
- Brain fog test how to#
- Brain fog test full#
Your brain needs a readily available supply of blood sugar to keep it running, and sweeteners deprive it of this.
Avoid soyabean oil – it’s packed with unhelpful omega-6 fats.Īrtificial sweeteners might be saving you a few calories but they cannot give your brain the nutrients it needs for optimal performance. Pick extra virgin olive oil for salad dressings and plain olive oil for cooking – virgin olive oil isn’t stable at high temperatures. Studies show just six months of fish-oil supplements is enough to improve verbal fluency. Think of fish as prevention and treatment for your addled brain. Choose organic: factory-farmed meats tend to be higher in omega-6 fats (which can feed the harmful brain-dulling inflammatory process in our bodies) whereas organic meat and dairy tends to be naturally higher in anti-inflammatory, brain-healthy omega-3s. They are the best fats for your brain because they prevent inflammation – the key, we now know, to cognitive function and warding off depression, stress and anxietyīut you really can reverse these trends and take charge of your brain health in as little as two weeks if you remove the blocks that keep you stuck and give your brain the materials it needs to operate effectively.Ī good supply of healthy fats in your diet can help you feel, and think, better.Įnjoy plenty of olive oil (packed with anti-inflammatory compounds, found in some studies to prevent Alzheimer’s and depression) and oily fish, and choose organic meat if you can. They are serotonin (which helps you feel calm, serene, optimistic and self-confident), dopamine (responsible for making you feel excited, motivated, and energised) and the stress hormone, cortisol (which revs you up into a high gear when you need it).Īlso, I can’t emphasise enough the importance of omega-3s. If you are eating the wrong foods, getting insufficient exercise or sleep, overindulging in social media and TV, having too much stress and too little downtime, you will almost certainly be destabilising the levels of three crucial brain chemicals. The brain relies on a complex symphony of chemicals to keep mood in check and to function properly, but if you disturb that balance you can very swiftly become depressed, unable to sleep and too worked-up to concentrate properly. New research suggests that brain fog – that huge grey area between normal functioning and the dreaded dementia or Alzheimer’s disease – may, in fact, be reversible.Īs a psychotherapist, I have studied the complexities of the brain for years, and I am convinced the way we eat, sleep, work and live has a profound effect. Brain fog test full#
Research shows our brains start to noticeably slow by the time we reach 40, and up to 17 per cent of people over 65 will end up with some form of mild cognitive impairment, such as occasional difficulties concentrating, finding the correct word, focusing, or remembering where on earth we’ve put the car keys.Įpisodes of feeling grumpy, miserable or anxious are extremely common in middle age, too, and the truth is that between 6 and 15 per cent of patients who meet the criteria for ‘mild cognitive impairment’ will go on to develop full dementia. Whether your first bit of brain fog appears as a ditsy episode of forgetfulness, or a few ‘senior moments’ when you can’t quite put a finger on a friend’s name, it can be frightening to accept that an element of mental decline is largely inevitable with age. Dr Mike Dow advises on how best to keep your brain sharp and alert.
Lots of stress and not exercising can negatively affect brain chemicals. It can be frightening to accept that ageing means a decline in brainpower. Brain fog test how to#
But a brilliant new book reveals how to beat the inevitable slump It’s a cruel scientific fact that our brains start to slow down past 40.