“Focus and simplicity…once you get there, you can move mountains.” ~ Steve Jobs
The Effects of Brain Fog & Mental Fatigue
Brain fog can hinder us from achieving our goals. It can make us feel tired and lethargic. It robs us of our ability to concentrate and focus.
Brain fog is cloudiness within the mind. It is when we have trouble remembering, lose our train of thought, and have difficulty staying attentive. Ultimately, it makes us exhausted and frustrated.
Can brain fog be cured? If so, how?
We will be looking at five ways to eliminate brain fog. They are as follows:
- Improve Sleep
- Be Active
- Reduce Screen Time
- Invest Time in Hobbies
- Diaphragmatic Breathing
5 Ways to Eliminate Brain Fog
1. Improve Sleep
A lack of sleep leads to a lack of concentration.
If we are not getting enough sleep or good sleep, our ability to focus, remember, and work will suffer.
The best way to eliminate brain fog is to get the appropriate amount of sleep.
If you want advice on optimizing your sleep, we encourage you to read our following article, How Can I Sleep Better? 9 Proven Tips.
2. Be Active
Exercise is a powerful tool to make you feel better about yourself, reduce stress and anxiety, improve energy and outlook, and boost mental clarity.
The National Library of Medicine states, “Health benefits from regular exercise that should be emphasized and reinforced by every mental health professional to their patients include the following:
- Improved sleep
- Increased interest in sex
- Better endurance
- Stress relief
- Improvement in mood
- Increased energy and stamina
- Reduced tiredness that can increase mental alertness
- Weight reduction
- Reduced cholesterol and improved cardiovascular fitness”
The benefits of movement and exercise don’t just help to eliminate brain fog – it brings forth many other benefits.
Strive to move for at least 30 minutes of intentional exercise per day. Even a walk split up into three 10-minute sessions is enough to receive benefits.
Incorporate movement into your daily routine to help reduce and eliminate mental fatigue!
3. Reduce Screen Time
According to Harvard Medical School, “Much of what happens on screen provides “impoverished” stimulation of the developing brain compared to reality.”
Too much screen time can make us mentally tired.
Invest in blue-light-blocker glasses to have screen time less agitating on your eyes.
Also, take time every 30-60 minutes to get up and walk for 5 minutes.
The little breaks will help reduce mental fatigue if you are behind a screen all day.
Also, limit the amount of time you spend on your phone. When you work, put it on airplane mode (or “Do Not Disturb” mode and only allow those closest to you to contact you).
Reducing continual checking of your phone will save you time focusing on your work, keep you from extracting “mental residue”, and eliminate the pull to fall into the portal of distraction.
4. Invest Time in Hobbies
Taking time to invest in hobbies is a great way to get our minds off of work.
Those who work round the clock tend to suffer from brain fog.
Though work may be exciting and fun, our brains must have time to process, digest, and take a break from our work.
If we do not invest in hobbies, we could suffer from working too much.
In our day of hustle and bustle, much research shows a particular point of hours worked in a week when our work begins to suffer. When we get into 45+ hours of work, our work begins to decline in efficiency and productivity.
By investing in hobbies, we can better enjoy our life, grow as individuals, and take time to do what we enjoy.
Some hobbies could include the following:
- Reading/Book Club
- Chess
- Archery
- Gym
- Dance
- Gardening
- Photography
- Painting
- Cooking
- Kickboxing
- Sewing
- Sports (ex: Soccer)
- Bowling
- Mountain Biking
- Magic
- Rock Climbing
- Acting
- Writing
- Learning an instrument
- Stand-up Comedy
Figure out what hobbies you desire to pursue/enjoy and add them to your weekly routine! This will help your mind rest and allow you to do something you enjoy.
5. Diaphragmatic Breathing
Adding Diaphragmatic Breathing into your daily schedule is paramount.
If this habit is not incorporated into your daily routine, you will likely suffer from brain fog.
There are many benefits of diaphragmatic breathing. Some of these include:
- Relaxation
- Sustained Attention
- Reduced cortisol levels (associated with stress)
- Improve muscle function during exercises
- Increases oxygen to the brain
- Reduction in blood pressure and heart rate
If you want to know more about diaphragmatic breathing, its benefits, and how to do so effectively, see our article, Should I Breathe With My Chest or My Stomach?.
Next Steps to Eliminating Brain Fog
We have just reviewed five excellent ways to reduce and eliminate brain fog. If you take each of these seriously, we are confident you will reap the benefits.
Suppose you want to know more about focusing better, reducing mental fatigue, and regaining energy. In that case, we encourage you to review the articles below or jump on a call with one of our team members!
Our team at Tiger Medical has the experience, clinical skills, and coaching acumen to help you get your health and energy back. They will take time to listen to your concerns and needs and see if Tiger may be a good fit for you. If not, we will happily guide you in the right direction.
To talk to one of our professionals, click here to schedule your call!
For further reading, view the following articles on our learning center:
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