Lately, the fog seems to roll in mid-afternoon and stay for the rest of the day. My will to focus and plan clouds over, and I settle for doing repetitive tasks that take little concentration. I want to expand my window of energy, or at least, re-charge it when it flags. I have things to do! Going for a nap every afternoon only makes me feel more sluggish and effects my quality of sleep at night. What can I do to clear these foggy days? The current wisdom is that diet, exercise, sleep and less stress will do it.**
Candy Culprit
I’ve been fortunate to have fairly good sleep habits and not much stress lately. However, I’ll admit that the grey weather does lead me to lean on sweet treats more than is probably good for me. It started with Halloween candy and just hasn’t stopped!
My Step 1: Better Foods
I could boost my health with more whole foods, and less sugar and caffeine.
“There is a ton of emerging research suggesting that the sugar and processed foods, which feed the bad bacteria in our gut, lead to inflammation not only in the body, but in the brain,” explains Sarah Bridges, PhD, a Minnesota-based psychologist.*
What foods can provide that lovely sugar and/or carb satisfaction if it’s not chocolate and starches?
Time to start snacking on yogurt with nuts or blueberries, oranges, edamame, eggs, roasted chickpeas, and find those keto recipes hiding in the back of my recipe binder.
My Step 2: Move More
I could also add more exercise to my day beyond walking the dog for an hour. Even as little as 10 minutes of moving to my favourite tunes in the afternoon, would be enough to get my energy going again.
My Step 3: Less Screen Time
The final step I might need to take is pulling back on my use of technology. I find that I spend more time on-line as the days get shorter and darker.
“We’re not really relaxing in a restorative way when we are spacing out on our phones. And being on a device makes us feel that we should be immediately responsive and available to whatever comes in, no matter how pressing or trivial it may be. The endless scrolling, texting, and emails are just one more drain on the brain.” ****
I’m going to try to substitute on-line activities for other pursuits such as reading, crafts and making all those keto recipes.
If you’ve experienced brain fog, what steps helped you? Comment below.
**These are lifestyle changes for temporary brain fog. If it persists, consult a medical professional.
*https://www.realsimple.com/health/mind-mood/brain-fog
***https://www.healthline.com/health/your-5-minute-read-on-fighting-brain-fog#takeaway
****https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/having-sex-wanting-intimacy/202209/stress-induced-brain-fog
Note: this article was originally published 2023/11/20.
Retired, And Now What? 
Such a relevant & timely piece, Caroline – thank you! Dancing is one of my strategies, too.
I also sometimes do Qigong tapping or a quick lymphatic “reset” to get my neurons firing. Time blocking on my calendar is helpful for me to plan my focused tasks for those times of day when I’m less foggy.
And sometimes I just need to give myself grace and step away from the to-do list.
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Giving ourselves permission to step away from our to-do list is often the kindest, but hardest, thing to do. It’s shocking how tough we are on ourselves. Love the tapping idea! I’ll add that to my toolbox.
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