Do you find yourself grasping for words in the middle of a conversation? Is there a strange memory lapse or mental fatigue? If so, you are not alone. A sensation that a cloud has taken over the mind is suffered by many, and is the foggy brain syndrome.
Besides lack of sleep and stress, medical conditions like cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, pregnancy and menopause are some of the reasons for foggy brains.
These days, multitasking is one of the major reasons for sudden shutdown of the brain. Exercises for the brain is required to ensure that the mind is recharged.
We use only 10 per cent of our brains
The human brain is not used to its full capacity, only 10 per cent is used. But that does not mean that it is not active. Brain scans have shown that all brain areas function 24x7 and if there is slight damage in the smallest of areas it can end up having a profound effect on the brain and on the functioning of the body.
Early memory loss, mood swings and the inability to cope up with day-to-day routine are some of the common examples of impaired brain functioning or the onset of the problem.
Dr Radha Krishna, senior consultant neurologist at Care Hospitals, Nampally, said, “If a person is suffering from stress, depression or initial phase of impaired brain functioning then symptoms like laziness, memory loss and mood swings tend to occur. A lot of people have constant ache or pressure around the head, especially at the temples, back of the head and neck.”
The common problem is multitasking. There are too many things being done too fast and that leads to the processes in the brain getting stuck — it shuts down when it can’t cope.
Diseases and conditions also cause memory loss
Research has shown that 75 per cent of people with cancer experience memory problems during treatment and up to 35 per cent have issues that continue for months after treatment. But depending on the age of the patient, stage of cancer and also the response to treatment, it is found that 75 per cent of them are able to get over their problem of memory loss after the treatment.
Dr K. Vinod Kumar, neuro physician at Sunshine Hospital said, “It is also found that more than 50 per cent of pregnant women experience some symptoms of memory loss, related to short term memory in all their three trimesters. High levels of sex hormones and depressed mood swings are the major causes. Women in the early stage of post menopause suffer from verbal and memory loss. Decreased estrogen during menopause is the factor.” Women should try yoga and meditation to sharpen the brain and memory.
Multitasking, Another factor
Multitasking is one of the important reasons for the brain to become exhausted. The best output from the brain is obtained when one thing is done at a time. However, few people can do two things at the same time with perfection. Majority of people, however, fail miserably while multi-tasking. Dr Sudhir Kumar, senior consultant neurologist at Apollo Hos-pitals said, “The brain does not work to its full capacity when it is tired, hungry or under stress. Lack of adequate sleep is also one of the major reasons for short-term memory loss. It impairs the brain and affects it functioning capacity.” Also, the capacity of brain is limited, and one cannot have an infinite amount of memory in brain. Subconscious-ly, the brain keeps deleting older, un-essential memories, as newer memories gets added.
