Have you ever sat at your work desk in the morning and just NOT remember what you were supposed to do? Does it take you hours to do a simple task sometimes, and even gallons of tea/coffee can’t get you to wake up? You may be experiencing brain fog.
Brain fog can happen to anyone but diabetics are very prone to it. In this article, we are going to discuss everything you need to know about diabetes and brain fog.
What Is Brain Fog?
As we said earlier, brain fog refers to the cloudiness that you may experience in your trail of thoughts. It sometimes lasts for a few hours but it can last for days or even weeks.
Many say brain fog is one of the most difficult symptoms to deal with in any medical complication. Mostly because brain fog is not really a medical term and doctors don’t advice on medicines to keep it under control.
It makes it difficult to work, think and sometimes even talk to people and remember what they said. But why are you getting brain fog? Let’s find out!
What’s The Link Between Diabetes And Brain Fog?
Anything can cause brain fog. People with depression or cancer may feel a sense of cloudiness in their brain too. But why do diabetics get brain fog?
Well, remember that the brain needs sugar to work and when your blood sugar keeps fluctuating it puts a lot of pressure on the brain to keep conducting normal functions.
Hence it will slow down to make sure all vital functions are taking place like keeping your heart pumping. This is why you start to feel very slow and sluggish during this time.
Remember that both hyperglycaemia (high blood sugar) and hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) can interfere with normal brain functions making you feel incredibly tired mentally.
So, when you notice the symptoms of brain fog the first thing you should do is to check your blood sugars. If the cloudiness persists, it may be because of the following reasons:
- You have changed your blood sugar medications
- There is a change in your diet and routine
- You have other underlying health conditions
If your brain fog is resolved in a day or two, you don’t have to go to the doctor, however, if it persists and/or is getting worse, you should visit the doctor and talk to them about your symptoms.
How To Get Rid Of The Brain Fog
Now for the fun part. Now that you know what brain fog is, it’s only fair that you know how to combat it. So how do you avoid/fight brain fog? Here are a few ways:
1. Good Sleep
Our bodies are different and some need more sleep than others but health experts say that you need at least 6 to 8 hours of sleep. But more importantly, you should allow your body to get up naturally.
We often think that by sleeping less we get more work done. But this might only work for a day or two, in the long run, you will turn sluggish.
With the case of diabetics, other factors may affect your sleep like restless leg syndrome or sleep apnea but if you change your lifestyle slightly around bedtime, you can improve the quality of your sleep.
2. Exercise
Doctors recommend at least 30 minutes of exercise in a day for diabetics. Now you can do it all together, however, if you are experiencing brain fog, you can remove yourself from your work station and take a five-minute brisk walk.
Walking immediately improves blood circulation and sends more oxygen to the brain making you fresh and active. You can have short workout spurts like this throughout the day.
Remember that working out also improves your sleep and cognitive function so try to challenge yourself every day with a good workout session.
3. Protect Your Body From External Infections
Infections also put pressure on your body and your brain to work hard and fight it may cause brain fog too.
Diabetics are most prone to foot infections so be sure to check your feet for infections and wear diabetic socks to manage blood circulation.
4. Keep A Journal
We’re sure that your dietician may have asked you to maintain a journal to keep notes of what you eat. You can maintain a similar journal for your brain fog. Write about your general routine and when you get brain fog to understand when it happens the most.
Remember that when you get brain fog your mind is too occupied to conduct difficult tasks. This is why you should do simpler tasks if you can help it and take notes for important conversations etc.
Don’t pressure your brain to remember minute things like dates and numbers. This will pressure the brain even more. Instead, you can set reminders and make notes so that you can refer back to them at a later time when you are feeling focused.
5. Meditation
Many undermine the power of meditation and mindfulness but the most important tool lies within us. Meditation sorts out our thoughts and helps you get up with better focus and sharpness.
You can follow videos on meditation or you can do it on your own. Concentrate on your breathing and allow your mind to relax. If you take out ten minutes a day to relax your mind, it may reduce your brain fog.
6. Talk To Your Doctor
If medicines and poor blood sugar management is the root cause of the problem, you need to talk to your doctor. Doctors can assess your health and re-evaluate your medicines, your diet etc.
With medical practitioners working along your side you are much likely to keep the situation under control.
We hope you found this article helpful. Do you ever get brain fog? What do you do to handle the situation? We are always eager to know your thoughts.
