At the beginning of the study in 1985, all of the participants were healthy and none were dependent on alcohol. Over the next 30 years, the participants answered detailed questions about their alcohol intake and took tests to measure memory, reasoning, and verbal skills. Have you ever just lost your train of thought while you’re in the middle of an activity? Or maybe you’re caught up in conversation when suddenly you have trouble remembering that darn word or detail that just slipped out of reach. But if your thinking has been affected suddenly and gradually worsens so you have difficulty focusing or putting your thoughts into words, you may be experiencing what people call brain fog. These changes in the brain also cause people to change their behaviors around alcohol.
No matter how much you drink, adding whole nutrient-dense foods to your diet is going to help your body and brain work better. The higher a person’s blood alcohol concentration, the higher their risk of alcohol overdose. The heavy consumption of high-alcohol drinks is more likely to cause alcohol poisoning. People who have smaller bodies, drink alcohol less frequently, or have a history of liver disease are also more vulnerable to alcohol poisoning.
Poor Diet
If you’re experiencing brain fog or dizziness, make an appointment with your doctor to discuss your symptoms and find the best treatment for you. If you’re experiencing these symptoms and the health of your nervous system is compromised, it’s essential to seek help from a mental health professional. A poor diet can lead to vitamin and mineral deficiencies, which can cause cognitive problems. It can occur during or after someone’s alcohol addiction, even in otherwise healthy people.
People with a history of alcohol misuse may not be able to consume alcohol safely. Following Wernicke’s encephalopathy, the person may develop signs of Korsakoff syndrome. Our team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to answer any questions you may have. Give us a call today and begin your journey toward long-term recovery.
What Gets Rid of Brain Fog?
“People who have been in the ICU or required more severe forms of treatment tend to experience more brain fog,” notes Dr. Krishnan. Brain fog has been getting its 15 minutes of fame thanks to COVID-19 and all its related symptoms. In fact, brain fog is one of the top three symptoms often listed by long-haulers, who experience prolonged symptoms or delayed symptoms weeks and sometimes months after initial infection. “In your first trimester, you may have more nausea, poor nutrition, insomnia or lack of sleep, or other increased stressors for a variety of reasons. When these hormonal changes occur, your brain tries to restore balance by releasing and suppressing certain hormones to level everything out. You may experience brain fog because of this constant flux of hormones or because of other stressors that can occur even early in your pregnancy.
- If your brain fog and lightheadedness are caused by a more serious condition, such as Meniere’s disease or a brain tumor, you may need to take medication to help relieve the symptoms.
- «For starters, alcohol slows down the neurotransmitter GABA, and that’s what drives the sluggish movement, slurred speech, and slower reaction time in someone who’s intoxicated,» said Pagano.
- Once the fog clears, you should see your situation in a new light, and this is the moment when you will discover just how good it feels to be sober.
- So, if you’re struggling with alcohol brain fog or any type of cognitive impairment, make sure to spend some time in nature every day.
- However, there are a number of different ways to treat them, depending on the cause.
Once the levels of alcohol in your body decrease, withdrawing from the substance can cause fatigue, headache, vertigo, hangxiety, and other symptoms of brain fog. Researchers found “negative associations” between alcohol intake and brain macrostructure and microstructure. A negative association means that as one variable increases (alcohol consumption), another variable decreases (brain health). These changes resemble brain changes found in individuals with diagnosed Alcohol Use Disorder, though still at a lesser degree.
Consider starting a healthy withdrawal program
Dizziness and brain fog can be challenging to diagnose because there are so many different things that can cause them. If you’re experiencing motion sickness, try to avoid looking at moving objects and focus on a stationary object instead. Mental fog and dizziness can make it challenging to carry out everyday tasks. Dizziness, on the other hand, is often described as a feeling of lightheadedness or unsteadiness. It can make you feel like you’re about to fall over or that the room is spinning.
«So we also worry about brain damage—and with multiple episodes of heavy drinking, that damage can have long-term consequences for learning and memory.» Following a bout of heavy drinking, a person may experience symptoms including decreased attention and concentration.3 This can impair a person’s ability to perform certain tasks. As a result, they may perform poorly at school or work and be at an increased risk of injury.
How Is Brain Fog Connected With Substance Abuse?
This results in substantial impairment of critical cognitive functions like memory and decision-making. If you’re experiencing brain fog while undergoing chemo treatments, talk to your doctor about strategies to help improve alcohol brain fog your mental clarity. But a person who did not previously experience brain fog may experience it during or after withdrawal. Brain fog during withdrawal does not differ substantially from brain fog during addiction.
- Alcohol detoxification, or simply detox, is a process of navigating through alcohol withdrawal.
- In virtually all cases, no matter how severely alcohol-dulled you feel now, a few years of abstinence will
almost completely reverse this cognitive damage. - Overall, alcohol can make it harder to understand, reason, and learn.
- Following Wernicke’s encephalopathy, the person may develop signs of Korsakoff syndrome.
- This article will explore the connection between alcohol and brain fog from drinking.
- In fact, brain fog related to alcohol use can also be a symptom of withdrawal for those who have developed alcohol dependence.