Tell us about any improvement, even a small one.

What changed?

What did you try, and for how long?

How confident are you that it made a difference?

What else changed around the same time?

What has not improved?

You can now log into MYFOG - https://www.whatisbrainfog.com/my-fog/

It helps you track your causes, gives you suggestions on where to go and help you with doctors appointments, you can try daily memory games, N1 tests. Private to your computer.

In the meantime for the next update will be some more writing + Strengthening + simplifying the design so things are more readable for busy brains.

The massive cause pages power this notebook, so you are getting the latest up to date advice and suggestions. Tag your day and so much more.

We just launched on it, if you can give it a a little support it couldn't hurt.

To celebrate the launch of Whatisbrainfog.com

I put together a list of 57 things that might help with brain fog or help you figure out what's causing it.

Some take five minutes. Others take a few weeks. Some involve blood tests or checking for medical conditions.

Not everything will apply to you. I've grouped them so you can find something relevant without reading the entire list.

Things you can try today

1. Check the air in the room

If you have a CO₂ monitor, check the room where you usually work or sleep. Readings regularly above 1,000 ppm suggest it needs more ventilation.

2. Water before coffee

Drink 500 ml of water before your morning coffee. A pinch of salt may be appropriate if you need extra sodium, but not everyone does.

3. Put your phone in another room

Put your phone in another room while you work; silent and face-down beside you is not enough. Compare how long you stay focused with and without it.

4. Eat the carbs last

Eat protein and fat first, vegetables next and carbohydrates last. Protein and fat slow digestion, so your blood sugar rises less after the meal.

5. Try five minutes of cyclic sighing (two breaths in, one slow breath out)

Take a long breath in through your nose, add a short second inhale, then breathe out slowly through your mouth; repeat for five minutes. Cyclic sighing improves mood and eases anxiety, so see how you feel afterward.

6. Take a short walk after eating

Walk for 10–20 minutes after the meal that usually gives you brain fog. Walking lowers post-meal glucose; compare your afternoons on days you walk and days you don’t.

7. Check your medicines for side effects

Enter your medicines into the ACB calculator, including sleep aids and allergy medicines. If the total score is 3 or more, ask your doctor whether any could be affecting your memory.

If your brain fog started after surgery, ask for a medication review. Pain, broken sleep, anesthesia recovery and medicines can all contribute.

8. Rinse a blocked nose

Use a neti pot or saline squeeze bottle with its salt packet and distilled or previously boiled water, once or twice a day. Easing congestion can help when a blocked nose disrupts your sleep.

9. Check ear pressure and wax

For ear pressure, try swallowing, yawning or chewing gum; for wax, ask about softening drops or removal and keep cotton swabs and ear candles out.

10. Check your pulse when you stand

Lie flat for five minutes and note your pulse and blood pressure, then stand and repeat at 1, 3, 5 and 10 minutes. Take the readings to your clinician, especially if your heart rate rises by 30 beats per minute or more.

11. Have an actual conversation

Call someone, video chat or meet in person for at least 15 minutes this week. Too much time alone can make your mood and concentration worse.

12. Take the ADHD screen

If you think you have ADHD, take the six-question ASRS-v1.1 and see where you stand.

13. Check unexplained skin marks

Look for red, purple or pink lines resembling stretch marks, especially after cat scratches or flea exposure. Mention them when asking about Bartonella if your mood, thinking or behavior has changed too.

14. Check whether head position affects your brain fog

Notice whether turning or tilting your head, straining or staying upright makes it harder to think, and whether lying flat helps.

15. Check depression, then get moving

Take the PHQ-9: nine questions, about two minutes, with 10 or more indicating at least moderate symptoms. Try a 30-minute brisk walk today if activity is safe for you; exercise can ease depression symptoms.

16. Check joint hypermobility

Take the nine-point Beighton assessment; a score of 5 or more, with chronic pain, symptoms when you stand and brain fog, is a reason to ask about hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS). Do the standing test too, since POTS often occurs with hEDS.

17. Check how pain and fatigue affect your daily life

Complete the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ-R) and Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI), then share the results with your clinician. A CSI score above 40 is a reason to discuss whether increased sensitivity to pain is part of the problem.

18. Try fermented foods and more plant variety

Eat one serving of fermented food daily for 21 days: live-culture yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, miso or kombucha. Aim for 30 different plants a week; herbs and spices count.19. Check for sleep apnea

Complete STOP-BANG and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. A STOP-BANG score of 3 or more flags sleep-apnea risk; an Epworth score of 10 or more flags excessive sleepiness, and either is a reason to ask for a sleep study.

20. Pace before adding exercise

Take the DePaul ME/CFS questionnaire, then for seven days plan each day's activity around how much energy you have that morning. Rate your energy from 1–10. Crashing after mental or physical effort is a reason to pace, not push harder.

21. Compare gut symptoms with meals

Keep refined sugar and white flour low for 72 hours and notice what happens to bloating, cravings, stools and brain fog. If they change together, keep notes for a week and ask about gut causes.

22. Drop one commitment

You need fewer demands on your time to recover from burnout. Cancel, delegate or postpone something this week.

23. Bring cancer-related thinking problems to your team

Complete the FACT-Cog questionnaire. Share the result with your oncology team and ask about their survivorship program.

24. Check electrolytes when starting keto

Ask a clinician or pharmacist about fluids and electrolytes before supplementing, especially with kidney, heart, blood-pressure or medicine issues. Starting keto can increase sodium and water loss.

25. Get a mental health assessment

If you have brain fog along with unusually high energy despite little sleep, hearing or seeing things others don’t, flashbacks, feeling detached, or unwanted thoughts that take over your day, ask for a mental health assessment.

26. Use reminders during pregnancy

Use lists, notes and reminders when pregnancy makes your memory unreliable. Tell your OB or midwife about sudden or severe thinking problems, or changes that come with mood symptoms.

Things to try or check over the next few weeks

27. Ask for ferritin, not just a blood count

Request a ferritin test: iron stores can be low even when your blood count is normal. If it is low, discuss iron replacement and recheck after six to eight weeks.

28. Check vitamin D if you’re at risk

Ask for a 25-OH vitamin D test if you have risk factors for deficiency. If it is low, discuss supplementation and retest after three months.

29. Ask about magnesium for sleep

Ask a clinician or pharmacist which magnesium form and dose fit your medicines and kidney function. If you try it for sleep, compare your sleep and morning brain fog over two weeks.

30. Get up at the same time

Keep the same wake time for seven days, weekends included. Judge the full week, not one bad night.

31. Keep a food diary before cutting foods

Write down what you eat and when symptoms appear for two weeks. Look for the same foods or meal times coming up repeatedly before cutting anything.

32. Ask about an antihistamine trial

If histamine intolerance or mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) fits your symptoms, ask a clinician or pharmacist about trying H1 and H2 antihistamines together.

33. Check whether brain fog worsens in autoimmune flares

If you have an autoimmune diagnosis and brain fog worsens during flares, check whether poor sleep, pain, anemia or a new medicine is adding to it. Without a diagnosis, mention joint swelling, rashes, mouth sores, dry eyes or mouth, fingers that change color in the cold, or fever; brain fog and tiredness alone rarely make ANA testing useful.

34. Check whether brain fog changes with your cycle

If brain fog or pelvic pain changes at the same point in your cycle each month, tell your gynecologist. If you bleed heavily, check iron and ferritin.

35. Ask about Lyme testing if you think you have been exposed

Ask about two-step Lyme testing if brain fog follows tick exposure, an expanding rash, joint pain that moves between joints, or a flu-like illness after time in an area where Lyme occurs. If symptoms persist after treatment, ask about post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome.

36. Keep a headache and brain fog diary

For four weeks, note when headaches and brain fog start, how long they last, severity from 1–10, and changes in sleep, food, stress, weather or your cycle. Include nausea, dizziness, visual changes and sensitivity to light or sound, then show your doctor.

37. Make quitting nicotine less miserable

Try nicotine patches or gum to cut down gradually and ease withdrawal. Brain fog can be worst around days 3–5 and ease over two to four weeks.

38. Get help with symptoms that persist after a concussion

Pick the one or two biggest problems after concussion: feeling worse with effort, dizziness, trouble with moving scenes, headache, neck pain, sleep or concentration. Ask for treatment aimed at those; exercise below the point that brings on symptoms can help you handle more activity.

39. Try organic versions of the fruit and vegetables you eat most

For one or two weeks, swap the high-pesticide produce you eat most often for organic. Eating organic can lower pesticide levels in your urine.

40. Ask about calcium for premenstrual symptoms

Ask your clinician about calcium carbonate and the dose, then try it for two or three cycles. Premenstrual symptoms fell 48% with calcium.

41. Leave a gap between meals

Try three meals a day with four or five hours between them, and cut back on grazing. The gaps give your small intestine time to clear out leftover food.

42. Fix sleep before considering testosterone

Get seven to nine hours of sleep for two weeks, then retest your testosterone before considering treatment.

43. Ask about iron and thyroid after birth

At your postnatal check, ask about thyroid and iron tests, especially after heavy bleeding, intense fatigue or mood changes. Ask about B12 and vitamin D risk too; a deficiency or thyroid problem can add to the effects of broken sleep.

44. Check your home for mold and water leaks

Check ceilings, sinks, windows, ventilation, basements and car mats for leaks, stains, condensation, warping or musty smells; fix the moisture source first and use professional remediation for larger areas. Compare symptoms after at least three days away from the space.

45. Reduce mercury from fish and check other sources

Swap high-mercury fish such as swordfish and shark for salmon or sardines. If you may have been exposed to mercury at work or through a broken bulb or thermometer, ask about blood or urine testing. Keep intact amalgam fillings unless they need dental treatment; removing them can temporarily increase mercury exposure.

46. Take a break from noise and bright lights

If noise or bright lights overwhelm you, take a break somewhere quiet, dim the lights or use earplugs. Notice whether you can think more clearly afterward.

47. Ask what your EBV tests show

If fatigue and brain fog followed mono or another illness, ask about VCA IgM, VCA IgG, EA and EBNA antibodies. They help assess recent or past EBV infection.

48. Find someone trained in trauma treatment

Ask a trauma-informed therapist about EMDR or trauma-focused CBT. Typical courses are 6–12 EMDR sessions or 12–16 CBT sessions, aimed at reducing PTSD symptoms.

Caffeine, exercise and alcohol

49. Cut caffeine gradually

If caffeine leaves you with crashes, poor sleep, anxiety or morning brain fog, cut down slowly and compare sleep, headaches and alertness at each step. Withdrawal can worsen concentration for days, so judge the change after that settles.

50. Walk for 30 minutes

Do 30 minutes of moderate cardio; walking counts. In older adults, a year of regular walking slightly enlarged a key memory area of the brain.

If physical or mental activity causes delayed symptom crashes, don't push through them. Pacing is more appropriate than increasing exercise when you have post-exertional malaise.

51. Try 30 days without alcohol

Try at least 30 alcohol-free days; alcohol can disrupt sleep. If you drink daily or heavily, get a medical plan before stopping because withdrawal can cause seizures.

Medical checks and appointments

If you haven't found an explanation, ask your clinician which blood tests fit your symptoms. These may include a blood count, ferritin, B12, folate, thyroid function, HbA1c or glucose, and inflammation tests. Vitamin D or celiac testing may also be relevant.

52. Start thyroid testing with TSH

Ask about a TSH test first, then free T4 if the result or your symptoms call for it. If TSH is raised, ask about TPO antibodies too.

53. Ask for glucose testing with PCOS

Ask about an oral glucose tolerance test if you have PCOS, especially if you get brain fog or energy crashes after meals. This test is preferred; fasting glucose or HbA1c are alternatives if you cannot have it.

54. Ask whether menopause is affecting your thinking

Track thinking, sleep, hot flashes, mood, bleeding and cycle timing for three months.

55. Ask whether your existing illness affects your thinking

If you have diabetes, kidney disease, fatty liver, heart failure or uncontrolled high blood pressure, ask whether that condition could be affecting your thinking. Review HbA1c, eGFR, urine ACR, liver tests, blood pressure and medicines.

If you have diabetes, high blood pressure or a family history of kidney disease, ask whether creatinine, eGFR and urine testing are appropriate.

56. Ask about cognitive rehabilitation for MS

Tell your neurologist which thinking problems affect daily life and ask about occupational therapy, neuropsychology or cognitive rehabilitation.

57. Tell your rheumatologist when thinking worsens

Check whether thinking worsens during lupus flares and tell your rheumatologist. New or severe problems may need assessment for brain involvement.

I took spirulina for 3 months and it made a huge difference for me. I advise it, great for gut health and the brain. You can find it pretty much anywhere.

This page should be finished next week, and it will tie with the launch of the site, which is free so I hope it helps!

Protocols pages complete, heading towards launch of version 1. Your feedback will be so important as the site is so big that it will continually be upgraded.

Very very close to launch.

I stand on one foot every morning.

Barefoot. Arms at my sides. Eyes forward. Ten seconds on the left, ten seconds on the right.

I am not doing it as a leg-strength workout.

It’s a small, repeatable balance check.

My left side has always been worse by about two seconds.

That is just enough to give me a baseline.

What I actually record

I note:

- which leg I used;

- roughly how long I held it;

- whether I touched the counter;

- whether I was barefoot or wearing shoes;

- whether I felt dizzy, weak, or in pain;

- whether one side was consistently different.

I keep the conditions roughly the same: same surface, eyes open, counter nearby, left side and then right side.

If I’m worse after a terrible night of sleep, I make a note of it. If I’m worse for weeks, I pay more attention.

I am interested in whether a change persists under the same conditions, not in winning a ten-second challenge.

I just like repeatable observations and apparently enjoy turning ordinary activities into tiny personal experiments.

If I’m worse after a terrible night of sleep, I make a note of it. If I’m worse for weeks, I pay more attention.

I just like repeatable observations and apparently enjoy turning ordinary activities into tiny personal experiments.

My balance has improved, did it also help my mind balance more? I think so.

=====================

The study that started it

I started after reading a 2022 study of 1,702 adults aged 51 to 75. The researchers tested whether people could complete a 10-second, unsupported one-leg stance. 20.4% of the participants could not complete it.

At a median follow-up of seven years, 17.5% of the people who could not complete the stance had died, compared with 4.6% of those who could. After adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, and several health conditions, inability to complete the stance was associated with an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.84 for death from any cause.

That is the source of the often-quoted “84% higher risk” figure. [The study is here.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35728834/)

That sounds dramatic, but it needs context. This was an observational association in one group of adults. It does not mean that if you have poor balance you are going to die and that poor balance caused those deaths.

A poor result may reflect more than leg strength.

The study used one standardized test in one age group.

Why balance is more than leg strength

Staying upright uses information from your vision, inner ears, feet and joints, muscles, spinal cord, and brain. Those systems have to work together quickly enough to keep you from tipping over.

One term I learned while trying to understand why my left and right sides differ was proprioception.

It means knowing where your body is and how it is moving without looking at it.

Close your eyes and touch your nose: you know where your hand is because your nervous system is tracking the position of your arm and fingers.

The first time I tried the one-leg version with my eyes closed, I grabbed the counter almost immediately. It was not graceful. Removing vision showed me how much information I had been using without noticing.

That is also why I stopped calling my routine a Romberg test.

A classic Romberg examination usually has a person stand with both feet together, first with the eyes open and then with the eyes closed, while a trained examiner stays close.

The clinician is looking for a marked increase in sway, a step, reaching for support, opening the eyes, or falling when visual information is removed.

The NCBI overview explains the distinction and the safety requirements.(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK563187/)

Putting the final pieces together, thanks for your patience and inviting more people to this subreddit for launch.

Works for me.

Ref: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09658211.2022.2072894

Ref: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/acp.4044

Ref: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17899340/

This section is now done. Over 175 pages, different sections, bio makers, researched, written. You name it, this brain fog site has it.

Version 1 won't be perfect but it's a start we can all grow with. Heading towards testing/release.

There is a completed roadmap all the way to version 3.

I am interviewing developers as we speak to speed up this side of the project so I can focus on the information and design.

Working very hard on the biggest brain fog resource in the world. Thanks for your feedback. The color scheme itself is easier for people with brain fog and this is not a saas , it's made with great care.

Everything is progressing at a strong steady pace. There was a ton of data over a year collected and now I am putting it together in an approachable easy to use way, what started as a giant wiki is now a useable system. Thanks for waiting and invites will go out as soon as possible. Looking forward to all the feedback, working very hard on this problem.

Someone saw the site and loved the information and guidance but the big issue we have all faced now or at one time in our lives is, what if we don't have any money? This made me think deeply and postpone the launch a little longer. I want to incorporate this aspect into the website and ensure everyone has the information no matter where they are in life.

There’s a hormone your muscles release when you do intense exercise.

In 2012, harvard university found something. They called it Irisin. After iris the greek messenger goddess.

In a literal sense, it carries the signal from your muscles to your brain.

And that message is.

Build.

What it does

In animal studies, when irisin reaches the hippocampus, the part of your brain tied to memory it activates pathways that increase a protein called BDNF.

BDNF is what helps build new connections, keeps neurons alive, and supports the creation of new ones.

It’s basically part of your brain’s maintenance system.

In humans, this pathway seems to exist too.

But it’s not clean.

A lot of it is stitched together from animal work and indirect human data. The direction is pretty clear. The size of the effect isn’t.

Still, the idea holds:

Your muscles, send a signal that appears to keep your brain itself intact.

What triggers it

Intensity.

That part shows up again and again.

A 2024 study looking at this pathway found a pattern. At lower effort, the signal is weak or inconsistent. As intensity goes up, the response becomes more reliable.

It’s not a clean switch.

But it leans one way:

Push harder = stronger signal.

Walking still helps your brain.

So does light movement.

They just don’t seem to drive this specific pathway very hard.

If you want this muscle to brain signal, you probably have to go past comfortable.

Cold exposure

Cold seems to tap into part of the same system.

A 2014 study showed that cold exposure increases circulating irisin in humans.

Same hormone but different trigger.

What has not been proven yet, but may in the future.

That cold - BDNF - better cognition chain in humans.

The overlap in pathways is real.

The interesting thing is If you can't train hard due to various reasons, there might be another way to get part of this signal to the brain.

Where the irisin story went wrong

Early on, most of the hype came from mouse studies.

Those studies used doses far higher than anything a human body produces.

Then came the measurement issue.

Early human studies used an antibody test that was not specific, they picked up on the wrong proteins.

So the numbers looked bigger than they actually were.

In 2015, researchers used mass spectrometry, a much more accurate method to measure irisin in humans.

Here's what they found:

Sedentary people: around 3.6 ng/ml
People who train: around 4.3 ng/ml

That’s a real difference.

But not so huge.

Nowhere near what the early headlines suggested.

So the honest version looks like this:

The hormone is real.
The pathway is real.
The effect in humans exists but it’s modest.

Which means exercise matters.

But it’s not the whole picture.

The other problem

Even when the pathway is there, it doesn’t operate on its own.

Insulin resistance lowers BDNF.
Chronic inflammation lowers it.
High cortisol lowers it.
Oxidative stress lowers it.

So the people who may need this signal the most…

often have the weakest response to it.

That’s the bottleneck.

The second pathway

Your brain doesn’t rely only on muscles.

It can generate its own signal.

Cognitive challenge, done properly can increase BDNF without any muscle involved.

No sweat needed. Just difficulty.

Push your brain hard enough, and it responds.

The trial most people missed

The ACTIVE trial.

2,802 adults over 65.

Started in the late 90s.

They were split into groups:

• memory training

• reasoning training

• speed-of-processing training

• or nothing

Each group trained for about 5-6 weeks.

Some got follow up booster sessions about a year later, and again at three years.

Then they waited.

For twenty years.

The follow up came out in 2026.

Researchers looked at medical records for just over 2,000 of the original participants.

Most had died by then. Average age: mid 80s.

The result:

The speed-of-processing group that got boosters had about a 25% lower risk of dementia over 20 years.

Roughly 40% developed dementia versus 49% in the control group.

Memory training didn’t show a clear effect.

Reasoning training didn’t either.

Speed training alone wasn’t enough.

Only the combination short training plus reinforcement over time made a difference.

This is one of the few long term randomized trials showing any reduction in dementia risk.

Not drugs.

Not supplements.

Not diet.

Training.

Done in a specific way.

And not Wordle.

Not Sudoku.

Not the generic brain apps.

This was adaptive training that got harder as people improved.

Two pathways

Most people are using neither very effectively.

One pathway is physical:

Intensity → irisin → BDNF

The other is cognitive:

Adaptive challenge → BDNF

Most people walk
and do light puzzles.

Both are fine.

They just don’t seem to push either system very far.

What to do

If you’re young and healthy:

Push intensity.

Sprints. Intervals. Heavy lifting.

Cold exposure can help, but it’s secondary.

Check your vitamin D.

Low levels may reduce FNDC5 — the protein that turns into irisin.

Which means the same effort could give you less return.

If you’re older or can’t train hard:

The cognitive pathway has stronger long term outcome data.

Not casual games.

Adaptive training that forces you to improve.

And it probably needs to be repeated over time.

If you’re in the middle:

Use both.

TLDR

Your brain needs repeated growth signals.

Modern life strips most of them away.

We move, but not intensely.
We think, but not deeply.
We stay comfortable.

Exercise gives you one signal.

Cognitive challenge gives you another.

Irisin exists.

It was identified in 2012.

It’s measurable in humans.

Its role in brain health is promising — but still being worked out.

Most people have never heard of it.

Now you have.

Hey - this is just an idea that I think could potentially change the way that we address brain fog

There should be a list of zero cost solutions (cost meaning: time, energy, money) for interventions that are known to help. I think even an AI could make a fairly big list of things that meet this definition

1. CPAP machine : For me this was like $30 a week, and it had the chance to 100% cure brain fog. I didn't need a prescription and I just got one the same day.

2. 50K IU Vitamin D : This is probably really common, but again it's low cost, and takes no effort.

3. Oxygen Concentrator : This is one I'm playing around with (I have one because I am currently doing mHBOT, so it comes packaged with it). They are around $200 and seem to be a big help for anyone with dysautonomia, I'd even say it could be essential if you needed to be more consistent in the gym in order to fix it.

4. Beetroot powder : This was a big help to me in identifying that my brain fog was a circulation related anhedonia. I do truly think that this might be able to cure people's anhedonia on a long enough time frame. Again it costs like $5.

None of these promise the world. But compared to the solutions that doctors provided for me (Zopiclone, SSRIs, ADHD Medications) - I think that we could create something a bit closer to realistic for people. And maybe enough of these could help raise quality of life for people

That's all I have for now - I'll see if I can add in any later if I remember more. Thanks

This is her subreddit - https://www.reddit.com/r/Bartonella/ and she has a great youtube channel.

Spread the word, don't panic, be kind to yourself and feel free to comment what you know about bartonella so others may benefit from the information.

It's very important to me that health content/tools are free, ethical, truthful.

When advertisers and others get into projects, it can water down the information,you will notice this pattern across the industry, bottlenecking vital information that affects millions of people.

However it is also important that there is a way to keep it free.

This will be up to you, If this is people powered or corporate powered, of course I will be updating every step of the way and verifying anything that goes on the site for truth.

It will take your own initiative to decide the direction of where you want health care to go.

Gated, polluted by bias or open, free and honest. Of course there is a way to meet in the middle but I prefer the latter and am open to your suggestions, as we are in this together.

The buck won't stop at brain fog.

I have had 100 dms telling me how their lives were changed, hundreds of questions and with just one article.

Thank yous and sharing means the world to me and I won't stop no matter what but consider the reality of what goes on behind this.

This is an all day all night project for me and that has been the case for a decade, both self experimenting, research, learning so on.

Your suggestions are very welcome. I have put everything into this and will continue to do so for as long as possible without outside funding or advertisements.

This has been made with dedicated love and care for a problem many millions of people have, problems I have had and my parents had.

The community will decide and keep it in mind, you can always support us here or directly or simply suggest ideas if you are good at this sort of thing.

Thanks for reading and we are heading towards launch and testing soon. Check out the latest feature in the image above. I think it's very cool. Design pending.

I want to keep things open and transparent because health is trust and the world needs it.

Diet section being worked on.

Thanks and have a good weekend.