maybe it's my high cholesterol. Maybe it's age.

I need a medicine to circulate the blood normally to my brains, or refresh my brain cells and extend my smart hours. Thanks for the advice.

All this stuff about brain frog sounds like something I've had for four or five years, and I'm 16. It does seem like I'm around lots of mercury and I don't drink lots of water.

I do go through some weird clear-minded stages when I feel really smart and I'm able to do everything: think, talk and so on. Then my mind goes all blurry and blank and I just want to give up. I don't understand myself the government is screwing us all over, I just know it. I think they are afraid of us becoming too smart and finding out what they are really doing. But yeah, my life is so far away from the real world that I just have such a hard time moving on.

@post 6: It seems you may not have brain fog. It looks like you may have sensitivity to food, for example. Common ones are: dairy, wheat, soy, yeast, eggs, etc.

I am sensitive to dairy. I get slightly confused when I eat it. That's a normal reaction to food sensitivity. Eating that every day can bring you down. But once in a while, the confused feeling disappears after a few hours. I get dizzy and it's hard to concentrate when I don't work out and I'm lazy in my bed for days, because of a lack of oxygen.

Not to mix them up; they are not the same. Not every head issue is brain fog. I'm sure many people here think it is, but it could be a lack of oxygen like some said due to poor circulation (light headed), too much TV or computer time. Intoxication from metals buildup is also a cause, along with food (very common). Maybe you need a good detox from a lifetime accumulation of toxins and allergens!

Brain fog is more where you can't concentrate because you don't want to because your head feels heavy and every time you think hard, your head goes down to keep you from losing it. You have a feeling that you're not yourself and not sure what to do about it, like stress that won't go away. Usually, you're very weak and slightly depressed, because this fog is taking over your head and your life and you literally wish that it would end there.

Just make sure you know what is the true cause of the symptoms.

I am oh, so very glad I have found this site. I was searching for ‘cilantro detox diet’ and somehow landed on this site. Must have been meant to be. Well I feel for all of you. I’ve been dealing with this mental foggy disorder for about a year now. I’m also in need of a permanent solution, like all of us.

I’ve been studying a lot the past few weeks trying to find out what triggers these mysterious symptoms, and by the way, according to my doctor, I’m perfectly fine, just stressed out because nothing is going my way. Well, I cannot be eating better than I already am, well maybe, but I’m eating pretty much only organic. I do not buy non-organic fruits, vegetables or meat (chemicals, hormones, pesticides, etc.). Absolutely no dairy and also low in grains due to my sensitivity to gluten and yeast. In my case, it can’t be the grains and stuff they add in food, because I cook everything from scratch! So this leaves me with two thoughts: mercury and stress. Stress may cause you to lose yourself and forget why you’re here, your goals, how to be happy and be yourself, and most importantly, how to breathe properly, which can lead to poor oxygen in your brain, which is what carries your entire body. This can result in fatigue, anxiety, depression and more stress because you’re tired of feeling like this and not knowing if you’ll ever be yourself again. Well, yes you can!

For me, it all started when I was working and then I almost fainted due to too much fogginess and complete disconnection. I was so afraid for my life. Anyway, I immediately blamed it on my iron level, which turned out to be fine. I recently tried vitamins B12 and B6 (to stay calm) and fish oil. They help me feel calmer, but I still experience the stress once in a while, just kind of on another angle if I may say, but definitely still there.

This happened eight months into my job, when I had just gotten an apartment, with four energy saving lights in my living room, where I would spend most of my time, in front of my PC or watching TV.

Last night I had a thought about all of this, and I remember a friend telling me to get rid of my lights and get regular ones, because they contained mercury and were very dangerous. Last night, I researched the effects of mercury, which are dizziness, difficulty concentrating, depression, skin problem, irritability -- the list never ended. This toxic metal contains ultraviolet radiation and electromagnetic fields, besides the killer metal itself.

Now, my thoughts on all of this include a blend of nutrition (red blood cells which carry oxygen). Lack of oxygen can definitely play with your brain’s neuron fields, also the essential vitamin b12, iron, magnesium, potassium and more can unbalance your thinking ability. Please talk to your doctor before taking any kind of supplements. A test will tell you what you’re lacking. If you’re not lacking anything, you don’t need to take any, just eat your vegetables and fruit and meat. Yes, meat (for those who do) as it contains vitamin b12 and iron that your body recognizes and absorbs with much more ease, compared to that coming from vegetables, which are not always absorbed nor converted properly, if your body doesn’t have a well functioning metabolism.

So, stress will cause nutrition lack. Calm down and stay positive while you catch up on your breathing.

Mercury. Please do some research on it and before you do, remove and replace all neon and energy saving lights you have in your house. See how you feel in a few days.

Eat your colored foods (and meat, fish if you can) and stay away from bird food (for those who don’t tolerate it very well).

Stay away from electromagnetic fields. Anything electric must be 6 feet-plus from your bed, including cell phones, wireless anything, all that good stuff that requires electricity or wireless must be pushed away. I know this sounds impossible in today’s life, but the effect can definitely trigger your nerves, cells, mental ability and create diseases from its waves. A healthy brain = healthy body and mind.

For those who share this effect, know that it’s only temporary and it’s caused by maybe one or more elements, maybe all together, but for most, it’s our body telling us that it needs either peace or nutrition. But it has been shown that our electronics are slowly killing us. Nature (natural foods and surroundings) is what our body needs)

Don’t be afraid to test these one by one. It may be the only way to know the root of this (in your specific case).

And last but not least: all through this journey, remain positive and remember who you are. Knowing who you are is truly a peacemaker. --Mel

I'm 23 and I just finished my studies and started my work. I'm forgetting many things which I did even just five minutes before. Also, I'm doing some activities unknowingly such as writing, checking phone, etc., like normal activities, but I'm always losing my concentration.

I'm making many silly mistakes carelessly and also lots of forgetful activities. I had a lots of stress about six months ago. This all started to happen after that. And now my stress is there, too. Because of this, I'm getting more stress and pain in my life. What's this called? Brain fog?

I ate almost nothing for two days, and nothing yesterday, due to an abscessed tooth. I woke up today with my mind clearer than it's been for years.

About thirty years ago I fasted for two weeks. I only had water and a multivitamin every day. By the end of the two weeks, I felt incredible. I went from being constantly tense to having mental serenity. My mind was so clear I was able to focus on things, rather than be easily distracted. It made me wonder if there's a connection between fasting and a clear mind.

It seems, from reading comments here, that I'm not the only person who's had this experience, so I figured I'd add my voice. Whether it's sensitivity to something in food, or whether it's just good to give one's digestive system a break every now and then, I don't know, but I'm going to try to fast one day a week to see if it makes a difference.

Does your head feel heavy if you have brain fog? I'm not sure if that's what I have. It just feels like something's not right. I shake my head a bit and I get a bit dizzy. Any help?

I am also a sufferer from brain fog and other symptoms listed here, and I have already made a few posts. If you have this issue persisting over a long period of time, just try to fast for two or three days with water. I believe you will see results because most of the time such problems are related to our digestive system.

If you find some improvement from fasting, then it means you have a clue and at least you know where to start. I also recommend you read Dr. Mark Hyman's book "The Ultramind Solution." It will give you some idea what might be causing your symptoms.

Like many of the posters here I have suffered from similar symptoms for so long I can't remember when it started, if it wasn't before I was conscious of self.

Fight, fight with all your will to remember yourself. My mind is the one thing I still have control of and I will focus on that one sliver of hope. It's all I have.

I have had brain fog for 10 years. I was a straight A student with clear thinking and now I can not hold a conversation. At its worse, my brain is turned off. I can hear and see people talking, but have no comprehension, or I drift into a daydream. I think it's so bad that it even gave me an 'Avoidant' personality disorder. I want the cloud to go away so I can feel alive again.

I get brain fog when I am trying to prove something or analyze something that could eventually help me out or make me happier. It's frustrating and my ability to write, or even comprehend what I am writing is extremely difficult. I can get through it very slowly if I re-read constantly and correct my mistakes. But it takes a hell of amount of time.

The likelihood of me getting a good job and keeping it are likely very small. I will try, as I start a job soon, but from what I know now it will be extremely difficult. Wish me luck as the amount of brain fog I get is increasing day by day.

Look up Dientamoeba Fragilis and Blastocystis Hominis. These are parasites that cause brain fog, food sensitivities (gluten, carbs, rice, fruit, dairy), fatigue, Candida overgrowth, adrenal fatigue, vitamin deficiency, malabsorption, headache, nausea, sugar cravings, diarrhea, constipation and the list goes on.

I too have been suffering from these symptoms and had been going to the doctors repeatedly, only to hear them tell me that I am healthy as an ox according to my blood work. I hired a functional medicine practitioner out of pocket and she was the one to figure this out. We ordered a four-day stool test that included the trichome stain test and we had a confirmed diagnosis of parasitic infection.

I am American and have never traveled abroad, but I eat out a lot and the people cooking the food are from other countries. The doctors don't know much about parasites, so you must arm yourself with information prior to your appointment. Apparently, parasitic infections are the most overlooked health issue that are actually linked to auto immune disorders and IBS if left untreated.

I'm starting my treatment in a couple of days. I will let you all know how it goes. I hope this helps someone. God bless you all!

I can relate to every post here. Sometimes I feel so out of it, I want to just give up and kill myself. I’m just a 20-year-old college student with my whole life ahead of me and I really don’t even care. I have no motivation to study, seek a relationship, anything.

However, this is my one bit of hope. I have poor posture. Two years ago I fully corrected my posture. It sounds too good to be true but I had a “holy crap” moment one night laying in bed when I was adjusting my legs, lower back and hips in order to get comfortable. All of the sudden my body felt in sync. I felt emotion. I felt clear headed. My brain felt 1000 times more functional. I woke up the next morning (after possibly the best night of sleep ever) feeling the best I ever had in my life. There are so many factors I can attribute to this (exercise, diet, sleep, posture), but none of them were drugs.

Please people, get back to the basics. Humans are animals, if you will. We should eat natural things (meat, veggies, some fruits). We should exercise intensely. We should not slouch for hours. We should be tired at night.

I have made a few posts before and would like to add some new facts that I have discovered recently. I have noticed that eating only vegetables and fruits, fasting and avoiding acidic foods make me feel better, although my problems still do not go away.

A vast majority of brain fog stories I've read sound like cases of depersonalization/derealization, especially when sudden onset is in the middle twenties, or triggered by stress, anxiety, medication ormarijuana.

Advil helps!

I'm also a sufferer of this brain fog.

But recently I made a small discovery: alcohol, in small amounts, clears it up. I have no idea why, and I'm not a regular drinker by any means (in fact, I only drink on occasions such as New Year's or events).

I noticed it to some degree earlier, but it became "clear" when I was playing chess a few days ago and my father offered me a cup of wine. My concentration improved dramatically.

All of you are suffering from mercury poisoning including myself, don't you see we have all been poisoned since being immunized from childhood with immunizations containing mercury? Along with amalgam dental fillings in our teeth as well as our mercury filled environment.

This highly toxic substance accummulates in the brain and will eventually cause all the symptoms and problems mentioned above. Wake up and find the strength needed to start the cleansing process now from this mercury poisoning. Wake up and have your amalgam fillings removed. Take an alcohol tincture of cilantro (chinese parsley). Take 10 drops twice daily along with chlorella - 12 capsules daily each capsule containing 330 mg.

Governments and doctors will not confess because they are liable for our poisoning and they're making so much money out of everyone with so-called mystery illnesses.

Please wake up people to this serious problem. It's not too late and all of these problems can be resolved......So what are you waiting for! Start by researching this yourself. You can find everything that I have stated on the net. Good luck. Love and peace.

I am going to be 40 soon and I am having a hard time focusing and sometimes finishing sentences. Is this normal? I have never been diagnosed with any mental disabilities. It is seriously affecting my work and I stress out over each mistake I make, no matter how small. What should I do?

The ELISA/ACT allergy test is expensive but can identify common ingredients in foods, molds, inactive ingredients, etc. that regular tests don't check. Muscle testing and kinesiology works if you find someone good and you can learn to check for things that disagree with you.

I recently heard about mycoplasma. They have no cell wall, and apparently aren't picked up with blood tests, so how do you feel not necessarily while taking antibiotics but just after them? That could be a hint that it's a bacterial infection, although it may depend on the medicine. It also might be worth looking up info on mycoplasmas. It seems they may be like Lyme disease, and are not easily identified.

I am the one who made Post 206. Three days ago I started to take probiotic pills, and so far I feel maybe 20-25 percent improvement. I believe it is all caused by my guts. Maybe probiotics are replenishing my intestinal system and that's why I feel better. I am incredibly happy. But I am not yet sure it is exactly the probiotics. Maybe it is the fasting that did the job. I was walking half hungry for a week or so and I took two 24-32 hours water fasting. Well, whatever it is, I feel better now, not completely, but significantly.

I will continue to take those pills for six more days, to see what happens. In any case, people, do not give up. We do not have any lethal disease or something, we just need to keep our heads up, stay in touch and help each other. Probably all of us are misunderstood by our colleagues, friends and even family, but it is not the end of the world we are still alive and we are still here. Due to these issues, I have lost many chances and was about to lose someone I love. Nevertheless, this is our battle and we are going to win it.

P.S I remembered that all these problems started after I smoked marijuana for the first time in my life and I felt very very bad and could not even move from one place to another. I had strong nausea (although marijuana is believed to help nausea). I believe I was badly intoxicated and maybe I caused some damage to my intestinal system. Well, we'll see.

Like all of you, I have been suffering from this brain fog for almost three years. I am 25 years old now -- too young to be debilitated by this malady, but I do not lose my hope to get better one day.

I have visited various doctors and been given different blood and other tests, and all have come back normal. There is nothing that traditional medicine can detect at this stage. I feel some relief immediately after sleep, but it does not last more than 30-40 minutes. However, I have noticed that my symptoms get much better and almost go away when I fast (with water) for almost 24-32 hours, but as soon as I eat something, especially fatty food, the brain fog comes back.

I believe there is some problem with my gut as one the posters stated above, otherwise I can't find any other explanation to my symptoms. Or it can be some kind of allergy that I have to figure out by elimination diet. I thank you all guys for being here and posting your life experience.

Obviously we all suffer from the same malady, therefore, it is rather important that we share our experience and knowledge. Maybe thereby we can help each other.

P.S. Like many of the people posting here, I used to be a very smart person and student. After this brain fog I went to the bottom and now I am trying to rise again.

I'm a 21 male and have this "brainfog" for 4 years now.

It's really ruining my life (my schoolwork, social life, my self-confidence).

It's so hard to remember names or just give my opinion on something. Finally it's getting a little better but it is still bad.

For example, when I have to call someone, I first write all the keywords so I know what I have to say, or else I would forget. I also come across as really stupid because I can't remember common knowledge. I really wish this could be cured because I'm so tired of this.

About me: I eat normally. (Maybe too many energy drinks).

I do sport, mostly fitness and I'm not obese.

Maybe I'm depressed. I really get down because I never had a girlfriend from time to time. And also because it's so hard to make friends because of this.

I think I'll check with a doctor for the first time.

If anyone has/had the same, let me know and how they live with it.

Preface: I believe there may be a myriad of underlying issues, although many experience similar or the same symptoms. That being said, I suffered for 2.5 to three years with very few normal days (from age 25-28 and I’m male). I think five days or less during that period were “normal”. My symptoms included brain fog, as well as a perpetual headache on the sides of my head above the ear (worse at times than others). My short term memory was shot and recall was gone (recalling things I normally remembered with no effort, e.g., people’s names, facts, stories, daily activities). My vocabulary was very limited. I couldn’t formulate sentences to express ideas, feelings or concepts. Listening to people talk was pointless. I couldn’t process it, much less remember it. My stellar math and problem solving abilities went bye-bye. And my working memory (ability to analyze multiple pieces of info simultaneously and process through them together instead of one by one or linearly) was gone. My visual memory was also gone. I was literally a shadow of myself. You can imagine the side effects of such symptoms: apathy, irritability, disconnectedness (emotionally, socially, etc.), general anger, misunderstood and alone.

I noticed some common themes after reading everyone’s posts that applied to me as well. Lack of desire to go to a doc (understandable, I went once -- no help) as they will usually do tests and/or give drugs. The root lies, I believe, in things docs are not trained in and don’t care about such as diet, sleep, emotional well being, and balance in general (i.e., work/life balance and healthy relationships). I am not saying just sleep more, or doctors are bad, or get out of a particular relationship and quit your job. I was in a highly stressful marriage and job most of this time and came out the other end of this with my marriage intact, employed and ready to move forward. And, in fact, I believe most people are like me (I’m not special) in that when we feel normal, we are up to the challenge of stressful things like relationships and hard work or jobs and even look forward to the challenge. The problem is when we feel like garbage, we have no desire or ability to cope with these things that we would normally eagerly pursue.

The key is keeping that momentum, moving forward and through things so the never ending traffic jam (brain fog) and these other symptoms don’t set in, especially for extended periods of time. So, keep reading.

More themes I’ve noticed: throwing the kitchen sink at the symptoms, like wracking your brain and trying everything (I did this as well): vitamins, naturopathy, relaxing techniques, yoga, breathing techniques, exercise, eliminating tons of different foods from diet, massage, trigger point therapy and on and on. For me, it’s gut related. Many things, including stress and some trigger foods like excessive dairy or grains, sweets and fried foods among others, affect your gut and digestion. or lack of digestion, a.k.a. indigestion. This gets the ball rolling and all the other things exacerbate it and perpetuate it. Worry, more stress, poor decisions, poor eating, bloating, gas, and more indigestion, constantly feeling full.

Lots of folks are in difficult or new stages of life, like their early teens, are just starting work out of college, starting college or middle aged. These stresses and anxiety cause your stomach to slow or even halt digestion and also affects the production of hormones such as cortisol (more cortisol, more stress and weight gain, then more indigestion). Getting my stomach empty is what worked and then small meals, no more over eating. It sounds gross, but I threw up one day (made myself do it as a test) because I knew it was related to my stomach. I was always belching and my stomach was always acidic and it never just went away. I’ve felt great ever since. The bloating went down immediately and my head cleared up. I lost three pounds in a day or two. When I threw, up it was not food, just a very small amount of acidic juices, literally a couple ounces.

However, the solution and my recommendation is not throwing up. I knew it would work for me because previously, fasting for two or three days normalized me, as well or other times when I would just eat less for whatever reason. I want to encourage you because I know that when you’re in the midst of it all, you’re not yourself and you’re scrambling to get back to normal, which is understandable. The problem is, you don’t have to do that and it’s usually counter productive (more stress or worry). We all know deep down that nothing is wrong for the vast majority of us. And when I say that, I mean it’s not a freak disease or something that will kill you.

Most of us have or had the symptoms for years and years. Sure, some people may have a serious underlying illness, but the vast majority are fighting a psychologically and emotionally draining battle with their gut. Check out the “brain gut connection” and/or Dr. Mark Hyman for more info. He battled with the same symptoms as a doc. These are extreme solutions, but will most likely cure it and most important, prevent relapse because there are many foods, stressors and other issues that can cause the onset of brain fog, etc. There’s not one thing that causes it or one thing that fixes it, so quit racking your brain. Tune into yourself and take deliberate steps to fix it and most important, don’t give up mentally. Push forward. Get excited that you’re one day closer to feeling normal again and again stay with it.

The alternative route is becoming a victim to it and feeling defeated, which is counterproductive. It’s just your broken brain wanting to give up in hopes that someone or something will notice our desperate situation and fix it. I know it’s tough, but make one promise over and over again that you will see it through to a cure and your mind will get on board with it and help you as it’s designed to, instead of working against you.

I hope this makes sense. What would be the point in giving up or feeling hopeless or beyond help? You’ll only stay the same. My advice: if you have read this far, look into fasting, water only, for a certain period. Two-day and three-day fasts have good benefits. For example, a three-day fast can completely empty your stomach and replenish your intestinal bacteria. Perhaps shorter or longer.

I found I had brain fog when I ate fruits and most vegetables, and anything with fructose or sorbitol. For me, taking the vitamin choline did the trick. Americans are supposed to get 500 mg at least of it, but they don't. I probably have some form of non alcoholic fatty liver disease. I believe I have had it for years. I am 50.

A few years ago brain fog (stupid name, correct ID) set in enough to change my life patterns and now I need help with daily tasks sometimes. Lyme disease was confirmed and being unable to control it is the cause. It is similar to being punched very hard but not knocked out, like "punch-drunk."

What to do when doctors have no answers? --kitstick.

I strongly recommend for all of you to read a book from Mark Hyman, M.D., The UltraMind Solution or just download his audio book if you are short of money because of this hell. He explains everything so simple that even I (english is not my native language and I had horrible brain fog and CFS) was able to understand. Good luck to you all!

I have brain fog due to anxiety and depression(Bi Polar), my sympathetic nervous system is pinched due to alcohol abuse, and am currently receiving prolotherapy injections. I was diagnosed with barre lieou syndrome. The brain fog is due to neurotransmitters just firing (My brain is stuck in a flight and flight mode). Hope this helps someone.

It's great to find out there are more people like me. I am 24 and for the last years I have lost 90 percent of my imagination and willpower and I never really connected to people because I could never think independently.

Although I'm great at forgetting, I am able to learn and it feels good to keep the mind busy, but it does not make sense to keep absorbing without the ability to analyze and make something out of that information. I actually find relief in sharing this with you and in finding you and this has given me a reason to believe something is wrong with me, so I will go and seek help from my doctor's office.

Thank you everyone for sharing your experience and tips. Bless up!

I'm a 23 year male and I am an engineering student and I know that my IQ is good. While solving a problem, I get immersed in it so deep that after solving it I have to think where I am.

I can't even remember the turns and roads on which I've traveled. After coming home, I can't remember anything. It's also difficult for me to read anything, and I have speaking problems also.

And about my brain: it feels like my brain is bound tightly by something and my vision is foggy. It's worse during evening time.

I sleep for eight hours, after which also it feels like I'm sleepy throughout the day. I'm sensitive to noise. I was having a good social life, but now it's not the same. Please, can somebody can tell me what I'm suffering from?

Yes I also feel this way on a daily basis. It's hard for me to get out of bed at times and I never feel like I make sense to the people around me. It's frustrating because I feel like I'm being judged for it, even though I'm not able to control it. I try and get to bed at a decent hour and that still doesn't help my memory. What can I do? It's making me feel insane.

I'm 14 and I find it hard to think straight and lately I've been forgetting things especially in school. I don't think it's my diet because I eat quite healthily but I find it difficult to get to sleep. I'm really worried. Should I get a thyroid test? I do have some of these symptoms.

Have any of you considered having your essential fatty acid levels checked? I have suffered from brain fog for the last four years and finally a doctor ran an EFA test and it revealed severe deficiencies in GLA and ALA. I was taking EPA/DHA (fish oil) and making my brain fog worse because what my body was lacking was GLA and ALA, not EPA/DHA. GLA can be found in borage oil and evening primrose. ALA can be found in flax seed.

I stopped taking fish oil and now I take 2000mg a day of borage oil and 1 tsp a day of ground flax seed and my brain fog went away. Once some time passes, my doctor will re-test my EFA levels to determine if they are back in balance.

Fibromyalgia comes with a great deal of brain fog and gluten sensitivity also may trigger symptoms. I'm avoiding anything with gluten, which is in almost everything. FYI: MSG (in soup) is gluten.

Before you spend a lot of money on doctor visits, check out Systemic Candida Albican.

The suspected infection referred to in the earlier post could possibly an STD acquired either through unprotected sex or mucus contacts. So, staying away from it (i.e. unprotected sex) should also help in reducing the problem; as it will prevent importing further varieties of pathogens to your body, and the immune system will gradually handle the present strain(s).

I am about 40 yrs old and I have suffered from all the "brain fog" symptoms which people have posted here. I have suffered immensely for almost the past four years. 2006-2010 were terrible, 2011 has found at least partial relief. I have found improvement by cutting out dairy food/rice and minimizing sugar. I am a vegetarian.

Exercise also seems to help, especially long walks. I have not tried heavy duty exercise seriously.

It looks like it is caused by an infection which increases with high intake of sugar/carbohydrates/dairy food. If I come across further relief/remedies I will post them back to this forum, stay tuned! Best of luck!

- pongapundit

Do yourself a favor and get your thyroid tested.

Brain fog, especially when accompanied by weight gain, thinning hair, aches and pains is symptomatic of low thyroid hormone.

Ask your doc for a TSH test. This test actually measures a pituitary hormone called Thyroid Stimulating Hormone and does exactly what its name says it does: gets the thyroid to produce hormone. The higher the TSH, the weaker your thyroid is. Your TSH shouldn't be any higher than a 3.

I used to have a very heavy brain fog. Nowadays it is still there but to a lesser degree. Seems like sexual abstinence helps much. It is not sufficient, because very rarely I feel how I really should and how I felt as a child - very energetic.

For me, good sleep is essential, but alas, I wake up in the middle of the night almost every single time for some weird reason. It doesn't have anything to do with sexual/erotic thoughts or bad dreams. I just wake up and feel a bit alerted but tired. It is annoying as hell. Also a weird thing is after I eat something at lunch, the fog seems to strengthen, especially if I eat a soup. Any soup. Weird. I sympathize with all you guys here.

I'm a little worried, because I'm only 14, but I am feeling like I have some thick brain fog at the moment.

My mum has put it down to hormones, and that it'll go away in a couple of days, but this has persisted for almost a week now. It sometimes also comes with headaches.

However, when I am doing something that distracts me from the fog, I forget it's there. However, when I think about it later, it comes back. It seems to only occur when I think about it, which leads me to believe it may be a psychological thing.

Has anybody else had something like this?

I had so many of these symptoms listed, for years with very commonly undiagnosed Lyme (until test number five), some joint pain, (like the flu to start), or just seems like a 'bad back' from a previous injury.

I had trouble remembering or saying words, what you were saying, reading, slow processing, where you are going, how to get there, what day it is, (on and off) feeling pressure in my head/brain, visual floaters, ringing in the ears, sore throat (mine looked OK), unexplained anxiety and shortness of breath (may be Bartonella), feeling depressed, or unmotivated, appear lazy but you're not, sleep problems, symptoms in cycles (four to six weeks is the common flare up time), stress making it worse (maybe altitude? I forget). It can affect your immune system, making you more allergic or sensitive. Some allergies just make you feel bad, tired, or give you brain fog.

Juice fasting can help get rid of toxins (but read about the Herxheimer reaction first) as well as reduce food allergies temporarily. Think of chemicals you're exposed to, even in personal care products (environmental working group site). Or inactive ingredients in medicine, or any of the long list of stuff in our prepared foods. Acupuncture and an alkaline diet (including lemons) can help with lyme symptoms.

How do you feel if you are on an antibiotic (particularly one used for lyme or other tick diseases)? Do you feel worse (Herxheimer reaction) then better in many ways when you're finished with it? Exercise and deep breathing can help if you're up to it (helps kill the bacteria). Good sleep helps. Delayed lymphocyte allergy test, elisa/act, is great at identifying obscure food, additive, etc. allergies. Muscle testing/kinesiology, done by a good person can really work.

Please see the ilads site, look on amazon at the number of books published by families who went through years of 'what's wrong with me/us', look for a Lyme literate medical doctor. See Dr. Kenneth Singleton's information online (he had it, undiagnosed for years). The movie “Under Our Skin” (on netflix now) shows some serious cases, and the medical controversy over it and why it's underdiagnosed. There may be 20 times more cases than have been diagnosed. It is so worth checking this out, because so many struggle through years undiagnosed.

Also, New York Times best selling author Amy Tan? See her bio on her site about 10 years of it. She couldn't write, and even had to stop driving since she'd get the gas/brake pedals mixed up. As you treat it, and kill it, more toxins are released and you often feel worse. Don't let that confuse things. Often said to be fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue syndrome, Lupus, Alzheimer's, etc., which are guessed diagnoses by symptoms, not a test. Just think what a trial of lyme or related tick infections medications may do! Please look at ilads and Singleton's site, if not lyme groups online.

Symptoms: General loss of cognitive ability. Decline in peripheral thought. Memory loss. Can't find words. Struggle to finish sentences. Struggle to comprehend the complex. Used to be a math wiz, now my brain switches off at the simplest equations. Joint pain on and off including hands, wrist, knees and ankles, with some joint numbness.

I had a bout of thick fog for two weeks which resolved spontaneously. Three years later it hit me again for three weeks, and again resolved spontaneously. It's six months later now and I have had thick to mild fog for 14 straight weeks. All this time the joint pain and numbness persists.

Treatment: I am trying a low carb diet, no sugar, no alcohol, no caffeine, nothing man-made, high protein diet. I'm also taking a multivitamin and anti-parasitic herb supplementation. I am contemplating an antibiotic treatment also.

Thoughts on cause: I think mycoplasma might be to blame. Most of us are young here, and underwent a traumatic event before brain fog set in. Maybe this provides an opportunity for mycoplasma or some other intracellular bacteria to set in. I wonder how many of us have been vaccinated prior to this fog. I know I was.

@anon193180: Your sleep comment made me think. You may have a sleep disorder. You may want to think about getting your doctor to prescribe a sleep study for you. You will go to sleep in a monitored room and your actions will be analyzed.

If you are not getting enough REM sleep, or enough deep sleep, this could very well cause your brain fog, as I understand the symptoms of poor sleep.

It can't hurt you, and could do you a great deal of good. Good luck.

I am a 30 year old man. I've had brain fog for about 10 years. For the past year I’ve been making notes and trying to figure out how to cure it. No solution so far.

When I have brain fog I am lost at words, I become unsocial, I avoid eye contact, my voice trembles, I have weak understanding of what happens around me and what others are talking about.

I've tried a low carb diet, meditation, candida program, 100 percent alcohol free, non-gluten diet, All B-vitamins separately and together, magnesium, Q10, Vitamin C, Vitamin D in large portions, fish oils, non-fluoride tooth paste, all natural food plus many other nutritional supplements, exercise every day, eating fish, parasite cleansing. None of these have a long term effect. Many times was I fooled into thinking I found the reason, but now I know that my brain fog comes and goes.

More specifically, there is a cycle to it. One day every two weeks my mind is crystal clear and after that it goes foggy within days, despite what I do. What can cause such an interval? A parasite with a breeding cycle? I do not know.

Also I am a bad sleeper. I seldom dream. Often I know when there is going to be a good day, if I had dreams.

Brain fog is very common in Lyme disease, but tests for Lyme are highly inaccurate; people have gone undiagnosed for years. Please look up International Lyme Disease, ILADS guidelines. Unfortunately, the CDC and Infectious Disease doctors add to it not being recognized and treated. Also, Dr. Singleton had it, undiagnosed for years, and has great info under lymedoctor.

Also, allergies may be a problem. ELISA/ACT delayed Lymphocyte test is better than standard allergy tests. Muscle testing can really work (I was shocked).

Sorry I can't post any web addresses. I hope you find good sources of info on that. I'd first go and see someone who knows about it before relying on yourself.

I have had terrible brain fog for years as well as feeling generally very unwell: hangover / flu / carsick type feelings, sore throat, compromised immune system, at times food intolerances and low energy.

The fog is hard to explain. At times it is like being underwater, distant, and a big wet load of cotton wool stuffed in my head, can't concentrate etc. But acupuncture and Chinese medicine have worked. The head fog was diagnosed as excess damp. Herbs and needles have both helped, and I am nearly cured. Whatever you think, please try this. I have to get the message out.

I also suffer from brain fog, especially after eating. So I figured it has to have something to do with my intestines. I tested myself for a lot of things but only thing that came out positive was the giardia lamblia test. After that my doctor wanted to check for Helicobacter pylori and it also came back positive. So I got antibiotics for 10 days. After that my stool changed. It became more solid etc. Less gas and bloating. But I still had the brain fog.

I don't know, maybe the damage to the intestines was so great by the parasite that it have to take time to heal. But please, if you suffer from brain fog please do a test for lamblia. Maybe there is a connection there.

I'm so stupid and forgetful and it took me five minutes to read a page of a book (I've been known for reading books really fast and called bookworm). I don't know what has happened but I feel so dumb and unable to learn anything.

This all started after my friends peer pressured me into having a toke of crystal meth, however that was just one time and my friends have been doing it every day for the past two years, and yet I'm the only one who feels this.

I know I'm an idiot for doing it, but does anyone have advice? i feel it could be that I'm fatigued but i get an average amount of sleep, usually six to eight hours (five hours at the very minimum) and when i wake up or get woken up i feel like a zombie and just want to go back to sleep. I'm really scared I'm failing my college course due to this. please anyone give me some advice!

everything is about a goodnight sleep and less stress.

exercise is a must!

I'm 14 years old and my brain fog is horrible. Example: I felt like I used to be able to absorb everything for school and now I'm blindly memorizing information. It does not feel like it's fully registered. I get headaches and get cranky at random times and lying down does nothing to help.

I tell my friends one thing not to do and the next minute I'm doing it, like homework: my friend did something wrong so I told her not to do it and she didn't do it and then she corrected me and told me not to do it because I forgot and did it.

I zone out a lot and my attention span has slowly been disappearing. There feels like there's a cloud blocking me from learning to my full potential and it's not going away. I hope there's some kind of cure.

I am a 21 year old male, and I've been living with brain fog/fatigue for about 18 months now.

My main symptoms are fatigue, run down, foggy brain, lack of concentration and irritability. I also find that I feel slightly tipsy on a daily basis, which leads to the foggy brain and lack of concentration. Normally when I sleep in and/or go to bed late I feel worse, yet physically awake, I feel mentally tired and foggy. If I have little sleep, I usually can think clearer but then physically tired, so it's a lose-lose situation.

I get good days and bad days, and by the end of the bad days, I feel that even lying down and trying to rest doesn't help. I get headaches behind the eyes and my brain feels like it actually hurts.

I believe it is absolutely no coincidence however that I first got these symptoms when I began pilot training. I've always wanted to be a pilot, and now that I'm qualified I feel like I won't be able to do it, and definitely won't enjoy it as much as I would of.

My GP says nothing is wrong, and a counselor I speak to thinks it is depression, or adrenal fatigue (but apparently this doesn't even exist!), so it is very difficult to determine what I should do!

I'm trying to eat healthier and exercise more but it all seems so useless, and I get little relief. I don't feel depressed, only when I am so tired and foggy that I think do I feel depressed, and I wish so much that I could feel normal again, because I can't remember how good that was.

I am also feeling very much how post #166 described their symptoms. Loss of balance at times as well.

I don't know what to do. I saw my doctor and explained my symptoms and he did nothing except order another blood test. I have had two tests done in the last five weeks and they both came back fine.

I'm 15 and have been suffering with "brain fog" and "fatigue" for almost one year. Every single waking moment of my life is filled with misery and discomfort.

I wake up in the morning totally confused (Where am I, What day is it, etc.) and throughout the day I'm tired and brain fogged up to my eyeballs!

I have had suicidal thoughts as a result of how I have been feeling, but I'm 15 for goodness sake! I have literately not even started my life yet, however it feels like it's starting to come to an end.

I have gone to my GP 15 times yet he has not been able to suggest anything. I got so fed up with waiting my parents decided to enroll me in private health care. I had an MRI scan (clean), full physical body examination, blood tests, yet I'm clean?

I have gone through so much worrying! I'm getting really on edge at the moment as I'm afraid it could be dementia. I'm so scared! Please if anyone here is experiencing the same symptoms as I am, get in touch. Post here. I'm really scared.

I'm a seventeen year old teenage girl. I've had this problem for so long. I don't think it is because of stress. I know that I work, and I go to school, and that I have to deal with family issues all the time, and I have to study (and where I come from, if you're not number one in class, you're an idiot in the eyes of society), and I have to deal with guys that bother me, but this is my life and I've loved how it is all so filled up.

But lately, I felt like the part of my brain that should absorb all my studies is off. It's like an empty space at the top of my brain. and everything I read, just floats around in there and I can't retrieve it when I need it. When I study, I feel like nothing is going in. and I begin to panic. Unfortunately, my parents are too busy to actually understand all this, but after I almost failed first semester, they began to punish me a lot, and they didn't show me a single sign that they are prepared to actually understand.

I think my friend had the same problem. She started to suffer from deep depression and quit school eventually. I didn't want to end up like her so I kind of fought it off. I'm doing really well now, but every now and then, the feeling comes back, and I feel like fighting it off is so hard and it wastes a lot of my time.

I've been the number one student in my class ever since grade 4 and now I'm eleven. I've even got the highest average over my school two years in a row, but after I switched schools, everything kind of changed but I felt like I adapted quickly. I know I'm a very confident person, but this feeling pushed me down. Right now, I'm a week away from my finals. This feeling is hitting me so hard and I need a great average so desperately. please tell me, what should I do more?

For the past month my brain fog has been really bad. It's hard for me to even write this. I don't know what happened. I feel like I lost myself. It's like I don't know where I went. You know how it feels when you're sick and you watch a ton of t.v? Or if you fall asleep way too long and you feel weird? It's like my brain is stuck in some sort of flatline? It doesn't help that I work at a job where I am staring at a computer all day. I feel like I need to have some sort of near death experience to knock me back into reality or something.

Hey there, not sure how recent these comments are going on or if anyone is still looking at this but was hoping someone would respond to my post. I've kind of always been anxious but lately, for the past 3-plus weeks now I have felt like I am absolutely going out of my mind.

I feel this fogginess or almost confusion and something is not right, like I'm not myself and just feel sick to my stomach.

Luckily so far my memory is pretty OK but everything else isn't! I am having these weird anxiety like attacks while driving and while running and even at work. I've been put on meds (citalopram) so we'll see how that helps. But I am just terrified something is wrong with me and it is consistent and have headaches too! if someone could respond that would be great thanks! I've seen the doc who thinks it is panic disorder.

i think good sleeping quality will be one of the solution to curb brain fog. I had suffered from this for over a year too. But i discovered if i could sleep very well the problem will be less severe or even gone completely. Therefore, i suggest to do more exercise which can enhance sleeping quality at the same time have some quiet time before sleep, and let your brain to be in sleeping mode before you sleep. Good luck everyone!

I read almost all of these comments and related to a lot of them. I constantly feel like I'm in a daze, I am never in the mood to do anything and I have to force myself to do my homework and I feel ridiculously stupid.

I can't completely describe this feeling which is why my therapist diagnosed me with depression and ADHD and I was prescribed Concerta which didn't help at all even at the highest dosage. I think I may have mercury poisoning. I've had fillings since I was 10 years old, I am now 17 I have had "brain fog" for years. I am convinced that this is it.

If any of you have dental amalgams, please look into mercury poisoning.

Thank you to post #30! I think you may have just saved my life if this is actually the cause of this "brain fog."

i believe brain frog has effected my life. brain frog hits me every two hours, and lasts for hours. my concentration is poor and my hearing gets poorly, and sometimes I'm not able to express my mind. my words get tangled up. it's not right suffering from brain fog.

maybe people's suggestions that worked for people individually, should be tried by a second party, so as to prove its effectiveness generally.

for example, the suggestion of going on a juice fast: has it been tried by anybody other than the person it worked for? and the garlic water suggestion that worked for its proposer: has it been tried by anyone else? perhaps the most interesting, is the use of neurozan suggestion, whose proposer was definite about its effect.

with my symptoms of brain fog, i can't concentrate very well and lose my train on though over about 30 seconds. It literally feels like there is a fog cloud in my brain. I noticed these symptoms started within about two months ago. I did research and found out this could be related to poor oral hygiene.

I then started flossing twice a day along with brushing and noticed my symptoms did improve. So i will keep up with this. Having poor oral hygiene can cause these symptoms- research it. Also make sure you are not exposing yourself to hazardous materials or ingesting weird stuff.

@anon167317: I know how you feel! I was very frightened but went to the doctor, and have now been to about five different specialists. go to the doctor! the only thing that stood out was that i could be possibly having petit mal seizures. otherwise i have been told is dissociation, derealization, anxiety, depression, so on.

i've had so much testing done. i feel frustrated and sad that i could feel this way forever. it's really quite awful and controls my entire life.

Does anyone else find it hard to communicate, like physically talk? Your brain feels stuck, which leads you to mumbling/ineffective communication? This is one of my biggest symptoms and it's really a hassle, because it makes me feel anxious around people. Sometimes though I feel completely clear-minded, well-rested and my wit/communication are sharp as can be.

I'm 19 years old and have experienced many of the same symptoms listed in above posts. In this day and age it's hard to distinguish what the cause is, as there are an overwhelming amount of "disorders" out there.

@anon61660: Your post sounds like small epileptic seizures, please see a neurologist.

My father has episodes like this and was diagnosed with "petite mal" seizures many years ago.

I am 37 male and my problems seem to be getting worse. I think since my teens I have struggled with some form of fuzzy head and I have always feel a bit distant from life. I did OK at school up to GCSE's and then during my A-levels really found concentration and memory a problem. I really wanted to be an architect but my maths and physics took a massive dive and I went into design instead. I am now a web designer and find that coding, problem solving and tasking can be a problem. Luckily I produce good looking stuff, eventually!

I have this feeling of pressure in the front left side of my head that is like a fog, it sometimes makes my vision go blurry and I have to frown to focus. It is not painful but sometimes, especially early mornings and late afternoon I have to really stop and I put my head in my hands because I don't know what to do. It is like I can't decide whether to eat, talk, drink, listen, look and it all feels too much.

Sometimes I just can't think straight and find it hard to keep concentration especially when trying to listen to someone talking. I try so hard to listen and work out what they are talking about that eventually I lose track.

I am always feeling stupid but I know I am not. I forget meetings, lose track of time and forget memorable dates and events all the time.

The worst thing I find is, for instance, when you watch a football match and at the end can't remember who scored or how they scored, sometimes even the result. Then the next day people talk to you about it and you feel blank. This also happens with books and story lines, music and tracklists ... the list goes on. If I tell people the say 'oh I forget all the time' but it is not forgetting the odd thing it is trying to work it out, trying to link and piece things together, not being able to recall and remember.

all of these things make me feel a bit detached from friends and family. I find it hard to converse with people so I tend to act a bit of the 'funny guy' around people.

I have been getting fitter and eating better over the past few years but it does not seem to have helped. I don't sleep well. I was embarrassed to go to the doctor because I think that they will just say it is nothing but it is really beginning to get to me so I am going to go. I have considered ending it from time to time but my conscience always wins. I go through blips of depression with this, especially when I drink.

I am glad there are others out there like me, I am sure I have not covered everything because I can't rememeber what I forget!!! it has made me realize that maybe this is a real problem and not just me being silly.

Just want to say thank you for all who have posted up comments and tips/ideas of possibilities. I've been feeling like this for almost a year! Like everyone else, its not like me to be this way or feel this way! Some "friends" and even people I love dearly think I'm in a serious state of depression, but they don't understand that this brain fog that I'm experiencing is real! They say it's all in my head! I'm determined to get to the bottom of this and will be posting updates! Good luck everyone!

I've had brain fog most of my life. It's gotten much worse in the last 10 years. I have discovered that malnutrition due to chemicals and sugar in foods causes most of this.

Adrenal burnout is a huge factor in brain fog and many other symptoms. Orthomolecular medicine addresses this by finding exactly what is needed for your body type. Look up your body type along with adrenal burnout and you will find answers to many health issues.

I am 54 year old woman ..I just started getting brain fog..Its bad most of the day then around 5 I start to come alive...very strange...I have been put on B-12 shots..have not started yet but I hope it helps..I have panic disorder and I am an insomniac..some days I feel like I can't even lift my arms I am so tired...It is a strange feeling...Go away bad brain fog!!!

Every one of these posts is made by intelligent people. I have brain fog too, and it kills me that people assume I am not intelligent when I'm "under the cloud." I've been on a diet - no fruits (except cranberries, no sugars, no lactose, no sorbitol (no fodmaps), no gluten and it has, on many days, reduced the fog to 0.

If I'm in a stressful situation however, I noticed I fog up until the situation is over. However, I've also noticed I do actually get back to clarity as long as I'm on that diet to begin with. I'm glad to find this site.

I'm a 48 year old male struggling with many of the same

symptoms mentioned, mostly poor memory, feeling detached from everyone, difficulty in making conversation, isolation, fatigue, feelings of just surviving. I was prescribed Lexapro by my MD initially, but hated the side affects like insomnia and night sweats. I did some research and had my testosterone levels checked. The results showed low T, which can cause a lot of these insidious symptoms. I am applying Testim cream daily, trying to raise levels and currently still struggling.

I have recently noticed great improvement with my brain fog by realizing my left eye isn't always focused as my right. Think of a pre-lazy eye type thing. A few friends have noticed a slight lazy eye a few times, after I've had way too much to drink.

My belief and experiences have led me to understand brain fog to be simply, the lack of focus, hence "fog". I have almost come to see the world in 2D, in the sense that I interpret things from more of an "observing" perspective and less of an "experiencing" perspective.

Try looking at something far away and then glancing at say, a wall or something that blocks your entire vision, up close. Think of it like sitting in a cubicle and glancing out over the wall at everyone and then sliding your vision down sightly until you hit the wall, a foot in front of your face. Your senses change and your vision adjusts; however, for that brief second, you're mind is free of "fog" until you look away.

My brain fog stems from not realizing i had started to develop a very slight lazy eye (not noticeable except for the few times I was completely hammered. Give it a shot and let me know what you think!

I've suffered with this for a long long time. I've contained the problem with the following:-

I start the day by grating a lemon and then chopping up the lemon. Put this into a small amount of water, blend it and it. It helps with stomach acid. For breakfast, I will have a couple of pieces of watermelon, natural whey protein shake and a grapefruit. Lunch is typically a salad and some turkey. For my evening meal, I have fish with broccoli.

Eliminate all dairy, sweets, cakes, sugars, bread, rice, beer, wine. Exercise daily. Force yourself to do something! Make sure you're around the correct BMI for your height.

I still have bad days but its generally linked to my stomach feeling off. I tested for positive for H. Pylori a number of years back and took the prescribed treatment and after that some mastic gum.

It is food-related and you can help the problem by following the above. I recently tried introducing egg whites into my diet and within minutes I had terrible brain fog and lethargy. Started feeling better a few hours later when it had digested. Trust me, try this.

I first developed some "brain fog" symptoms when I was 17. I went from being a straight A student to getting erratic grades and feeling depressed. Basically, I just couldn't learn properly anymore. I went to university and seemed to have a remission of sorts doing a Diploma and BEng in computer engineering and later an MSc. I had fatigue but with adrenaline and caffeine I managed to do very well in exams. My family are generally very smart with remarkable memory.

Even my impaired memory seemed to be enough to do well. However, as time has passed I've become increasingly foggy in my brain. I know the gist of most things but concentrating and displaying attention for my subject matter are mostly beyond me now.

As a kid I demonstrated a genius-level IQ and aptitude. I'm finding it nigh-on impossible to get a doctor to understand that just because I have a good academic track record, it doesn't mean that there isn't a problem. It feels like my life has been hijacked by an unspecified and perhaps incurable illness but nobody else will take it seriously.

Like most here, the depression has come about because of the problems, rather than being the underlying problem. I lose my train of thought regularly. Can't do puzzles I used to do easily. Forget what I was just doing a few times every day. I've also had a few accidents based on forgetfulness.

All I want is to be performing well again. To regain optimism about the future. Reading the posts here, it's dismaying and disgraceful that so many people have had their lives ruined by problems that are being inadequately diagnosed and treated. I hope and pray the medical profession figures out what's wrong with us.

Firstly, brain fog is a symptom so we all may have different reasons for it. However, I think by collaborating, it may help each of us to try different things and hopefully resolve this wretched problem.

I am 33 and have experienced this "brain fog" since I was around 10. Sometimes it is worse than others. Sometimes it isn't there at all. However, it is there enough to affect my life significantly.

I have had trouble concentrating in jobs, at university and during conversations with people. I even avoided driving for years because I was scared I'd be too vague to concentrate on the roads. I tune out easily.

Sometimes when I read I can't take in the info easily. Yet I did well at university - I have two degrees. I have a tendency to stare and be "vague". I have had depression/anxiety on and off. I think sometimes it is related to this but right now I have a "dense fog" going on and I don't think I'm depressed. I am tired and lethargic at the moment too.

I have just seen a naturopath and she has given me herbs and suggested I take Apple Cider Vinegar. Good apple cider vinegar and brain fog - there is info. Out there, and who knows, it could be a PH problem, so try the apple cider vinegar - must be the unfiltered stuff with what is known as mother - from your health shop. Try it out!

I also get PMS and she advised evening primrose oil for that. Magnesium is worth a try too.

I do stress out easily, and it affects my appetite - therefore it may be a dietary deficiency. A few weeks ago I was feeling about 80% (which is good) and I realized as part of my daily food intake, I had been eating porridge for breakfast and turkey at lunch, a glass of milk in the evening. These are all known to boost serotonin. I am going to get to the bottom of brain fog for once and for all and will post my findings here for you all to see. Best wishes to all!

Just thought I'd add my story to this list.

To summarise, I'm a 24 year old male living in England. I've had brain fog all my life, which has been incredibly hard for me. I got picked on in School because of it and have had to leave several jobs in the past because i couldn't concentrate.

I feel this condition has robbed me of my life, and although i have bought a nice house i feel i could be getting so much more out of life.

It has made me contemplate suicide on several occasions because i just cannot deal with it anymore, but then i think of all the people I'd be letting down.

So far I've tried coconut oil, vitamin b12 and cod liver oil but they didn't work so I'm moving onto 5-HTP and a relaxation remedy from Holland and Barrett. I'd appreciate any other recommendations people have. Thanks for reading my story. --Brent

I'm 28 and I have a brain fog since I am 21. it really affects my life. I can't concentrate for everything especially talking to people. I don't make friends anymore. I feel like I'm crazy and I have trouble understanding of what people say. I need help! I really want to have a normal life for my two kids.

zinc and magnesium have helped me out greatly. They are essential in make proteins like serotonin and dopamine which make us feel good and focused. - Sunji

please look up monosodium glutamate effects. you might just find the answer you;re looking for. or the subject chemtrails. good luck

does anyone know what monosodium glutamate is? it's a food additive is you know like the product called "accent." Look it up and read the symptoms it causes. they now put it in almost every thing we eat mostly processed food and fast food. it can cause most or all of these problems.

just thought i would give everyone something to look up. they also use it in a lot of chinese restaurants.

After years of brain fog I have been cured. Well, it is more accurate to say I have found the cause of my brain for with the help of a naturopathic doctor here in Connecticut. It is something I had heard Gary Null speak about years ago.

I went for testing and everything came back negative for candida. However, I had a sense that it was the culprit, so my doctor suggested that I go ahead and treat it as if I did have candida. I went on a strict diet with absolutely no carbs of any kind for three to four weeks. He prescribed Candibactin AR and BR by Metagenics and I was also taking Candizyme by ReNew Health. He also gave me probiotics to help build good bacteria in my gut.

After six to eight weeks, I realized my brain fog had faded and I began to think normally without the looming feeling of feeling drunk and unfocused. After getting back to normal, I slipped back and started eating sweets and drinking coffee. After a few weeks, my brain fog was back. I knew that the candida had affected my brain.

I'm in a constant battle with sugar - I know I'm addicted so I'm always on the brink of getting the brain fog back. But at least now I know for sure what is the cause. Even though the test showed negative, I had always had a sense that it was sugar related and the caffeine simply destroyed the good bacteria in my gut so that simply made a bad situation worse. I recommend that folks try to cut back on sugar and cut out coffee. See if it works for you. ZC

I too, suffer. I am so glad I'm not alone. I thought I was "sick" as well. I have low blood pressure, a bad memory since forever, and occasional super mild headache, and it feels like pressure and almost a euphoric feeling like I’m floating. I get dizzy and nauseated. I thought the pressure was from my recent discovery of allergies but antihistamines only provide mild relief, so now I’m taking a nose spray (steroid) and that also gives me only mild relief.

I also have had an MRI thinking it was my sinuses but everything came back normal. I too, feel terrible when my kids tell me things and I later can’t remember. I keep journals of them because I'm scared I won't remember their childhood.

I get frustrated with helping them with their homework and it seems like I can't do more than one thing at a time. And the kicker is I was never like this until about two or three years ago! I felt helpless until I found all of you!

I am going to try everything here. I will let you know what works for me.

i am a 24 year old female and i suffer from brain fog. i started having this strange feeling one day at school after a nap. I woke up feeling confused, dizzy, and almost like i was floating. the feeling of weirdness usually goes away about five days after and then i feel 100 percent normal. the foggy feeling comes back every now and then and during these times i just want to be left alone and just lie around in bed, and wait out the fog.

I get brain fog at a regular time each month - yes female, along with other really severe PMS symptoms. On anti D's to help, but doesn't seem to help with the brain fog.

If any of you use a cellphone or live by a cell phone mast/tower, look up the effects of cell phone mast online. Every one of the symptoms are here, and over a period of time it gets worse. Other things are wi-fi, 3g and 4g are really going to make it bad.

I completely relate to 117. I feel the exact same way. I've had all the testing you can have in regards to brain health and everything is clear. What could this be? 117: have you been to the doctor?

I've had brain fog for a year and half now. I've had an mri, eeg, blood work, neuropsych test, done juice fasts, detox diets, started doing bikram yoga everyday, meditation and have felt no relief. I've been put on anxiety medications to help, but went off of it when I saw no improvement months later. Does anyone know what this could be? Hormonal imbalance? Parasite? I need relief from this! Please give me any suggestions, I'm losing hope.

I got rid of my brain fog with the FODMAP diet. I found fructose and some other things brought it on. I think it's because they disagree with my intestine. I had sent a fecal sample to a company in texas, and they tell me I also have gluten malabsorption.

It's possible that the gluten caused my problem with fructose. So, I'm also avoiding gluten. (So, it's a tough diet, but the payback is my fog is lifted).

i have had awesome results with taking Thyroco from Mediherb and I am sure they have have saved my life and given me back my mind again. Within two weeks I felt so much better and only took it for about four months but the effects were long lasting and I have not had to take it again nor have I had a brain fog since. I highly recommend it!

i was a highly competent, workaholic manager, and nothing fazed me. I was made redundant in march, suffered massive depression, and all i could get was lowly supermarket job.

i feel terrible fear and brain fog constantly, struggle with anything I'm shown and so remain at bottom of the pile, bossed around by 18 year olds, feeling more stressed at my uselessness, plus depressed at where my wonderful life has gone.

I found a cure for my brain fog. Just take vitamins to your brain like neurozan and eat a lot of food and try not to be in a sad mood. that helped me in two days. It really helped.

after 15+ years, my brain fog has finally lifted. Two things: I drink green tea now instead of coffee or black tea, and I avoid dairy like the plague. Reducing caffeine was easy, but dairy is truly missed. There are various supplements that could also be helping (?) me: quercetin, CoQ10, Magnesium, Vitamin D, etc., but diet is the biggie.

I suffer exactly the same as #117 mentions in his/her post. I wish i could get in touch to see what steps #117 is using to try and beat this.

I've developed a cure for my brain fog. rather than relax the mind and hope that it goes away, i do the opposite. i create the greatest amount of pressure i can within my brain to squeeze it away. eventually the pressure will subside and i feel a flow of energy drain from my brain to the pit of my stomach. Instantaneously, the fog goes away and the pressure is released at the same time i experience mental clarity. i don't know how this works but I've been trying it out for the past few days on different parts of my mind. i can now relieve a headache/pressure/brain-fog at will.

Whoever set up this site, thank you so much. I have been suffering from brain fog for at least a year now and was getting to my wit's end. Thank you so much to all the people who put up suggestions on how to help, i will try them for sure! All the best to everyone, we can beat this!

Head pressure, dizziness, poor concentration, low blood pressure, poor circulation, befuddled thinking and diminished intellect? A very severe disability. I've had it 16 years since I was 14, caused by stress. It held me back in life.

Brain fog or a 'muzzy head' can be caused by many things. For me it was lack of nourishment to the brain. The brain becomes inflamed due to a bad oxygen supply and clutters the mind through phlegm accumulation - this is the fog!

The majority of people will find relief by drinking a cup of garlic water daily (a natural antibiotic). Allow it build up in the system and after 10 - 20 days you should feel the fluid/phlegm drain via the lymphatic vessels both sides of the head. (Simmer a chopped clove in 1500ml of water for 15 mins).

If the problem lies elsewhere in the body this will only temporarily treat the symptom (the business). I get great relief. Best of luck!

It's not recognized in western conventional medicine but in chinese medicine which is thousands of years old they call in 'cotton wool in the head'.

It's got to be all day for a few days. i promise it will go away. Just concentrate on breathing to your stomach for 3-4 days. I promise the brain fog will lift. Just keep breathing semi-deeply from your stomach.

I too suffer from this 'brain fog.' I have experienced a lot of the symptoms that the previous posters have mentioned: poor memory, I call objects by the wrong name, I feel as if I'm on auto pilot, irritability, floaters in my vision, and some others that I already have forgotten.

It has caused social anxiety and major depression.

I should also add that I was born without a thyroid so it could be a huge factor? Also my father died of a brain aneurysm.

I have been fine and healthy in my life up until i had a migraine. I am now 17 and for a time thought the feeling was growing up but now realize different. for long drawn out periods it feels like somebody has put layers of plastic over my eyes and i am a small step back from reality.

Reading through posts i understand that many people can relate to these symptoms, and i feel less alone than i did.

Going to the doctors is difficult because "brain fog" is so difficult to describe. i think it may have something to do with breathing (lack of oxygen to the brain). i will be doing breathing exercises at least twice a day and hope this helps.

Breathe! All of you just breathe deep to your stomach. It's that most of us are not breathing properly! It sounds stupid as hell, but i dealt with brain fog for a year straight 24/7. Doctors put me on xanax, which helped even though i hate meds.

A few years later it came back and I was told to breathe properly. i was against it, but finally just did as i was told to do. Within three or so days it left. Just be consistent with your breathing for as long as it takes. Breathe to your stomach nice and easy. Just do it! i have brain fog again right now, and have for the last month or so. i forgot that i had the answer to what this was caused by. I forgot that there was a solution to this horrible thing.

Two days ago, i went back to breathing properly, and i still feel the fog some, but it's going away. Just try it. It has to be consistent though. -Scott

I'm 27 and I have had brain fog for years now but never really paid attention to it until recently when it started getting really bad. I've got social anxiety disorder so it has always been hard for me to talk to people but recently it has been even worse. I don't even make sense half the time, I can't think clearly and the words I want to say just aren't there.

It started getting really bad when I did a working holiday in Canada at the start of the year for three months. I was always surrounded by people and always felt I had to make conversation but nothing would come to mind, and the stuff that did come to mind was just gibberish. Before this, I had always had a bit of time out when I felt my brain was overloaded from stress from having to talk to people, but not being able to do that for three months seems to have made this problem more severe.

I can't have a normal flowing conversation and people have even commented that I don't make sense and that almost makes me panic because of the social anxiety which makes me fear how people judge me.

I seem to get it even without brain fog, but brain fog definitely makes it worse. i also find it hard to read, sometimes I will add words that aren't there or substitute words with similar ones.

I don't know if this is all just mental or something more severe. I worry that it's either a tumour, dementia, schizophrenia, or something else just as bad!

All my thoughts are just jumbled, I feel like I have to delete everything I just wrote and start all over again because it's all over the place and doesn't make any sense and doesn't come out the way I want it to.

Make sure you get tested for heavy metal toxicity. Mercury poisoning is a major cause for brain fog and fatigue. Many people over look this simple diagnosis. I was finally diagnosed with Heavy Metals in my body by an N.D.

Thank you everyone for your amazing testimonials. I finally found a family of similar sufferers. At age 67 it finally recently occurred to me that my lifetime difficulty concentrating and being called "lazy" may be related to diet. My brain is only clear now when I 1.eat little 2. eat no bread, dairy, etc. 3. Get plenty of sleep. I suspect stress is also a factor. Thank you again!

Know exactly what you all mean. I've always had depression on and off, but this isn't like that. Used to be sharp and witty, and could bury myself in study all weekends - used to read philosophers like Quine, Putnam, John McDowell for fun. Now it's an effort to read the newspaper - even the sports reports.

Simple things which you did unconsciously before now require thought. Have tried eating healthily, eating unhealthily, exercising loads, not exercising, drinking coffee and having lots of sugar, not drinking any caffeine and cutting out all sugar. Nothing works.

first of all, thanks for the posts everyone. i do think that there are many different causes for "brain fog" so I would always recommend starting with a traditional doctor to rule out more serious illnesses.

I've had problems with brain fog for about three years now, although they do seem to be somewhat food/blood sugar related. I was tested for diabetes, including the glucose tolerance test, and it came back normal. i was also tested for celiac disease and it also came back normal.

i typically cannot eat anything with high carbs for breakfast, otherwise i start feeling "brain fog" about two hours later, although it can be corrected by eating some carbs. i almost always feel fine from 5 p.m. onward but it can be a roller coaster ride during the day with worst symptoms about three to five hours after breakfast. I've tried eating more healthy, without simple sugars, which i already do anyway, but only saw a minor improvement.

the strange thing is that if i break my routine/work and go away on vacation i can eat anything and still feel great all the time, every day.

my symptoms also seem to come and go and could possibly be stress related. sometimes i feel fine for weeks at a time eating the same things i usually eat and sometimes i start getting brain fog and end up on a board like this.

one other thing i noticed is that when I'm having my bouts with "brain fog" i also see more floaters in my eyes. I've had floaters as long as i can remember but it seems that when i have "brain fog" the brain doesn't "filter them out" effectively. By the way, floaters (stringy/transparent knots) are typically harmless, but it's good to confirm with eye doctor to make sure so.

in any event, i will try some of the supplements that people have suggested because this "brain fog" is really putting a damper on my ambitions. i can still work through it but it feels as if my brain/thoughts are pushing against a resistance when it happens.

please, please please see a cognitive neurologist for dysphrinic migraines. You do not have to have headaches to have this. I cover most of the symptoms everyone writes about. I suffered for 20 years and finally found out at Barrows Neurological Hospital in Phoenix what was going on. I take Neurontin twice a day and it helps tremendously! Please check with your doctor about this. Get well! --eskm

oh my God! everything here is what i have. I am 22, and i do not remember first time sine I have started feeling this way, but it was maybe like a half a year ago. It really scares me, i do not know what to do, and nobody seems to care or to understand.

I feel tired all the time, i have no energy. before i had some kind of condition. i was so hyper it was difficult for me to fall asleep, and now i fall asleep in a minute. I feel like I am crazy, like nothing feels like a reality, like I am dreaming. My memory is not so good anymore, I have trouble concentrating, like somebody else said here before, it seems only normal when I watch TV.

When i try not to think about it, i feel normal again, but it is not easy to control every single thought, so the thought of me being crazy pops in my head quite often then it all starts. I really need help.

One of my doctors said that i might have some chemical imbalance in my brain. I hope there is something that will cure this condition. I can't live like this my whole life.

I'm 17 and only recently have i found that this 'brain fog' has affected me. I don't know how to explain it, but everything feels 'fuzzy' and it's difficult to concentrate on tasks (particularly school work) but I've found that when I'm in a very positive mood the brain fog clears completely and i can concentrate fine. But as soon as my mood lowers the brain fog returns.

Being in a low mood somewhat most of the time is not easy to live with. This brain fog, maybe it's a form of depression, maybe it's an imbalance. Who knows?

I have had this "brain fog" for a while now and just found out that what I have is probably depersonalization/derealization. Wow that was so relieving to find out what it was I had. There are a lot of websites out there that can help. I am now on the road to recovery. Good luck to all of you!

OK. So i have posted before about my symptoms which are almost the same as what is posted. I went and got an MRI and it revealed that I have mesial temporal sclerosis from small seizures in my temporal lobe. Honestly, this came as a shock to me, but it can be quite common. Get checked for this if you haven't, get an MRI.

I'm not sure if this is the same thing everyone has been explaining, but I'm 18 and I've had this horrible problem trying to find the right words to say.

Someone will be laughing and talking to me then ask me a question and it will take me about five minutes to get out a sentence, and by then the person is uninterested and is looking at me like I'm retarded. I drew a blank at a job interview today and it's just getting embarrassing and annoying.

I'm on prozac, and i take adderall. i went through a drinking/partying/stealing/all around bad phase a couple years ago but i know I'm a smart girl. I used to be so witty and have an answer for someone so quick. Now i find my boyfriend and I fighting over two completely different things. I've been in denial about this and don't want to admit that i have no idea what I'm talking about most of the time.

I told my mom that i found this website, because I've been trying to explain to her for months how i feel and now she mocks me saying "brain fart! brain fart!" every time i walk by. i cry a lot over this and it hurts my feelings when people think I'm stupid. I just wish i could show them the real me, how i used to be.

I've had brain fog for a long time, and just had a sleep study done which showed I spend zero time in deep sleep, explaining my fatigue.

my doc thinks I have something called UARS -- upper airway resistance syndrome -- probably caused by my overbite. it is similar to obstructive sleep apnea but anyone can have it. I encourage all of you to go and get a sleep study done.

It's great I found this site. It's been almost a year for me. I was smoking some weed with some friends, but on the way home, bang! A weird feeling hit me and I had a horrible time. My legs were shaking, my mouth was dry and i can't even remember what else!

Ever since that morning after i woke up, to this day I haven't been the same. I've taken dom-citalopram for anti depressants but it didn't help. Now I'm always tired, sleep way too much and have a horrible memory, but I'm still trying to fight through it.

I'm very nervous because I am attending my first year of college this fall and I want to actually remember things. I work out quite often and am in very good shape. If anyone has any advice or can relate let me know.

Also, whenever I watch TV I feel back to normal for some reason, then once i look away it's back to the fog?

Wow, I am 28 years old and since I can remember I have always had many of the troubles everyone has mentioned. I'm beginning to believe it has a lot to do with diet. Maybe I'm lacking minerals or something?

My issue is I have a hard time staying focused, remembering facts or words when I'm reading or having a conversation, and sometimes my brain feels foggy for the whole day (in fact, I'm experiencing this feeling this very moment).

Anyway, I believe I would probably be a better student and worker If I could find some type of remedy. Can someone please help? So happy to see I'm not the only one!

I found that most anxiety and panic attack medications work by making gaba. But you can just buy natural gaba in health food stores with no side effects. The dosage would be 1000 or more milligrams four times a day. But also take taurine, and L-theanine, magnesium, and vitamin B. And search all these natural products on the internet first. And see a chiro for atlas subluxation. If the Atlas is adjusted everything will fix itself.

Wow. How incredible to find so many people describing exactly what I've lived with for the majority of my life. I've only ever met one person in "real" life who understands the concept of "living in a fog" or "feels like everything's a dream". My whole life is affected by this. Can't get a job unless it's something I already know how to do as I can't concentrate to learn anything new.

I feel bad when the kids tell me things and then later I don't remember them telling me. I am just so exhausted all the time that "normal" life is daunting and overwhelming. For years I was told it was depression but today I told the doctor that I don't believe that's the case. I believe if I'm depressed it's because I'm living in a fog, not the other way around, and she agreed. She had previously tentatively diagnosed me with CFS but I'm questioning that now and am further exploring what could be wrong and what I can do to stop this madness as I cannot bear to continue living this way.

I'm 40 and always remember being "in a fog" but it's been worse lately. My childhood best friend, when asked, says she remembers me always saying I was foggy and tired and I've known her since I was 13.

Have noted many of the suggestions in the comments here and am going to keep persevering and hoping that something works!

Please read "The Thyroid Solution: A Revolutionary Mind-Body Program for Regaining Your Emotional and Physical Health" (book) by Ridha Arem MD. This book speaks to the connection between thyroid imbalance and the brain. Very interesting.

Well, I was all excited about taking a Lyme Disease test, and it came back negative. So, I'm resigned to living in a perpetual fog. Maybe there's a way that I can turn this into an enjoyable way of life - I could buy a mini fog-horn for my house, and have it going off at regular intervals as a kind of theme. Of course, this isn't really a joking matter, but what can one do?

I am 37 years old, and since I was 12 a felt this way, sometimes it is very hard to concentrate and seems I always dreaming. Nothing works for me. can any help us?

I'm 19 now and have had this since 13, and have not had a single day where i felt 'normal' except for about 10 minutes one time. I was on a school trip and a friend gave me a sweet called 'toxic waste.' It's like a very sour boiled sweet and for some reason out of the blue i felt completely focused and it actually freaked me out for a couple of seconds because i wasn't used to it. I am actually going to buy some online to see if it will work.

I have read all the posts. I'm 19 years old, and don't know for how long i have feeling disconnected, being forgetful, walking in rooms and suddenly forget what i was supposed to do or what and why i went in there. I have bad concentration and it feels like my body is here but my brain is somewhere else.

I get scared that i have dementia or a dementia disease of some kind. Sure, i can be depressed sometimes but i don't think it's that. I have it 24/7 and it annoys me. It feels like i do not belong here, or my brain has moved out from my body.

OK, so I really need some advice. I have been experiencing brain fog or some type of dissociation for over a year now, non-stop. Some days are worse than others. I have begun to think that these days were linked with drinking, etc.

I gave up caffeine, sugar and drinking for over a month and did not feel any better other than increased energy. I do yoga three times a week, have begun to meditate much more regularly. I feel as though I am making wiser diet choices and am trying to be more active. I feel as though whatever I do, I feel the same.

I have started taking Pristiq after seeing many doctors about my "condition". They all think it's stress. I've been on this for about and month and don't feel better, yet. Is this related to stress? Has anyone experienced this sort of brain fog for a long period of time? I want to feel normal again! What else can I do??

i am a 36 year old male and my brain hasn't worked since I was 15 years old. in my mind i always talk to myself day and night and am unable to concentrate on my work. i don't know what to do. please help me.

Wow, I think I have just discovered what's wrong with me! I'm a 26 year old female and I've had 'brain fog' since I was about 14. I usually have it most days, although usually just in the morning and it's gone by about lunch time.

I feel like I'm in a fog and have to use all my brain power to concentrate and function. I also space out when talking to people. I will zone out for a few seconds and my eyelids will droop. When I come out of it I need to remind myself what I was talking about. It's extremely embarrassing with people I have just met!

Some days it can be with me all day. I find my routine, exercise, diet and sleep contribute greatly to how often or severe I get it. I also find that if I have a big night out drinking, that the next day I am a complete mess - I can hardly string sentences together and pretty much can't carry on a conversation.

I was tested for epilepsy when I was young because I zoned out but medication made the situation worse. I have kept alcohol to rare occasions and exercise most days.

I seem to get it worse when I am on holidays as I eat more bad food. I've seen some people have cut out wheat and coffee. Has this made a huge improvement?

I have Celiac and was born without a thyroid and I am currently having horrible brain fog. I've been researching and it could be adrenal gland fatigue. Needless to say, I'm getting them checked. I also started the diet called SCD. Good luck to everyone.

You are all suffering from Lyme disease! You can test for it, but there can be false negatives, so just treat for Lyme. The Brain fog is from untreated Lyme disease, no question about it. Try taking Samento, or a colloidal silver product.

Diet is part of it, so stay away from sugar and carbs until the symptoms go away. Do not doubt that it is Lyme Disease. It is not depression, Chronic Fatigue, or Fibromyalgia; you are clearly in the Lyme disease category.

Start treatment soon, and I wish you all improved health.

I am 65. I seem to be suffering from brain fog. I have been under terrible stress with a job loss and a broken marriage and domestic violence.

The brain fog is really making my life miserable. If I could just think clearly I think that would help a lot. I have many of the same symptoms as those above, but I'm older. Any ideas?

I have gotten much worse since the domestic violence. Also, hot weather seems to make it worse. I have been eating a lot of bread. I will watch the gluten. Any ideas?

I have had episodes of being in a fog before all through my life. Staring out a window in school, getting home and doing the same thing. Just seemed to be "me". However I seemed to be able to "snap out of it" by doing other activities with friends. Keeping busy with friends.

I always had a really bad memory and taking courses and studying were torture. Hours would go by and I will be on the same page. I really don't know how I got through school.

Anyway, I started a new job three years ago and moved to a new city and have inconsistent work hours (10 and 14 hour days) which have been very difficult for me to do. I stopped working out and started eating just what ever was handy or convenient and I crave sugary sweets like crazy so I have been really indulging. I have lost all zest for life and energy just doing the bare minimum at home and even at work.

What has scared me is that people will tell me their names and five minutes later I can't remember. The other day someone asked me who I was working with and I couldn't tell them. These are the same people I work with every day for the last two years now. I could see their faces in my head but I could not come up with a name.

After a few days off of work, I had someone ask me what did I do. I had no answer for them. My memory was blank.

I am really getting scared. Seemed like ever since I turned 40 my life has been draining from me as has my memory.

I decided to do some searching online to find out what I had done wrong. I read this comment and wow -- it is exactly how I feel lately "I have achieved a lot in my life, but I always feel that I do not know anything and that I have been lucky to get so far ahead in my life".

Most days feel very surreal, like I am in a dream state.

I used to jog every day, ride my road bike, do weights, and eat properly: dark green leafy veggies and chicken, until I moved away.

After reading all these posts about diet and nutrition I'm really coming to the conclusion I have to get back my life and part of that will be denying my cravings for sugar and starting to eat right again and start drinking tons of water (something else I stopped doing when I stopped working out) and start "moving" again by just walking until I can jog again.

I can't believe feeling "normal" would just happen by doing this but it is worth a try. Thank you for having this forum. It is the kick in the butt I needed.

I had brain fog off and on all my life. For me, the cause was extreme stress or antibiotics. The cure: a yeast-free, sugar-free diet for a month. This means no alcohol or bread with yeast. Get more rest and exercise.

Add plenty of natural anti-fungals into your diet such as garlic, lemon, cayenne pepper, brown rice.

If necessary, get diflucan, the antifungal drug.

Remember, we are all created equal and you are precious!

I am 48 and i too, am one of you. I have a foggy brain most of the time and it's affecting my relationship with my kids, co-workers and everybody! I think if this would only go away everything in my life would be so much better.

Sometimes I can even bring on the fog myself. All i have to do is think about it, and then my head feels fuzzy. I am going to try drinking more water and getting some exercise, and breathing deeper too. If it helps I will write again!

I somehow think it has to do with a lack of oxygen to the brain and maybe glucose too. I will try some dark chocolate as someone else suggested. Good luck to everyone!

For all those poor people who suffer from this symptom or set of symptoms, please get tested for Lyme Disease and its co-infections.

Lyme Disease affects the brain in many ways and can actually cause dementia. Get Lyme Disease, Bartonella, Babesia and Ehrlichia ruled out by an LLMD (lyme disease specialist). I pray this helps you. It might save your life and what is left of your brain, mind and body.

It is a terrible thing ruining my life, detached from the world. The worst thing is doctors don't understand and think you have depression.

Thank god there are people who understand what I'm suffering from. I'm 25 and have had brain fog for the last six years and it has ruined my life. I was diagnosed with depression and have been on pills since. My doctor does not understand and dismisses it as depression, my family never understands.

I'm in a daze all day, can't remember, concentrate and have fuzzy vision too. I don't know what to do it has been same and never feels better at all.

May Allah Swt help us all inshallah.

My brain fog, memory problems, concentration problems, no energy, not wanting to do anything, irritable, sex drive gone, cold and heat intolerant all started after my hysterectomy. It tooktwo2 years to get bad enough (or fed up enough with all of my symptoms but have finally found out what was wrong: hypothyroidism.

Even thought my doctor didn't think so because my lab results were ‘moderately abnormal’ (on the high side, but not ‘high’ enough), and neither did the first endocrinologist I saw - they both told me I was depressed and wanted me to go on Prozac.

I know my own body and knew it wasn't depression, but something else going on with my body. Educate yourselves and research because the doctor you see is one person with one opinion. It won't let me post links, but search hypothyroidism and look for endocrine and about thyroid. There is a wealth of info!

I've gone 30 minutes away to find a doctor who is helping me now (and I live in a town with three hospitals and a Univ Medical School) It's the third time I've had to adjust the doses, but when I feel 'good' again, it's worth it - just to feel like me again! Good luck to you all!

I have had brain fog my whole life. in school when three people were mean to me I felt like everybody was mean to me. I don't remember people and people get offended and hurt.

Brain fog has led people to label me as crazy, stupid, disturbed,and useless. Brain fog has just about ruined my life and has led me to numerous bad decisions and tremendous devastation, depression and caused a variety of various emotional reactions numerous mental breakdowns just because I can't make my brain work when I so desperately need it to.

it is a terrible, terrible thing.

I am 29 and have had brain fog since I was 15. I work as a programmer and am useless at work when I have brain fog attacks (usually from noon till evening). I had periods of "clarity" of up to months but it always comes back.

Something I believe helps is sleeping well but not too much, yoga and physical exercise.

This is amazing to finally read there are other people that are experiencing this.

I've suffered from this for years - at least 15 years -- and it was a gradual onset. The only consistent solution that I've found is running. Afterward, I can deal with anything, and match wits with anyone. I run before dates, big meetings, anything important. But I'm now experiencing ankle problems, which frequently occur as I have bad feet. So, dynamic cardio helps, believe me.

And, I'm hoping to gain solutions from you folks.

I started experiencing brain fog about a year ago. I could not concentrate in class. I would be unable to make conversation. I could not for the life of me remember things that people told me.

After a while, my self esteem suffered. I became convinced that I was stupid and slow. These negative thoughts festered in me of all people, a damn good student and sharp thinker. The forgetfulness really messed with my head.

In March, a doctor diagnosed me with severe anxiety and prescribed Paxil, which worked wonders. My shortness of breath, brain fog, and inability to concentrate disappeared.

Best of luck to everyone here and keep in mind, brain fog is often an symptom of a larger problem, not the problem in and of itself.

I had the same and my symptoms went after i started taking a vit D supplement.

thank you, thank you, thank you. i have had these exact symptoms for years. it really does feel like there is a cloudy film between me and the world. i will drive somewhere and can't remember how i got there. i will take a picture, look at it 10 min later, and not remember i took it. It's very, very scary.

I've given up trying to explain it to anyone. My friends and family think I don't listen to them. it scares me really badly, but i feel a little hopeful reading your posts.

OK, I like what #50 said and I'm looking into a lot of things. I've been tested for just about everything. I have had brain fog for so many years I can't count them now. I am 55 and have been on klonopin for anxiety and panic attacks for 17 years.

Even before I was on it though, I had trouble with the brain fog. I think it has to do with oxygen not getting to my brain or allergy to foods and all of this leads to stress which makes me not sleep well. I am tired all the time and have a slew of allergies. I always have yeast infections so this is almost sounding like it's yeast build up and I need diet/sleep and whatever else to change this or help it.

I cannot think straight, can't remember anything anyone says to me right after they say it even and am in a daze all day. I hate this and even told my doc I had early alzheimer's.

I am not interested in anything. I always was creative but could care less now. I am on an estrogen patch due to a hysterectomy so also an imbalance here could be something. I'm addressing all of this currently. I once, about 20 years ago, quit sugar completely and I had no anxiety or depression or panic. I was a completely different person.

PS. I also have low blood sugar. So much to think about but we can all do it. Look at your diet/meds/ sleep patterns. Maybe some of what I've mentioned can help someone and I sure hope something or someone helps me. I'm scared. I have two grown sons and four grandchildren and like I said, I am still young, (55), but my Mom who's 78 remembers better than I do. Help. Looking up magnesium, vitamin d and all the things I mentioned. I personally think it's yeast and/or oxygen not getting to my brain. Any ideas? Thanks #50.

i don't know connection but on the internet I read that any dark chocolate like 85 percent pure coca chocolate to take like two to three cubes daily will take away your brain fog in like two days.

i just eat one small cube in the morning. do try it; it will help you. i have hyperacidity but one cube does not cause any problem so if you have hyper acidity, try it. also, you can buy sugar free dark chocolate.

All i need from you is always remember me in your prayers. may Allah bless us all.

maybe the answer to brain fog is hormone levels out of balance. kkvp

I am a homeopath. Go see one -- we can really help! Look up the National Center for Homeopathy for a listing of a homeopath. We can help your system to right itself, so you won't have to take drugs.

maybe everyone here needs to look at a magnesium chloride supplement. try searching online for brain fog and low magnesium levels.

Eow, I've been dealing with many of the same symptoms as the rest of you on here have been. Memory loss, dizziness, poor concentration. I feel like I've lost my ability to think or analyze anything.

It truly is like living in a fog or haze. i feel disconnected with everyone and everything I'm doing. I used to have an incredible imagination but more recently, since this "brain fog" came into my life, I've had little or no motivation to be creative or do anything I've always enjoyed doing. It's heartbreaking.

I'm looking into nutritional deficiencies, although my diet has differed much in the past few years so i don't see why that should be the case. One doctor is testing me for celiacs disease because some of the symptoms are similar. i also get the feeling of losing sensation in my mouth sometimes, anybody else get that?

Anyway people, it would be a good idea to put our fogged heads together and see what could be causing symptoms like this. we're not crazy. there's just something wrong. i feel it's an easy fix too. the problem is finding the source. Let's get on it.

We're all auto-immune challenged. I've used CandiClear5 successfully to treat candida. Remember, you get die off first, so sometimes the symptoms get worse before better. I used it for a year successfully, got off of it for some reason, and now I have symptoms again, so I'm getting back on it.

I also have shortness of breath, insomnia, etc. I really had a bad diet this past holiday season and a lot of stress. Probably triggered my bad candida again. Ugh. Candida will get you in a lot of ways. Do not make the mistake of discounting it here, especially if you are under stress (weakening your adrenals), or if you consume sodas, chocolate, breads, alcohol, etc.

I have to disagree with a lot of the comments on here which attribute improvement to cutting certain foods, performing "detoxes," and/or lowering overall consumption.

In my experience with brain fog so far, eating (yes, even starches and processed foods) actually *improves* my cognition almost immediately--which makes sense, given that the brain relies on a constant glucose supply to function.

Moreover, a *moderate* intake of caffeine also seems to help. This is in line with exactly the way normal brains function, i.e. supplying the brain with energy and stimulation makes people think better. I think, therefore, that dietary restrictions based on eliminating foods traditionally thought of as "bad" are not always going to be the answer.

I believer, however, that the sharp divisions in the associations we form between our diets and our symptoms illustrate an important fact: we all probably have different root causes. Poor nutrition was never really a likely culprit in my case (I had aseptic meningitis and within days, without changing my diet at all, started down the brain fog path), and therefore probably won't benefit from diet schemes.

So I would advise people to consider whether diet is even likely relevant to their case of brain fog--which it may be in some cases--before embarking on a new diet.

So I am thinking that we all need to post what we do that is unhealthy, what we do excessively or is in our daily routine. I get all of these symptoms randomly. I am 18, and I'd rather not deal with this my whole life.

Unhealthy things that I do/parts of my daily routine:

1) caffeine

2)fake sugar

3)candy (refined sugar)

4)smoking

5)flavored water

I also take multi vitamins on a normal basis. I used to have anxiety and a short-term eating disorder. Someone really needs to figure out how to cure this.

I'm fairly sure that brain fog isn't caused by depression or other illnesses. Instead, it's the the other way around.

I'm 21 and have had it since I was 15 or so. About two weeks ago i woke up and it was gone! I was so excited, it was like a real physical change had occurred in my brain, a light had switched on, or another part of my brain had suddenly been activated.

Everything felt real -- like it's supposed to! And everything suddenly made sense. But as the day went on, the feeling started fading and I smoked some weed at the park (fairly sure weed isn't the cause as i had never smoked it until I was 18) and my fog got so bad I would be half way through a sentence and forget what I was saying for the next few days.

It's been fairly terrible ever since. I am going to try a little fast after reading one of the comments and then probably try eating meat in case it's a copper imbalance.

Just wondering if any of you are on any medication that may cause this brain fog. For me I was on Nexium for a couple of years when I stated getting this brain fog. Couldn't figure out what was happening to me, so I decided to go off nexium to see it that would help and It did. Out of the fog ever since.

I've had chronic brain fog since Nov. '95. I'll skip the long story but I feel like I've been high for over 14 years straight (without smoking weed).

Sometimes it's so bad I can't carry on a simple conversation because I can't even think or talk right. Not trying to feel sorry for myself, just saying. Maybe it's brain damage, who knows? I've spent hundreds (if not thousands) on supplements. People see you from the outside and have no idea you feel that way looking out.

I've been suffering with brain fog for five years now (since 2005). Usually about an hour after I have breakfast I get a feeling of being buzzed. Almost as if I've had a shot of Scotch for breakfast. The feeling stays with me all day and I cannot concentrate on anything although I can speak and function otherwise.

I just zone out and it is really affecting my ability to concentrate and my short term memory. I've taken three key steps that is working for me. Caffeine is a main culprit for me - but not the only one. I recommend completely cutting out coffee, tea, soda anything with even the smallest amount of caffeine.

Next is carbs, I'm cutting out any wheat/Gluten including bread, potatoes, rice, cookies, sugar (that's a main one). Number 3, I started exercising and sweating (which is a form of detox). I've been to regular doctors (they have been utterly useless), homeopathic doctors and the latest was an Ayurvedic doctor here in Connecticut.

The Ayurvedic doctor cleared up my condition but it was costing me nearly $1,000 per month. So I took it upon myself to systematically remove all the negative things that were affecting me. It seems to be working so far but i've been in and out of brain fog in the past. We'll see if it lasts.

I am 40 years old and I have brain fog since I was 19. I have seen six neurologists and have had six MRIs, four EGGs, two sleep studies and a few other tests.

The neurologist I am seeing now referred me to a cardiologist. He had me lie down and took my blood pressure and then he had me stand up and took my blood pressure. My blood pressure dropped 20 points and my heart rate went from 80 to 125. He has now ordered a TILT test and strongly thinks he can help me out. I will let you all know how it goes.

When I was 27 I bent down to pick something up from under the bed and when I stood up I felt all my mental clarity drain away. Now I am 39 and it is so bad I have trouble forming coherent sentences. When I type, I miss whole words within sentences and just live in this fog.

I have noticed that caffeine makes it worse. Has anyone noticed if caffeine or sugar make it worse for them?

My mind feels detached and it is hard for me to concentrate and remember things. I can't even remember lyrics from songs now. I have a hard time concentrating and listening and I lost my imagination and feel tired and light headed and just not in the mood anymore.

I sometimes walk in the wrong rooms in my house and can't even say anything without really thinking without a lot of effort but feel kind of better when I'm with my friends or doing sports but still make mistakes and say stuff i don't mean to say.

It feels like my life is just starting to fall apart.

I too have suffered from brain fog for the past two years. I can't concentrate, my minds feels like it's humming of buzzing, and I can't pay attention when people are talking to me.

I think it is diet related, as before I got married three years ago, I worked out and ate mainly chicken, vegetables, and drank protein shakes, and I was sharp as a tack.

I do notice it the most right after lunch, and it does clear around 5 p.m. I am thinking that my body had finally metabolized the wheat/sugars/whatever in my lunch, which allows me to think clearly again.

I am 48 and have had this problem since i was 19. My brain feels like it just runs out of energy and can no longer function. I can't concentrate, form complete sentences, etc. It is very frustrating.

It comes on all of a sudden but is way worse in the morning. Some days it never goes away. The weird thing is sometimes I have really good days. I just don't know how much longer I can take this. It is ruining my life.

It's good to find this forum. I'm from the UK. This is something that I thought, excuse the pun, was all in my head.

I noticed in my early twenties that I felt 'spaced out' and I wasn't in tune with my surroundings but this feeling seemed to disappear until the last year or so.

I'm 30 and I was recently on holiday, sitting by the pool, just observing my surroundings and felt massively detached and hazy, even more so, say, when I look up from a book.

My memory is bad, and I over analyze what I'm going to say when I speak, as conversation doesn't seem to flow and I can't naturally think of words without really concentrating during conversation and digging deep.

In essence, I don't feel, like a few have mentioned, I'm living my life; just observing through this haze. Unfortunately no one has seemed to have had a eureka moment with this frustrating feeling of detachment.

Many of these symptoms can be due to hypothyroidism, IBS or depression.

First thing would be to get thyroid function tests.

I'm 15 and since last year in the summer I always get this brain fog. When I wake up in the morning and have slept for a long time I feel like I'm actually living like it's actually reality.

But when I get too tired or even a little I feel like this reality is like a dream.

Also I've been having panic attacks a lot but I try to control them a lot. I don't know what's really wrong with me but, please, if you know whats wrong with me or a cure for me, please tell me; I would appreciate the help. Thanks.

I think I've had this since i was 13 and i am 19 now and not a single normal day since. I'm not sure if i have brain fog but when i look around it feels like when i look at something for a split second, i forget what i was looking at a second later like my mind can't register it clearly, and i always feel dizzy and light headed. Ive started getting panic attacks the past year and i think its related! man i want to get cured so badly!

In regards to the post "Brain Fog?" -it's not that we are inventing or making it up. Some of us are simply stating that we have tried remedies for anxiety and depression, but nothing has worked. For me, its been almost a year. I exercise, generally eat healthy, etc., yet I am in a daze every single day. I wish that I could figure out what it is.

I'm 19 years old and have been suffering from this in the last two years.

some days i feel like I'm in a daze the whole day while others i seem to get more energetic around 7/8 at night. wish i knew how to get rid of this. I'm at university but I'm really struggling to concentrate in lectures and its definitely affecting my work.

sorry but I'm not getting this. Brain Fog? Reading this site and the posts here, we are talking about a range of symptoms which can all be attributed to different causes (allergy; depression; medication for depression; anxiety; adolescence; brain damage/problems; drugs; social problems). Why invent a name which encompasses all of this instead of looking at the specific problem and treating that?

I used to sit in classrooms in high school and could not understand what the teacher was talking about.

In college, I struggled with comprehending large volumes of knowledge. For example, if I had to read a long text such as Dante's Inferno, I could not make sense of the meaning. At work, as a consultant and facilitator, I needed to make presentations etc., and I would forget the names of the people and things to say, so I had to write notes for making myself remember.

I am mostly sad, and the only thing that brings a smile on my face is my son's conversation. I do not have a job lately and I recently failed my PhD biostats exams.

My parents tell me that when I was little, I used to stand and gaze at a distance for hours. I have smoked pot, and overdosed/misused on one occasion prescription drugs to make me high. I have been diagnosed as depressed when I was in my 20s.

I have achieved a lot in my life, but I always feel that I do not know anything and that I have been lucky to get so far ahead in my life. This forum and the talk about brain fog is making sense to me. Good work.

I've suffered from this for about 10 years now, and I'm 52. I used to chalk it up to pre-menopause and menopause, but I will share with you an experience I had recently that cleared it up dramatically and overnight. All I did was go on a water and juice fast for a little over a day.

I woke up one day and decided to do it, so I drank water, coffee, soup, and some juice - that was all. The next morning I woke up feeling more clarity than I can ever remember feeling, with much more energy. As soon as I had a meal - Bam! Back to feeling mentally and physically sluggish.

I am trying to sort out if this could be due to hypoglycemia, food allergy or what? Obviously, I have to eat!

You all have no idea how this made me feel when I read all of the posts! I am 19 and noticed one day, my junior year in high school I was sitting in class and all the sudden someone was telling me class was over. I felt like I had just pushed fast forward and didn't even notice.

I feel like I can't focus and when someone is talking to me I tune them out. But not on purpose, it just happens. I hate this feeling!! My mom bought me a book and suggested I try out what this doctor had to say. It talks about food allergies and how they can affect your moods, and even cause "brain fog." I also suffer from abdominal pain, bloating, gas, and just general discomfort and noticed that when I put on more weight, the other symptoms followed. I also have had depression and panic attacks.

I don't know what this is all about. But it helps to know I am not alone and I will try cutting out the foods suggested above.

I'm 15. And for the past four months I have been suffering from major brain fog. It feels weird, almost like your mind isn't with it. It feels like your body is here, but your brain isn't. And you feel like your not living. And it also doesn't let me think at all.

I tried explaining it to my mom, but she's not understanding. It's so hard to explain what it feels like to other people, because they think you're, like insane.

I am on a depression medication, and it's not working. And my brain fog is still here. But this is all really sad, because I used to just be the happiest person, and not let anything upset me. But now I'm just a lazy 15 year old, never wanting to go out with my friends because I feel so depressed. I really hope my brain fog goes away, and I can live me life again.

I just want to feel 'with it' again. I feel like my life is just flashing by me.

I am 15, 16 next month. I read through all of the previous posts and can pick direct similarities to the feeling I go through every day. I find that I cannot function properly up until about 6 o'clock in the evening at which time I seem to achieve a better level of mind clarity.

Before this time I find that I am very spaced, struggle to think properly, have a feeling of detachment from all of my school mates (despite being fairly popular) and a feeling of disorientation.

Also during this time, most alarmingly, occasionally I have moments lasting around 5-10 seconds in which my eyesight begins to blur to the point which I cannot make out shapes, my hearing becomes blocked, as though I am at the bottom of a swimming pool and my mind goes blank. Also during these episodes I have complete disorientation, I feel dizzy and cannot stand up properly.

This all started over two years ago when I first started smoking weed. before this I was very active and energetic. However after smoking weed I am extremely spaced out for about a month. I used to think that was just getting stoned. However I realize now that what I go through when I am stoned is not normal. I quit smoking weed five months ago and feel much better for it. It is difficult to say no to friends but I feel much better because of it. However I am now stuck in this mentality of feeling spaced etc..

Good luck to all of you others out there who are in the same state of confusion that I am.

I to have been suffering from it for years. I would say I have it about five out seven days of the week so I know very well the difference between these days.

On the days I don't have it I feel so much happier and energetic, I live for these days. Some days it doesn't go away at all, but for the most part it clears up late afternoon.

It's very frustrating because I am in this fog all day then I start to come out of it, and by the time I am ready to start winding down and get ready, my brain is like, "Hey there I am wide awake now, so no, you can't go to sleep because my day just started."

Like right now it's 10 at night I am ready to go to bed but my brain just got an energy boost whereas all day long I have been longing for it to be time to go to bed.

I have this too. I used to have a lot of energy and focus, but now I often feel foggy and kind of depressed. Maybe it's because I got married when I didn't truly want to? Or just because I'm getting older? I'm 33 right now. Working out in the gym kind of helps, but I still feel my life is going downhill. My theory is: Brain fog is a symptom of depression.

Anon18353: You spoke of your mind "spinning with songs", and said that you cannot think clearly because of it.

Do you have any trouble with anxiety? Repetition of sounds, words, or thoughts in the brain is often a sign of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, and I once suffered from similar symptoms (though songs were not my particular struggle).

I, too, suffer from "brain fog". With me it is characterized by detachment, saying the wrong word, being incapable of making conversation, and extreme forgetfulness.

It's odd, because I remember strange, specific things, but I'll spend an hour looking for my cell phone because I set it down absentmindedly. It's disconcerting because I am a 21-year-old female. I feel like I am much too young for this. Sometimes I worry my brain has been permanently damaged by past drug use, but then I think that perhaps it's just my anxiety talking.

I just want to be present, and not an observer in life. My self-esteem has suffered dramatically.

About six months ago, I believe all the "stress" that I have been able to brush off in the past finally broke me down. I slowly fell into depression. I felt like I was going nuts.

Now, I seem to be in this "fog" that I can't shake off. I'm awake and am able to work, but it's like I'm have a film over my eyes. It's hard to describe. I just feel weird.

I've read the entries above, and I guess it kind of helps to know that there are others out there experiencing this. But how do we get rid of this weird feeling?

It started for me in high school. A year before I had won a city wide chess tournament. Then I started losing games. Then I couldn't win a single game anymore, and my grades started slipping. Three years later I'm 19 and in university and I feel like I walk in a fog 24/7. I don't feel like doing anything. I can just sit and stare into space for hours. Memorization seems impossible.

It's destroying my life, and no doctor can tell me what's wrong. I've tried multivitamins, fish oil, different diets, stop watching movies/tv, exercising, meditating. Nothing seems to make it go away.

I have Celiac Disease which is an allergy to wheat, barley and rye. For a year I felt like this, it almost felt like I was being poisoned. Three days after completely eliminating gluten from my diet it went away. You have to go completely wheat, barely and rye free and I tell you it's in everything. It's a life style change but it did make the fog go away.

It may not be the answer for everyone but it's easy to test. but be sure to read labels and so you don't accidentally ingest it. Just try a bland diet without wheat, barley and rye for a week and see how you do.

It took a year to get a diagnosis for me since most doctors don't understand the disease at all. It's a systemic inflammation disease that can affect most parts of the body.

I have been experiencing brain fog for six months. The doctor said it was anxiety and put me on Paxil, which made it worse. I feel as though I can't absorb information or speak clearly. I cannot carry on a decent conservation, and have become an observer to most things around me.

I feel as though I have lost a lot of interest in things I was once passionate about. I am a spiritual person, and it's if every desire to be so has left me. I am also a full-time student, and getting through a semester is a nightmare. I'm not sure what to do. I think I might try yoga, a vegetarian diet, increased exercise and vitamin use. I guess only time will tell if any of this helps.

I'm so glad I stumbled upon this site. My symptoms are the same as a lot of others on here. It started when I was 17, when in the evenings I would start to feel all spaced out and weird like I was just on autopilot (like your head feels when your hungover). It happened every few weeks.

Recently (I'm 26 now) it started happening again and at different times in the day usually after lunch and last till about 8-9 p.m. when I suddenly perk up.

Having researched this a lot and trying different things, I will post what has helped me so far;

1) I notice it is worse after I have my tea with three sugars.

2) it feels worse after I have consumed cheese.

3) drinking more water helps

4) the more I think about it and worry, the more I start to panic and analyze any slight weird feeling thinking 'how's my head?' 'am I OK?'

5) paracetamol usually helps me

I fit the symptoms for SAD, anxiety, dehydration, vitamin deficiency and migraines. I have had blood tests for other things I suspected and they came back clear.

I have also been assured that if I were going mad like I feel I am then I would not be aware of it, also I've had this so long I know it cannot be anything too sinister!

I do want to know what vitamins I could start taking to improve my brain/mind? I know B12 has come up a lot but has anyone heard of any others?

Thanks, Jo ( I'm assuming nobody on here has any answers as when you are cured you are less likely to be looking up and in these websites! I hope that's the case and there is a cure!)

My symptoms are near to identical to this, but were brought on by Panic Disorder. I've had the disorder for two, nearly three years now, and it's very, very annoying to have this.

I'm currently in college, and trying my best to concentrate with my classes, but it's just so hard to do it when I can't focus. I constantly say things that I don't mean to say, for example, when I'm asking a question, I cannot manage to finish it the majority of the time, and I constantly forget things or cannot focus enough to remember. I can stare into blank spaces for hours without even thinking.

I've been receiving therapy for a while now, but this is quite a recent symptom, so I am unaware of how much longer this will last.

My brain fog started after a very bad relationship with my ex. For some reason, after our fights, I would get into this state of numbness. Now, five years forward, I can't really connect with my family. When my kids talk to me, when my fiance talks to me, with people around work, and in reality with everyone around me, I feel totally disconnected. I can't seem to concentrate on the conversations. It's incredible.

My kids retell stories that I as a mom should remember. But for some reason, I can't. It's like things happened but since I wasn't focusing I can't remember. I really want to focus when people talk to me. I put all my effort, but during the conversations I'm really not there. My mind is empty.

I feel really sad because I don't know what to do about it.

Today I decided to research the net, and came across this site. I thought that I wasn't going to find anything, that I was bizarre. But I'm not the only one, and it is a bitter sweet relief to see I'm not the only one in the same boat. But what now?

Does anyone else get fuzzy vision from their brain fog? Not complete fuzzy vision but fuzzy spots in corners or sometimes directly in front of your vision?

You should try fasting to cure your brain fog.

What's going to work better then "the greatest remedy, the physician within"?

I have had brain fog for 27 years. I recently found out that it is mercury poisoning that is causing the problem.

I had my amalgam fillings removed A few months ago and felt better right away. I take alpha lipoic acid using Andy Cutlers protocol, but it takes years to remove the mercury from the brain.

I think everyone needs to try a chiropractor. Anytime I have a problem, I just see my chiropractor and the problem is gone.

All you have to do is get your brain chemicals back to the right amounts. I have brain fog all of the time, it comes and goes, sometimes it stays for days. I've actually had it for the last couple of days. I plan on going to the chiro tomorrow, and then it will be gone I'm positive! I agree with most people here though, it is best to keep a diary of your symptoms and what most likely caused it. But chiropractors are awesome if you can find one that really knows their stuff. They can help with anything.

Brain Fog has haunted me for 23 years and after much trial I have discovered that my diet is the source of the problem. Wheat, sweeteners, caffeine are the main culprits. After eight weeks, I am 90 percent better and life is much better.

After all - you are what you eat!

I'm sixteen, and I've had this for a year. I tried marijuana twice. The first time nothing happened. The second time I got this spacey feeling for about 10 days. Then four months passed and this head fog took over. I've had it for almost an entire year now, and I have no idea why.

It's horrible because before I was very in tune with nature and very spiritual, and I can't feel that connection anymore. In the summer I fell into a depression, and I just lay around all day, but now I'm on anti depressants.

At first I thought they were helping, but then I realized that I do feel happier, but the head fog is still there. My dad keeps saying it's because of the marijuana but I don't see how that can be. Has anyone here found a connection with that? I don't see how that can be it at all.

I feel like I'm drowning in my own mind, and this whole thing is just keeping me from being who I am. I am glad to know more people have this, but I'm still hoping with all I have that this stops.

I know how much it sucks, and just complaining to people who know what you're going through could be good, and I'd like it too. Thanks.

I drink a lot of milk, so maybe that's it. I don't know.

I'm 36 years old male and have been experiencing these exact symptoms that many have posted concerning brain fog. I spend practically most of my awake hours in this mental haze.

Has anyone figured out where or what to do to break this deadly cycle?

I get brain fog where my head feels dull and like I have no oxygen and then I also get short of breath. Seems like doctors have no clue and call it a panic attack, which I know it isn't. Sometimes I wake up with it and it lasts all day -- awful feeling.

I'm choking up with tears --joy? frustration? Not sure. ut to find out that my term "brain fog" is actually recognized by others suffering from these symptoms is a relief. I recall the first time it happened. I was 23 years old and was driving my car, talking to my sister and suddenly this clouded state of mind came over me. I was disoriented and confused and it freaked me out. I actually accused my sister of drugging me with something. She's several years older than me and said "Oh, you get that too? It happens to me all the time. Get used to it." It didn't happen often, but occasionally over the years. I talked to a shrink about it. He put me on depression meds. Didn't help the brain fog. Now, I am 41 years old. It is happening more and more often, sometimes lasting for days at a time. I'm an at-home mom thinking about getting a job now, and I'm scared to death that I'm going to get brain fog on the job and do something really stupid. I'm an intelligent person, but it's as if I cannot retrieve or process information. Memory, gone. I find myself unable to use normal vocabulary, as words roll out of my mouth they aren't even close to being the words I'm trying to say. People talking to me and I hear the words but can make no connection to what they are saying to me. I feel as if I've lost my mind, literally. Nothing there. Lights off. I definitely suffer insomnia, but this was happening way before I had problems with sleeping. Stress does seem to compound the problem. I've wondered if I have early-onset Alzheimer's, but my doctor looked at me like I was stupid when I tried to explain this. I am relieved to find "the others" that are as lost as I am, but frustrated to learn that nobody knows of a doctor or any medical research that addresses just exactly what is going on here!

I cannot believe that I finally found out what the hell is wrong with me. I just went on a search engine and typed in my best description of what I felt was wrong, "Brain fog," and found you guys with the exact same symptoms that I have had since the age of 14. I am now 36 years old and am determined to fix it. Doctors just kept telling me that it was stress, depression and one even said I had A.D.D. I've always felt like there had to be a simple solution to this. Kind of like that episode of the simpsons when Homer had that crayon removed from his brain. If anyone ever comes up with a solution, please let me know and I will be sure to do the same. For now I am going to try what anon37397 said about taking melatonin 1 hr before bed time and see if it works for me too.

Ive had brain fog for years, feels like im sleepy and have no oxygen in my brain. Also I get short of breath with it. I get it out of the blue. The doctors don't know what it is or care to see what it is. Anyone know how to get rid of it or help it?

I'm 16, and I've had this problem for around five or six years now. It was a very gradual onset that I didn't take too much notice of, but I just knew that something was wrong. I lack that clarity of thought I remember so well. I still get excellent grades, although whenever I study I just feel as if nothing is 'going in'. I traced the problem back to lack of sleep, and tried various things to remedy the problem (non-medical), and it has helped to an extent. I believe the majority of the brain fog is down to diet. I've recently cut out wheat and dairy, which I basically love, however I suspect that I may have an intolerance to one, or both of these foods. Try researching it. There's an article I ran across where a man cured his long-term depression by cutting out wheat and dairy. The problem with the intolerance is that you would never actually think that you may be intolerant to these foods. In a nutshell, I recommend starting at looking at your diet. You'd be amazed by at how much food affects not only your physical, but mental and emotional well-being also. On a side-note, this is only day three of my wheat and dairy cut-out, although I'm feeling somewhat better for it. Best of luck to you all.

I am 29. I have been suffering from "brain fog" since I was 25. it just came out of the blue. I feel like a space cadet. My mom makes fun of me and tells me that I look like i'm gazing off into space. It's not because I want to. I feel zoned out and detached and it's very difficult to concentrate. I am not depressed, I have a great life, great family, great job. I'm a teacher and I love my job. It's very hard to concentrate. I feel like my head is stuffed full of cotton. Recently I started taking B12. I feel like I have more energy but still feel detached as weird as that sounds. I just wish this would go away. Doctors want to blame it on stress. I don't think they know what they're talking about. This state came on all of a sudden and won't go away. I'm relieved I'm not the only one out there.

i'm fifteen, and it scares me very much because i feel like i'm in an eggshell and life is sort of just slipping by me. this started a few months ago. i did notice that i always feel tired, so i'm wondering if it is some sort of mental fatigue.

I am a 17 year old male. For the past 2 or 3 years now I have been feeling like every part of my conscious being is in a fog. I can't concentrate. my thoughts feel i guess you could say disconnected. Here's the thing though: up until that time I was the smartest kid in my school then all of a sudden, kerplop. nothing. can't think or do anything clearly. I eat very healthy and exercise regularly. I'm in shape, From the hours of 6-7 p.m., though, I feel alive, i feel motivated. that's another thing i suffer from: a severe lack of motivation to do any sort of anything. I want to go to the doctor but I don't want to him to say I'm depressed. Because I have dealt with depression and this is nothing like it. this is worse by a long shot in its own way.

I've also been suffering brain fog since I was 20. I've been on ADS for about 14 years, I'm now 36.

Occasionally it subsides slightly but never fully goes. When I tell my doctor about it, he just looks at me and says I'm depressed. It's so annoying I just want to shake him and tell him to do his job properly. I also have underactive thyroid. I know all about the memory and consentration issues. I've recently started doing quite a lot of research on the matter and found that the following supplements may relieve the affects of brain fog: high doses of omega 3 DHA; free form acetyl-L-carnitine; R-alpha lipoic acid; ginkgo biloba; co enzyme Q10; acai berry.

Before taking any of the above please consult with your pharmacist or doctor to check compatibility with any other medicines you may be taking.

I thought I had a panic attack, but realized it was only brain fog, probably due to low blood sugar. I also occasionally smoke marijuana, and thought that that might have been a contributing factor. But I'm leaning more toward the blood sugar decrease now. The brain fog symptoms seem much more plausible than the panic attack -- I could focus and continue working, but it was like a lack of clarity and feeling as though things kept shifting and time was going without me being able to "catch up" with it.

Hay I'm so glad that a lot of what I'm experiencing is what you people are. I'm 36 and have been suffering since I was 20. It's been a real struggle and take Anti D's to try and alleviate some of the symptoms. Also have an undeactive thyroid. I can totally relate to the memory problems, concentration and feelings of detachment. I've just started trying some supplements and will keep you posted on progress.

I use to have very bad brainfog. At times it developed into a headache that no painkiller could get rid of.I also found that from around 5-6 pm do I start to feel normal and energetic.

First I used a product for adrenal fatigue.Then I used Candiclear 5 for candida.Neither of these products helped.One day my eyes fell on a bottle of melatonin that had been sitting on my shelf for a year or two.I took that and the next day the brainfog was gone.I couldn't believe it!

I now take 1.5 mg of melatonin one hour before bedtime, and I have also cut back on my alcohol consumption in the evenings. One glass of red wine,nothing more .

Same symptoms here, I am personally starting on phosphatidylserine +fish oil +multi vitamins + Chromium piconolate regime.

Stress and sleep problems are very much underlying my problems. Get everything tested (blood,urine..)as diabetic condition or thyroid conditions i.e not directly observable diseases may cause it. Also understand your depression pattern and be in the company of laughing people.Prescription stimulants like modafinil may work too (had worked for me). I also tried some herbal testestorene boosters and found dropping off them suddenly triggered brain fog.

I am avoiding caffeine usage. Strange but switching between coffee and tea helped sometimes. Hope this helps someone.

So I seem to be more conscious when I don't sleep. Does anyone else have this?

Second, I have been taking a lot of vitamins,anon30577, to see if that is the cure.

So far I have felt much more normal. I will keep posting updates.

Thank the lord!! I have been telling anyone that will listen my symptoms: memory loss, disorientation, fatigued and just in general fuzzy head. I honestly believed I was going mad. I still can't find a natural remedy for this. Please help. 38 year old female.

Wow, glad to know I am not the only one. I am 37 and amazingly it does not seem to affect my "cognitive" skills but I have the feeling that something is just not "quite right" like something is missing in my brain. I am wondering if it is vitamin deficiency or possibly seasonal affected disorder.

anon18353:

I also suffer from brain fog and have constantly now for the last 8 months with no break. I have not worked since July and I was diagnosed with lupus. You said your muscles hurt like hell. Have you been tested for an auto-immune disease? It may explain the brain fog, fatigue and muscle pain.

I am in a daze. People talk to me and I'm looking right at them and I don't know what they are saying. I forget my cat's name and family members' names. I can't read for a long period of time. I feel like I am in a bubble and just floating through life.

I am only 26. What is going on??

I'm 14. A freshmen in highschool.

I've been to an evaluator, but I'm sure he's going to say "Nothing's Wrong."

It's infuriating. In class, I try my hardest to concentrate, but I get terrible headaches.

When I try to talk, I say the wrong thing. I call a watermelon an Ipod. I forget what I say. I have to ask if i said "Thank you"

I feel incredibly stupid, but I don't know what to do. My brain just blacks out. Like there's some blackhole in my mind and I don't know where it ends.

My grades are terrible, and I absolutely *need* tops.

I feel like when people are talking to me that I am just looking at them and the words are coming out of their mouths, but I have no idea what they are saying.

It's like a constant state of detachment. I can't get through a newspaper article and I am forgetful. I can go to the store for something and get everything but what I went for.

Whatever this is, I can't stand it.

By the way, I am 30.

I am a 22 year old female. I have symptoms of brain fog how does brain fog differ from alzheimer's disease?

My mind spins with songs and so forth it feels like i got a radio and television on in my head and i can not think clearly. I've been told i have chronic fatigue because i had a very bad brain infection i can't seem to get back to normal am always tired muscles hurt like hell and the stuff with my mind. is this called brain fog? What can i do? it all seems to come on me after i try to go out and just do normal things like go to the shop or drive for an hour.