Brain fog is not a medically recognized term or diagnosable condition. It’s a common phrase used for a myriad of symptoms affecting your ability to function and think. Brain fog can include things like memory problems, lack of mental clarity, and an inability to focus, and put thoughts into words. Some people describe it as mental fatigue.
On a cellular level, brain fog is believed to be associated with high levels inflammation and changes to three primary hormones: dopamine, serotonin, and cortisol. Some common lifestyle factors associated with brainfog are stress, lack of sleep, diet, hormonal changes, medications, and medical conditions.
Another common known cause id having had COVID-19. Research shows that, among those who have had COVID-19, a condition that has become known as “Long COVID” appears in around 40 percent of the people. For 17 percent, the lingering issues resolved on their own over time. For an unfortunate 11 percent the aftereffects persist. The symptoms of Long COVID include visual disturbances, cognitive impairment, ongoing fatigue, nerve pain, persistent cough, heart palpitations, stomach issues, and more.
One of the most common lingering symptoms is “brain fog.”
Brain fog is a non-medical term that encompasses a range of problems but can generally be described as decreased ability to focus, feelings of fuzziness or confusion, and memory problems.
While the research is still early and ongoing, science has confirmed that COVID-19 can damage the brain. Studies show that even mild cases of COVID-19 are associated with tissue damage and a decrease in brain volume in regions tied to the sense of smell, and a small loss in the brain’s overall grey matter volume.1 Studies have also shown that having been infected with COVID-19 increases the risk of long-term brain problems, including strokes, cognitive and memory problems, depression, anxiety and migraine headaches.2 Studies also indicate that COVID-19 can cause severe neurological complications in people with dementia and accelerate disease progression in all types of dementia.3
The medical community hasn’t quite connected all the dots yet on what exactly is happening in the brain after COVID. However, many of the lingering symptoms are conditions we already know neurofeedback training improves and research is proving that neurofeedback training can help relieve post-COVID issues. In one study, after only five neurofeedback sessions, people experienced a significant reduction of severity of post-COVID anxiety and depression.4 And the research found a positive correlation between depression and fatigue, anxiety, and fatigue, and between depression and anxiety.
If you or a loved one is experiencing brainfog or still feeling the aftereffects of COVID, you don’t have to just wait indefinitely and hope for the symptoms to disappear on their own. Neurofeedback is proven to help tune and balance your brain to get it performing optimally again and resolve many of the symptoms of brainfog.
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Sources: 1. Douaud, G., Lee, S., Arthofer, C., Wang, C., McCarthy, P., Lange, F., Andersson, J. L., Griffanti, L., Duff, E., Jbabdi, S., Taschler, B., Keating, P., Winkler, A. M., Collins, R., Matthews, P. M., Allen, N., Miller, K. L., Nichols, T. E., & Smith, S. M. (2022). SARS-CoV-2 is associated with changes in brain structure in UK Biobank. Nature, 604(7907), 697-707. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04569-5
2. Xu E, Xie Y, Al-Aly Z. Long-term Neurologic Outcomes of COVID-19. Nature Medicine. Sept. 22, 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-022-02001-z
3. Dubey, S., Das, S., Ghosh, R., Dubey, M. J., Chakraborty, A. P., Roy, D., Das, G., Dutta, A., Santra, A., Sengupta, S., & Benito-León, J. (2023). The effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the cognitive functioning of patients with pre-existing dementia. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease Reports, 7(1), 119–128. https://doi.org/10.3233/ADR-220090
4. Orendáčová, M., Kvašňák, E., & Vránová, J. (2022). Effect of neurofeedback therapy on neurological post-COVID-19 complications (A pilot study). PLOS ONE, 17(7), e0271350. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0271350