Do you know what brain fog is? Maybe you are experiencing it.

Many people have had this experience: "Is the door locked?" "Where are the keys?" "Where did I park the car?" "I read the same article over and over again, but I can't get into it." I believe that if this has happened repeatedly, then you may be experiencing brain fog...

Brain fog is not a real medical diagnostic term, but a series of symptoms, including cognitive decline, inability to concentrate and multitask, and loss of short-term and long-term memory, which affect your daily brain function. It is like there is a layer of fog around your brain, which leads to slow response, interrupted thoughts, forgetfulness, lack of concentration, easy fatigue, lack of energy, and in severe cases, communication difficulties, irritability, headaches and anxiety. It can occur at any age and has nothing to do with gender, education, etc. If you are often in a "brain fog" state, unnecessary friction is likely to occur in your life, and the probability of mistakes at work and even industrial accidents may also increase significantly.

So what causes brain fog? Modern medicine has not yet reached a conclusion, and the cause may be different for each person. Studies have shown that brain fog may be an early clinical manifestation of patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), celiac disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, mastocytosis, postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS), as well as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neuropsychiatric disorders [1]. At the same time, scientists have recently discovered that patients with COVID-19 also experience similar symptoms, and COVID-19 can also cause long-term COVID syndrome associated with mild cognitive impairment and fatigue [2]. For multidisciplinary studies on the correlation, mechanism, and reduction and relief of symptoms between COVID-19 and brain fog, if you are interested, please refer to the following relevant literature [3-6]. It may be due to inflammatory molecules, including adipose cytokines and histamine released from mast cells (MC), which further stimulate the activation of microglia and cause focal brain inflammation. In addition, what else can cause brain fog, such as severe gastroenteritis, severe rhinitis, long-term excessive drinking, eating too much sugar, chronic anxiety, chronic sleep disorders, etc.

So how do we improve ourselves and prevent brain fog? If it is mild, we can improve cerebral ischemia, change bad living habits, pay attention to rest, avoid excessive fatigue, long-term and heavy drinking, strengthen nutrition, supplement with adequate vitamins, and increase physical exercise appropriately (strengthen aerobic exercise + muscle strength training).

Exercise should follow the principle of gradual progress and perseverance. You can refer to the following "exercise prescription":

Exercise frequency: 1 to 3 times per week.

Exercise intensity: The target heart rate during exercise is used as the standard. The target heart rate is set to resting heart rate + 20 beats/min at the beginning, and gradually increases to 70-85% of the maximum heart rate (maximum heart rate = 206.7-0.7*age). You can also use being able to talk with a partner, sweating slightly, and feeling slightly tired as the standard.

Exercise time: 45 to 60 minutes/time.

Exercise forms: Aerobic exercises include walking, cycling, jogging, etc. Strength training includes elastic bands, light dumbbells, mineral water bottles, and body weight load training.

Note: Exercise with someone. Warm up before exercise and cool down after exercise. Avoid exercise when you feel unwell, after a full meal, or when you feel tired. Stop exercise immediately if you feel shortness of breath, dizziness, chest tightness, or intolerance during exercise and observe your physical condition. When doing strength training, "exhale" when exerting force and "inhale" when releasing it to avoid the "Walker maneuver" putting too much pressure on the heart.

If the "brain fog" symptoms persist, you will need to go to a regular hospital for a comprehensive physical and psychological function assessment to find targeted solutions.

(This article was funded by the Shanghai Science and Technology Commission's popular science project - "Emergency First Aid for Work Injuries and Prevention of Occupational Injuries and Diseases Series Courses" (No.: 21DZ2301000).)

References

[1] Theoharides TC, Stewart JM, Hatziagelaki E, Kolaitis G. Brain “fog,” inflammation and obesity: key aspects of neuropsychiatric disorders improved by luteolin. Front Neurosci. 2015 Jul 3;9:225.

[2] Theoharides TC, Cholevas C, Polyzoidis K, Politis A. Long-COVID syndrome-associated brain fog and chemofog: Luteolin to the rescue. Biofactors. 2021 Mar;47(2):232-241.

[3] Asadi-Pooya AA, Akbari A, Emami A, Lotfi M, Rostamihosseinkhani M, Nemati H, Barzegar Z, Kabiri M, Zeraatpisheh Z, Farjoud-Kouhanjani M, Jafari A, Sasannia F, Ashrafi S, Nazeri M, Nasiri S, Shahisavandi M. Long COVID syndrome-associated brain fog. J Med Virol. 2021 Oct 21:10.1002/jmv.27404.

[4] Krishnan K, Lin Y, Prewitt KM, Potter DA. Multidisciplinary Approach to Brain Fog and Related Persisting Symptoms Post COVID-19. J Health Serv Psychol. 2022 Feb 2:1-8.

[5] Hamzelou J. What covid-19 does to the brain. New Sci. 2022 Jan 29;253(3371):19.

[6] D'Arcy RCN, Sandhu JK, Marshall S, Besemann M. Mitigating Long-Term COVID-19 Consequences on Brain Health. Front Neurol. 2021 Sep 27;12:630986.