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Ask HN: How do you deal with brain fog? Does coding give you brain fog?

10 points by quotz ↗ HN
If I spend more than an hour deeply focusing on something I get massive brain fog. Its very debilitating and its preventing me from doing any important studies/work.

Have you had something like this?

21 comments

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taylodl
What do you mean by brain fog? What symptoms are you experiencing?
quotz
"It’s a type of cognitive dysfunction involving:

- memory problems - lack of mental clarity - poor concentration - inability to focus

Some people also describe it as mental fatigue. Depending on the severity of brain fog, it can interfere with work or school. But it doesn't have to be a permanent fixture in your life"

taylodl
How long does the fog take to clear? Is it possible to do higher cognitive work until the fog sets in and then do more menial work until the fog clears? What kind of cycle time would that be?
quotz
It appears and clears randomly during the day. I usually do what you just suggested, but its still impossible to do any real work.
taylodl
Have you seen a doctor? I'm thinking a psychiatrist as it sounds like you may have a brain chemical imbalance of some kind. Hope you can get this figured out.
quotz
Yeah, been to numerous docs. I found out I had a bacterial infection from Mycoplasma Pneumoniae, which I treated, and it slightly helped. I also found out I am hypogonadic, which I started Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) for about over a month ago. Both of these could cause brain fog, depression, anxiety. I also suffer from chronic rhinitis (turbinate hypertrophy), and meds such as antihistamines and nasal steroid sprays dont treat it. I've been to over 30 docs in the past 2 years, and this is so far what I got. I treated maybe 70% of the brain fog. So many docs just said its all in my head, especially GPs from the NHS UK... Oh they were so wrong. I also went to a psychiatrist and a psychologist, the former diagnosed me with "internet addiction, adhd, and depersonalization" and the latter said that nothing is wrong with me mentally and that I need to fix my physical health issues first. Apparently brain fog is a symptom that can be caused by many different things, and most docs really dont know what to do about it. I am pretty sure if I was in the US I would solve this pretty quickly there as docs are much better.
tabhygfr3
Well, shit. You basically just described me (brain fog, depression, anxiety, borderline low testosterone in the 200s they won't diagnose, permanent nasal congestion). I don't have an answer, I'm just watching my life slip between my fingers in slow motion. I have obstructive sleep apnea and hypothyroidism, you could get tested for those if you haven't been. The CPAP is more or less useless for me but it helps some people. External observers have noted an improvement since my thyroid hormone replacement therapy, but I still mostly just want to die. Good luck. (I'm in the US, that didn't help.)
quotz
Your hypothyroidism could be the cause for your hypogonadism. My testosterone level was 400 ng/dl and I still had to do Testosterone Replacement Therapy. If your testosterone levels dont reach 600+ after being for 2-3 months on hypothyroid meds (also cut down on weight), then you should start TRT for sure. Google defy TRT clinic, they give TRT to anyone who has levels under 550 ng/dl. Also, for your nasal congestion, its highly likely your hypothyroid issue is causing it, again, after taking the hypothyroid meds for 2-3 months check if its improving, if not, get a CT scan of your nasal and sinus area. Oh, also, before you start TRT, docs need to see whats causing it, if your prolactin is high then that could be the reason. I suggest you go look up /r/testosterone on reddit for more details.

I actually did an at home sleep apnea test and it says I am fine. Gonna go to a lab next time.

Lets help eachother with this, lets keep in touch, you can find me on reddit at “thehedonistvagabond”

quotz
I generally dont believe in alternative methods, but I have tried some dieting and over the counter stuff. It didnt help at all. Thanks for the input though!
dawidw
Have you ever tried "alternative medicine"? I mean method like drinking apple juice for 3 days to clean your guts etc. Or drink only wgetable coctails? I've never tried those, however I've seen hundreds of comments from different users claiming that such method helped them where traditional medicine couldn't. I won't share links here because those YouTube videos are not in English but I'm pretty sure you'll be able to find similar in English.

Anyway - good luck!

AnimalMuppet
Go look out the window for 15 minutes. It can literally be the most productive thing you can do right then.
quotz
exercise helps, meditation too, but its just a short term solution. It always comes back
AnimalMuppet
Sure. But if you get another hour out of it, then go look out the window for 15 minutes again.

You may have an extreme case, but very few of us can beat our brains against something for eight hours straight every day.

quotz
Thats kinda true I suppose. Have you tried meditating for those 15 mins?
AnimalMuppet
Sometimes I pray (which you may or may not regard as being the same).
quotz
Hmm I never prayed in my life but i will try. Thanks for the suggestion
franky47
I usually get it when things start to go out of hands (unexpected errors or input, distractions from many external factors etc).

Things that help in my case include: deep breath (mini-meditation), going out for a walk , playing an instrument (not actively practicing, but rather laying my hands on the piano keys and let the subconscious take the wheel).

Things that definitely do not help: eating (in these moments I have zero self control and would pick unhealthy food which would make things worse) and attention-seeking distractions (social network feeds, mindlessly scrolling infinite lists of questionable content).

takeshi_w
I'd suggest trying hunger over a weekend. But please be careful with it.

I've tried it several times and want to do it more. I fasted for 2 days max. It is like hangover upside down. You feel terrible for 2 days. But once you start eating again, you feel like a newborn.

Google on Evernote Ex-CEO Phil Libin's experience. Again, please be careful. Read on the process of quitting hunger first.

Be healthy!

malux85
It might be your breathing. Stand up, breathe deep and get a bit of oxygenated blood flowing to your brain. Go up and down a few flights of stairs if you can.

I find if I focus for an hour or so my breathing gets shallow and it was pushing my blood pressure up, and giving me brain fog. A quick bit if exercise (chores work for me because I work from home) fixes it up

dreix
Funny that you're asking on HN of all places. My wife has it after she had a stroke a few years back. The neurologist doesn't know what she's talking about. For her exercising helps and is the only cure. During the summer some time ont the trampoline will do too but that's basically exercise when done right. So she spends time at the gym like five days a week. It's time consuming and extremely annoying to her but it works. Skipping the gym is a waste of time for her because then she can't get things done. I'm glad you asked. Apparently 'brain fog' is a common term.
quotz
I hope shes well! Exercise helps me too, quite a lot in fact. Most knowledgeable doctors know about brain fog. My neuro didnt know anything about it. Has she tested for anything that turned out peculiar?