Brain fog can be a symptom of different diseases!

Brain fog is a loss of mental clarity that manifests itself with symptoms such as loss of concentration, mental fatigue, and difficulty thinking.

Neurology Specialist Prof. Dr. Barış Metin from Üsküdar University NPİSTANBUL Hospital provided information about brain fog.

Stating that brain fog is a term that has started to be heard frequently in popular culture, Neurology Specialist Prof. Dr. Barış Metin said, "Brain fog is not a disease in a scientific or medical sense. It is more of a name given by the public to a problem they perceive regarding their own mental functions."

Emphasizing that every person noticing a decrease in their own mental ability does not mean they have a disease, Metin said,

"Sometimes people can have very high performance expectations of themselves. In such cases, failing to meet high performance expectations can also be perceived as an ailment. Sometimes a different underlying condition may emerge from this. Therefore, it needs to be investigated. People apply to us with complaints such as 'I cannot concentrate as well as I used to, my mind does not work as fast as it used to, my memory is not as strong as it used to be, I feel as if I haven't woken up from sleep, I feel as if I cannot think healthily,' and these types of complaints define brain fog. When we hear these complaints, we start thinking about the underlying causes."

Touching upon the effect of depression and anxiety on brain fog, Metin said that these disorders particularly affect the frontal region of the brain and continued as follows:

"We can see this situation in neuroimaging examinations. In patients with depression and anxiety, a slowing is observed in the frontal region of the brain, that is, the frontal lobes. Since the frontal lobes are the regions of the brain related to decision-making and memory, people with depression and anxiety disorders can especially experience memory impairment. Memory impairment can also be perceived by individuals as brain fog. In other words, people with depression and anxiety disorders may not be able to use their true mental capacity due to frontal lobe involvement. For this reason, they may experience low performance in their daily lives."

Stating that dreaming frequently has no connection with brain fog, Metin said, "Dreaming frequently actually indicates that sleep quality is poor. In fact, we dream every night; remembering our dream means our sleep is interrupted, and because we wake up during those interruptions, we record the dream into memory. People who dream frequently usually have low sleep quality. The cause of this situation could be sleep apnea, depression, or a different ailment. All of these are conditions linked to brain fog."

Metin also pointed out that brain fog is not a vision impairment and that the term brain fog should not evoke a condition like blurred vision.

Underlining that the underlying disease must be found for the treatment of brain fog, Metin said, "When patients with complaints of brain fog apply to specialist physicians, physicians can mostly understand the underlying cause. Most of the time, diseases such as depression, anxiety disorders, sleep disorders, or early symptoms of dementia emerge from the complaint of brain fog. After the underlying disease is identified, it is necessary to plan a personalized treatment for this disease."

Finally, Prof. Dr. Barış Metin offered suggestions to prevent the complaint of brain fog:

"Regular sleep is very important. If there is a sleep disorder problem, it must be treated. If any vitamin deficiency is detected, a treatment should be planned accordingly. Regular exercise should be done without tiring the body. Stress is a part of our lives; a stress-free life is not possible. However, excessive stress should be avoided. If you have intense anxiety, if you feel like you are not enjoying anything, you should get support from an expert. These types of ailments also affect mental capacity."