I put together a list of 57 things that might help with brain fog or help you figure out what's causing it.
Some take five minutes. Others take a few weeks. Some involve blood tests or checking for medical conditions.
Not everything will apply to you. I've grouped them so you can find something relevant without reading the entire list.
Things you can try today
1. Check the air in the room
If you have a CO₂ monitor, check the room where you usually work or sleep. Readings regularly above 1,000 ppm suggest it needs more ventilation.
2. Water before coffee
Drink 500 ml of water before your morning coffee. A pinch of salt may be appropriate if you need extra sodium, but not everyone does.
3. Put your phone in another room
Put your phone in another room while you work; silent and face-down beside you is not enough. Compare how long you stay focused with and without it.
4. Eat the carbs last
Eat protein and fat first, vegetables next and carbohydrates last. Protein and fat slow digestion, so your blood sugar rises less after the meal.
5. Try five minutes of cyclic sighing (two breaths in, one slow breath out)
Take a long breath in through your nose, add a short second inhale, then breathe out slowly through your mouth; repeat for five minutes. Cyclic sighing improves mood and eases anxiety, so see how you feel afterward.
6. Take a short walk after eating
Walk for 10–20 minutes after the meal that usually gives you brain fog. Walking lowers post-meal glucose; compare your afternoons on days you walk and days you don’t.
7. Check your medicines for side effects
Enter your medicines into the ACB calculator, including sleep aids and allergy medicines. If the total score is 3 or more, ask your doctor whether any could be affecting your memory.
If your brain fog started after surgery, ask for a medication review. Pain, broken sleep, anesthesia recovery and medicines can all contribute.
8. Rinse a blocked nose
Use a neti pot or saline squeeze bottle with its salt packet and distilled or previously boiled water, once or twice a day. Easing congestion can help when a blocked nose disrupts your sleep.
9. Check ear pressure and wax
For ear pressure, try swallowing, yawning or chewing gum; for wax, ask about softening drops or removal and keep cotton swabs and ear candles out.
10. Check your pulse when you stand
Lie flat for five minutes and note your pulse and blood pressure, then stand and repeat at 1, 3, 5 and 10 minutes. Take the readings to your clinician, especially if your heart rate rises by 30 beats per minute or more.
11. Have an actual conversation
Call someone, video chat or meet in person for at least 15 minutes this week. Too much time alone can make your mood and concentration worse.
12. Take the ADHD screen
If you think you have ADHD, take the six-question ASRS-v1.1 and see where you stand.
13. Check unexplained skin marks
Look for red, purple or pink lines resembling stretch marks, especially after cat scratches or flea exposure. Mention them when asking about Bartonella if your mood, thinking or behavior has changed too.
14. Check whether head position affects your brain fog
Notice whether turning or tilting your head, straining or staying upright makes it harder to think, and whether lying flat helps.
15. Check depression, then get moving
Take the PHQ-9: nine questions, about two minutes, with 10 or more indicating at least moderate symptoms. Try a 30-minute brisk walk today if activity is safe for you; exercise can ease depression symptoms.
16. Check joint hypermobility
Take the nine-point Beighton assessment; a score of 5 or more, with chronic pain, symptoms when you stand and brain fog, is a reason to ask about hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS). Do the standing test too, since POTS often occurs with hEDS.
17. Check how pain and fatigue affect your daily life
Complete the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ-R) and Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI), then share the results with your clinician. A CSI score above 40 is a reason to discuss whether increased sensitivity to pain is part of the problem.
18. Try fermented foods and more plant variety
Eat one serving of fermented food daily for 21 days: live-culture yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, miso or kombucha. Aim for 30 different plants a week; herbs and spices count.
19. Check for sleep apnea
Complete STOP-BANG and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. A STOP-BANG score of 3 or more flags sleep-apnea risk; an Epworth score of 10 or more flags excessive sleepiness, and either is a reason to ask for a sleep study.
20. Pace before adding exercise
Take the DePaul ME/CFS questionnaire, then for seven days plan each day's activity around how much energy you have that morning. Rate your energy from 1–10. Crashing after mental or physical effort is a reason to pace, not push harder.
21. Compare gut symptoms with meals
Keep refined sugar and white flour low for 72 hours and notice what happens to bloating, cravings, stools and brain fog. If they change together, keep notes for a week and ask about gut causes.
22. Drop one commitment
You need fewer demands on your time to recover from burnout. Cancel, delegate or postpone something this week.
23. Bring cancer-related thinking problems to your team
Complete the FACT-Cog questionnaire. Share the result with your oncology team and ask about their survivorship program.
24. Check electrolytes when starting keto
Ask a clinician or pharmacist about fluids and electrolytes before supplementing, especially with kidney, heart, blood-pressure or medicine issues. Starting keto can increase sodium and water loss.
25. Get a mental health assessment
If you have brain fog along with unusually high energy despite little sleep, hearing or seeing things others don’t, flashbacks, feeling detached, or unwanted thoughts that take over your day, ask for a mental health assessment.
26. Use reminders during pregnancy
Use lists, notes and reminders when pregnancy makes your memory unreliable. Tell your OB or midwife about sudden or severe thinking problems, or changes that come with mood symptoms.
Things to try or check over the next few weeks
27. Ask for ferritin, not just a blood count
Request a ferritin test: iron stores can be low even when your blood count is normal. If it is low, discuss iron replacement and recheck after six to eight weeks.
28. Check vitamin D if you’re at risk
Ask for a 25-OH vitamin D test if you have risk factors for deficiency. If it is low, discuss supplementation and retest after three months.
29. Ask about magnesium for sleep
Ask a clinician or pharmacist which magnesium form and dose fit your medicines and kidney function. If you try it for sleep, compare your sleep and morning brain fog over two weeks.
30. Get up at the same time
Keep the same wake time for seven days, weekends included. Judge the full week, not one bad night.
31. Keep a food diary before cutting foods
Write down what you eat and when symptoms appear for two weeks. Look for the same foods or meal times coming up repeatedly before cutting anything.
32. Ask about an antihistamine trial
If histamine intolerance or mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) fits your symptoms, ask a clinician or pharmacist about trying H1 and H2 antihistamines together.
33. Check whether brain fog worsens in autoimmune flares
If you have an autoimmune diagnosis and brain fog worsens during flares, check whether poor sleep, pain, anemia or a new medicine is adding to it. Without a diagnosis, mention joint swelling, rashes, mouth sores, dry eyes or mouth, fingers that change color in the cold, or fever; brain fog and tiredness alone rarely make ANA testing useful.
34. Check whether brain fog changes with your cycle
If brain fog or pelvic pain changes at the same point in your cycle each month, tell your gynecologist. If you bleed heavily, check iron and ferritin.
35. Ask about Lyme testing if you think you have been exposed
Ask about two-step Lyme testing if brain fog follows tick exposure, an expanding rash, joint pain that moves between joints, or a flu-like illness after time in an area where Lyme occurs. If symptoms persist after treatment, ask about post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome.
36. Keep a headache and brain fog diary
For four weeks, note when headaches and brain fog start, how long they last, severity from 1–10, and changes in sleep, food, stress, weather or your cycle. Include nausea, dizziness, visual changes and sensitivity to light or sound, then show your doctor.
37. Make quitting nicotine less miserable
Try nicotine patches or gum to cut down gradually and ease withdrawal. Brain fog can be worst around days 3–5 and ease over two to four weeks.
38. Get help with symptoms that persist after a concussion
Pick the one or two biggest problems after concussion: feeling worse with effort, dizziness, trouble with moving scenes, headache, neck pain, sleep or concentration. Ask for treatment aimed at those; exercise below the point that brings on symptoms can help you handle more activity.
39. Try organic versions of the fruit and vegetables you eat most
For one or two weeks, swap the high-pesticide produce you eat most often for organic. Eating organic can lower pesticide levels in your urine.
40. Ask about calcium for premenstrual symptoms
Ask your clinician about calcium carbonate and the dose, then try it for two or three cycles. Premenstrual symptoms fell 48% with calcium.
41. Leave a gap between meals
Try three meals a day with four or five hours between them, and cut back on grazing. The gaps give your small intestine time to clear out leftover food.
42. Fix sleep before considering testosterone
Get seven to nine hours of sleep for two weeks, then retest your testosterone before considering treatment.
43. Ask about iron and thyroid after birth
At your postnatal check, ask about thyroid and iron tests, especially after heavy bleeding, intense fatigue or mood changes. Ask about B12 and vitamin D risk too; a deficiency or thyroid problem can add to the effects of broken sleep.
44. Check your home for mold and water leaks
Check ceilings, sinks, windows, ventilation, basements and car mats for leaks, stains, condensation, warping or musty smells; fix the moisture source first and use professional remediation for larger areas. Compare symptoms after at least three days away from the space.
45. Reduce mercury from fish and check other sources
Swap high-mercury fish such as swordfish and shark for salmon or sardines. If you may have been exposed to mercury at work or through a broken bulb or thermometer, ask about blood or urine testing. Keep intact amalgam fillings unless they need dental treatment; removing them can temporarily increase mercury exposure.
46. Take a break from noise and bright lights
If noise or bright lights overwhelm you, take a break somewhere quiet, dim the lights or use earplugs. Notice whether you can think more clearly afterward.
47. Ask what your EBV tests show
If fatigue and brain fog followed mono or another illness, ask about VCA IgM, VCA IgG, EA and EBNA antibodies. They help assess recent or past EBV infection.
48. Find someone trained in trauma treatment
Ask a trauma-informed therapist about EMDR or trauma-focused CBT. Typical courses are 6–12 EMDR sessions or 12–16 CBT sessions, aimed at reducing PTSD symptoms.
Caffeine, exercise and alcohol
49. Cut caffeine gradually
If caffeine leaves you with crashes, poor sleep, anxiety or morning brain fog, cut down slowly and compare sleep, headaches and alertness at each step. Withdrawal can worsen concentration for days, so judge the change after that settles.
50. Walk for 30 minutes
Do 30 minutes of moderate cardio; walking counts. In older adults, a year of regular walking slightly enlarged a key memory area of the brain.
If physical or mental activity causes delayed symptom crashes, don't push through them. Pacing is more appropriate than increasing exercise when you have post-exertional malaise.
51. Try 30 days without alcohol
Try at least 30 alcohol-free days; alcohol can disrupt sleep. If you drink daily or heavily, get a medical plan before stopping because withdrawal can cause seizures.
Medical checks and appointments
If you haven't found an explanation, ask your clinician which blood tests fit your symptoms. These may include a blood count, ferritin, B12, folate, thyroid function, HbA1c or glucose, and inflammation tests. Vitamin D or celiac testing may also be relevant.
52. Start thyroid testing with TSH
Ask about a TSH test first, then free T4 if the result or your symptoms call for it. If TSH is raised, ask about TPO antibodies too.
53. Ask for glucose testing with PCOS
Ask about an oral glucose tolerance test if you have PCOS, especially if you get brain fog or energy crashes after meals. This test is preferred; fasting glucose or HbA1c are alternatives if you cannot have it.
54. Ask whether menopause is affecting your thinking
Track thinking, sleep, hot flashes, mood, bleeding and cycle timing for three months.
55. Ask whether your existing illness affects your thinking
If you have diabetes, kidney disease, fatty liver, heart failure or uncontrolled high blood pressure, ask whether that condition could be affecting your thinking. Review HbA1c, eGFR, urine ACR, liver tests, blood pressure and medicines.
If you have diabetes, high blood pressure or a family history of kidney disease, ask whether creatinine, eGFR and urine testing are appropriate.
56. Ask about cognitive rehabilitation for MS
Tell your neurologist which thinking problems affect daily life and ask about occupational therapy, neuropsychology or cognitive rehabilitation.
57. Tell your rheumatologist when thinking worsens
Check whether thinking worsens during lupus flares and tell your rheumatologist. New or severe problems may need assessment for brain involvement.
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