It’s hard enough to find time to write without having brain fog mess it up.
Unfortunately, that’s just what happens sometimes—and maybe more often than you’d like.
It’s time to figure out exactly what’s going on, and how you can keep your brain sharp.
What is Brain Fog?
Brain fog is not a specific medical condition or disease, but it is considered a symptom of some diseases and can be a side effect of certain medications or even lifestyle habits.
In general, brain fog is a unique type of mental strain or fatigue that can affect your thinking and ability to concentrate. You may feel that your brain just isn’t as sharp as it usually is, or that it’s too tired to think straight.
Other common characteristics of brain fog include:
- Trouble remembering things
- Going “blank” when trying to recall something
- Difficulty coming up with the right word when you need it
- “Spacing out” more often, particularly when trying to write
- Inability to focus or concentrate
- Thought processes that are “hazy”
- Taking twice as long to complete any project, including a writing project
What Causes Brain Fog?
There is no one cause of brain fog, but typically one or more of the following three factors are involved:
- Medical conditions: A variety of medical conditions can cause brain fog, including multiple sclerosis (MS), fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, anxiety and depression, iron deficiency anemia, thyroid problems, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, and Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, among others.
- Medical treatments: Chemotherapy and radiation treatments for cancer, as well as several medications, can cause brain fog. The most common drugs associated with it include sleeping pills, anxiety medications, statins, corticosteroids, and some pain-relief medications.
- Lifestyle habits: Simple lifestyle habits like failing to get enough sleep, eating an unhealthy diet, suffering chronic stress, and not getting enough exercise can all result in brain fog.
Anyone can experience brain fog now and then, but if you notice it’s hanging around rather regularly, do see your doctor about it, just to be sure something else isn’t going on. It may be that your thyroid needs some help, you’re suffering from a sleep disorder, or a change in medication could make things better.
If you discover all is well and you have nothing else to blame your brain fog on but your lifestyle, it’s time to make some changes—both for your health and your writing!
7 Tricks to Help Writers Chase Away Brain Fog
First, start by doing your best to prevent brain fog from occurring in the first place. The best way you can do that is to:
- Get 7-8 hours of sleep per night.
- Practice a stress-relieving activity every day, such as meditation, yoga, journaling, or walking in the park.
- Eat a healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables and lean proteins.
- Exercise almost every day for 30 minutes or more.
Of course, none of us are perfect, and despite your best intentions, you may end up facing the blank page with a brain that doesn’t want to cooperate. To still get that 1,000 words written, try these seven tricks.
1. Move fast now!
If you sit down to write and your brain is sagging, set the laptop aside and do a quick spurt of exercise—whatever exercise appeals to you. Try a set of jumping jacks or push-ups, run in place, walk around the block, or turn on your favorite tunes and dance. The key is to get your heart racing and the blood pumping to your brain.
Exercise for five minutes max. When you sit back down to write, your brain will be more awake and you should get better results.
2. Take a power nap.
Allowing yourself to close your eyes for just a few minutes may be all you need to recharge your brain. As for how long the nap is, it depends on how much time you have. If you’ve set aside 30 minutes, don’t be afraid to take 10 of those to nap. Just set a timer, close your eyes, and let it all go.
Don’t worry that you’re cutting into your writing time. You’ll be able to get more done in 20 minutes with a recharged brain than you can do in 30 minutes with brain fog.
3. Drink a full glass of water.
If you’re suffering brain fog, it could be that you’re slightly dehydrated. Particularly if you’ve had a stressful day and have been running from one activity to another, you may not have been drinking water like you should.
Try drinking a full glass of ice-cold water—cold wakes you up more than warm—and then try writing again.
4. Eat a brain-boosting snack.
If you are hydrated, it could be that you’re short on nutrients or energy. Have you eaten in a while? If not, you may just need some food. If you did eat something not too long ago, a snack can help, but only if it’s the right kind.
Avoid high-sugar snacks. That means no sodas, candy, cookies, and the like. They will give you a short-term energy boost but you’ll pay for it with a lag in energy later on.
Instead, go for something with protein, which will give you more lasting energy. Good options include:
- A hardboiled egg
- Whole-wheat crackers and cheese or tuna
- Greek yogurt and berries
- Handful of nuts
- Cut-up broccoli and hummus
- A small piece of dark chocolate
- Pumpkin or sunflower seeds
- Half an avocado
5. Watch a funny video.
There’s something about a good belly laugh that wakes up your whole body, particularly your brain. In a 2014 study, researchers found that participants who watched a funny video performed better on cognitive tests than those who didn’t.
Take five minutes at the beginning of your writing time to pull up your favorite funny video. Allow yourself to just relax and laugh, then when the five minutes is up, get back to writing.
6. Make your gut happy.
Recent research has found that your brain health is closely tied to your gut health. In a 2017 study, for example, scientists noted that inflammation in the gut has been linked to several mental illnesses including anxiety and depression.
Other studies have found that people living with Alzheimer’s disease typically have a less diverse community of organisms living in the gut than their healthy counterparts. There has been some debate about whether gut health may affect brain fog, too, but so far we don’t have the research to say for sure.
What you can do now is eat more foods associated with good gut health. These include yogurt, kefir, kombucha, miso, sauerkraut, tempeh, kimchi, and pickles. I recommend caution when it comes to probiotic supplements, however. They vary widely and so far, we don’t have the studies needed to determine how many or what types of microorganisms work best.
In some cases, taking probiotic supplements can cause digestive upset, and according to a recent study, they may promote the overgrowth of certain bacteria that can actually cause brain fog and bloating. So for now, stick with food.
7. Have a cup of coffee or tea.
Yes, sometimes what you need is a little caffeine, but skip the sodas and go for coffee or tea instead. Both of these have healthy antioxidants that are good for the brain and body, without all the extra calories and sugar to weigh you down.
How do you defeat brain fog?