Regarding brain fog and COVID-19, new research shows that brain fog is a result of the virus living in your gut after infection symptoms resolve. This can reduce how much serotonin (a chemical messenger) your body produces, which can impact cognitive function and lead to symptoms of brain fog. Brain fog recovery time can be impacted by the severity of alcohol abuse, mental health issues, and lifestyle habits.
What Does Alcohol Do to Your Body? 9 Ways Alcohol Affects Your Health
Engaging in mind-body practices such as meditation and yoga enhances mental clarity by reducing stress and promoting general well-being. Improving sleep hygiene through a regular sleep schedule and creating a restful environment enhances brain alcohol withdrawal brain fog function (2). If you’re ready to leave your addiction in the past, put your trust in our licensed and certified addiction therapists. We have more than 120 years of combined experience helping people just like you move past addiction.
Adverse Effects of Disrupted Sleep
Sleep is essential for consolidating information learned throughout the day and performing daily tasks. Modern society bombards you with everyday stressors that affect sleep-wake cycles. Yet the meaning of the MRI scans is still far from clear, Dr. Mukamal says. “The study offers little indication https://ecosoberhouse.com/ of whether moderate drinking is truly good, bad, or indifferent for long-term brain health,” he says. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, people who get treated for their alcohol problems have no further mental or physical symptoms one year later.
Alcohol withdrawal syndrome
- Some people with a history of excessive alcohol use develop nutritional deficiencies that further damage brain function.
- Heavy alcohol consumption can damage the brain’s communication centers, making it hard for the brain to store memories or track conversations.
- Drinking in moderation is defined as one or fewer drinks per day for females and two or fewer drinks per day for males.
- Alcohol disrupts the natural cycle of sleep stages, which typically alternates between non-REM and REM sleep every 80 to 100 minutes, between four and six times a night.
- Taking proper steps to treat these issues can help minimize its duration.
Brain fog, for example, is sometimes viewed as one of these lesser-known effects. Dr. Anand stresses the importance of drinking in moderation, if at all. The toll that frequent alcohol use can have on your body can be severe but in some cases, the damage can be reversible. Cut yourself off from caffeine by six hours before bedtime, and drink plenty of water and other hydrating beverages. Set aside 30 minutes before retiring to engage in a wind-down routine, such as taking a warm bath or meditating. If possible, be consistent with the time you go to bed and what time you get up in the morning.
- Eating foods that are rich in vitamins and minerals, such as fruits and vegetables, can help support the brain and improve cognitive functioning.
- It can provide invaluable support by addressing underlying mental health issues and developing coping mechanisms to prevent relapse.
- Alcohol relaxes upper airway muscles, increasing the likelihood of the airways collapsing and more sleep apnea episodes, leading to more sleep disruptions.
If these tips don’t resolve brain fog, a healthcare provider may address specific symptoms with medications like antidepressants or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), among others. Your provider will also discuss any side effects to look out for while you’re taking a new medication. Brain fog, also called mental fog, can happen after an illness, as a side effect of a medication (like chemotherapy) or as a symptom of an underlying condition. A healthcare provider can help you determine what’s causing brain fog to help you feel more like yourself. While alcohol is a relaxant and can make you feel good at first, chronic alcohol use can cause mental health issues. “Generally, over time, there have been new studies that show that chronic alcohol use — at very heavy use — can lead to brain damage, both gray and white matter.
See a Functional Medicine Doctor
It can be difficult to diagnose alcohol-related brain damage (ARBD) so it’s important to know what to look out for. For more detailed information on all aspects of ARBD, download Alcohol Concern’s report All in the mind – Meeting the challenge of alcohol-related brain damage. In other cases, such as Wernicke-Korsakoff’s Syndrome, or after a severe brain injury, the symptoms will appear suddenly and may be quite severe. Read all our factsheets and publications on alcohol-related brain damage in one place.
Step 3: Conduct Objective Cognitive Assessments
Common Symptoms of Alcohol Fog
- Brain fog is a common symptom of alcohol withdrawal that can occur after quitting alcohol.
- Imagine being in a room filled with fog, where everything seems blurry, and you struggle to navigate your way.
- That’s what brain fog feels like; a state of confusion, lack of focus, and mental obscurity.
- It is vital to get at least seven to eight hours of sleep per night.
- Set aside 30 minutes before retiring to engage in a wind-down routine, such as taking a warm bath or meditating.
- Modern society bombards you with everyday stressors that affect sleep-wake cycles.
- Alcohol dependence happens when our brain chemistry adapts to the presence of alcohol, leading to a reliance on it to feel ‘normal’.
- In one study13, women in the first year after their final menstrual cycle, or after menopause, showed higher decreases in attention, verbal learning, and verbal memory than in perimenopause.