1. Practice good sleep hygiene.
Strive for 7 to 9 hours of sleep by creating a relaxing environment conducive to sleep. For example:
■ Avoid heavy, greasy meals before bedtime.
■ Take a warm shower or bath.
■ Make sure your bedroom is cool and dark—get blackout curtains if necessary.
■ Avoid screens for the two hours leading up to your bedtime.
■ Instead of the news, listen to soothing music or an encouraging audiobook.
Is anxiety or worrying keeping you up at night? “Curl up in the fetal position, pull the blanket over your head, and squeeze as tight as you can—a few times if you need to,” says functional medicine practitioner Brooke Seiz. “When we’re ruminating or worrying, the body goes into a flight response. So if we let the body do what it wants, sometimes we can get over the hump and resettle instead of fighting against it.”
2. Drink plenty of water.
It’s hard to focus if you’re dehydrated. To ensure you’re drinking enough water, divide your weight in half and then drink that much water in ounces. For example, if you’re 160 pounds, aim to drink approximately 80 ounces of water per day.
3. Move your body.
“When we’re working at computers and staring at screens, holding our necks in stiff positions all day long, we don’t have proper blood flow to the head,” says burnout expert Cait Donovan.
Throughout the day, go for short walks and take breaks to stand and stretch.
4. Try acupuncture.
Research increasingly suggests that acupuncture can be an effective, non-pharmaceutical treatment option for addressing a range of conditions that cause brain fog, such as chronic pain, cancer care treatments (including radiation and chemotherapy), hormonal disruptions, and mental health conditions.
An analysis in The BMJ in February 2022 found that acupuncture also reduces the severity of vascular dementia symptoms, depression, and migraines, and it can improve allergy symptoms.
5. Don’t force it.
It’s normal to experience days when you’re on your game and other days when you just don’t have the brain power to focus on a mentally taxing project.
“It’s good to be mindful of this when facing the everyday challenges we all experience,” says neurologist and author Lisa Shulman, MD. “Be forgiving. Maybe this is a good day to do something that won’t require intense concentration. Some days are like that. And that’s normal brain health.”
Christa M. Hines is a mother, award-winning writer, and author of two books.
