Functional Neurology: Brain Fog and Anxiety

How high is your stress level? How often do you feel overwhelmed? Anxiety is a well-known health issue that is, unfortunately, often misunderstood, especially when it manifests other misunderstood symptoms like brain fog. � Brain fog is commonly associated with reduced thinking and processing while anxiety is frequently associated with racing thoughts that can make people overly cautious as well as worries that can keep people awake, wired, and restless. How does anxiety cause brain fog? The purpose of the following article is to understand brain fog associated with anxiety. �

How Does Brain Fog with Anxiety Happen?

Brain fog is a symptom rather than a single health issue. It�s described as the sensation that your brain isn’t functioning properly. Anxiety involves symptoms of overthinking, excessive worrying, imagining negative outcomes, and fear. � Brain fog and anxiety happens because the symptoms of one health issue can ultimately cause the symptoms of the other health issue and vice versa. This can also worsen both conditions. Brain fog and anxiety can cause an infinite loop. �

1. Anxiety involves �what-ifs,� ruminations, and negative thinking
2. This can then lead to mental exhaustion or fatigue
3. Fatigue can also develop brain fog
4. Brain fog can in turn increase anxiety because it feels frightening, worrisome
5. Increased anxiety causes this cycle to repeat, seemingly endlessly

Brain fog associated with anxiety may vary from person to person. Several people will experience it often while others will experience it less frequently. It can also come and go quickly, or it can ultimately last for days, weeks, and even months. � Evaluating the symptoms and the causes of brain fog and anxiety will provide insights that can be used for treatment. �

Symptoms of Brain Fog with Anxiety

Brain fog and anxiety share a common symptom, frequently referred to as fatigue or tiredness. Brain fog, anxiety, and fatigue are well-known symptoms that are often connected. However, fatigue is believed to be at the heart of brain fog and anxiety. � Anxiety appears to take control of our entire brain and aggravates thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Living in a state of constant anxiety is exhausting. Moreover, anxiety can cause sleeping problems. Fatigue can lead directly to brain fog. � Common symptoms of brain fog, anxiety, and fatigue can ultimately include: �

• Difficulty concentrating and focusing
• Muddled, unclear thoughts
• Short-term memory problems
• Difficulty reasoning logically
• Trouble processing, storing, and retrieving information
• Living in a fog that makes grasping comments, instructions, and conversations challenging
• The vague sense that you just feel �off� but can�t do anything about it

Causes of Brain Fog with Anxiety

The brain fog that occurs with anxiety can have several causes, including: �

• The�symptoms of anxiety, as previously discussed above
• The brain�s mental, physical, and emotional response to anxiety
• Stress as well as stress hormones and other substances or chemicals.

Understanding the cause of brain fog with anxiety can increase awareness of why these health issues can develop. � The brain�s own reaction to anxiety can also make it feel tired and foggy. The fight-or-flight response is an automatic fear response. The brain reacts in response to an extreme stressor to prepare to either stay and fight or run away to safety. �

• Activity in the cortex, the area of rational thinking, decreases, which leads to the inability to think properly
• Activity in the hippocampus, the area responsible for learning and memory, is suppressed, causing confusion
• Activity in the amygdala accelerates to keep you hypervigilant and ready to leap before you look

The brain also controls the production of hormones in reaction to stress and anxiety. Cortisol, adrenaline, and norepinephrine travel through the brain and the body to keep you alert and ready for action but when these hormones are triggered for too long or in quantities that are too high, they overwhelm and exhaust the brain, causing brain fog. �

Treatment for Brain Fog and Anxiety

The best treatment for brain fog associated with anxiety is to treat it at its source. It’s essential to understand the symptoms of both brain fog and anxiety as well as take steps to reduce other symptoms like fatigue. Furthermore, know what is causing your symptoms so you can ultimately make positive changes to reduce them or even eliminate them, including: �

• Develop stress management strategies
• Take measures to increase the amount and quality of sleep
• Address your anxiety, either with a therapist or other qualified healthcare professional
• Listen to your body and brain; participate and engage in exercise, yoga, mindfulness, and meditation

� Brain fog and anxiety can be difficult. But by actively working on them, you can reduce both and promote overall well-being. �

Anxiety can commonly cause a variety of symptoms, including brain fog. Although it may seem like brain fog and anxiety are two separate as well as different health issues, they are frequently connected. Both anxiety and brain fog can cause concentration, focus, and memory problems, and stress is considered to be one of the most well-known causes of brain fog associated with anxiety. Treatment for anxiety and brain fog often involves treating the underlying source of the health issues. – Dr. Alex Jimenez D.C., C.C.S.T. Insight

Neurotransmitter Assessment Form

The following Neurotransmitter Assessment Form can be filled out and presented to Dr. Alex Jimenez. Symptoms listed on this form are not intended to be utilized as a diagnosis of any type of disease, condition, or any other type of health issue. �

In honor of Governor Abbott’s proclamation, October is Chiropractic Health Month. Learn more about the proposal. �

How high is your stress level? How often do you feel overwhelmed? Anxiety is a well-known health issue that is, unfortunately, often misunderstood, especially when it manifests other misunderstood symptoms like brain fog. � Brain fog is commonly associated with reduced thinking and processing while anxiety is frequently associated with racing thoughts that can make people overly cautious as well as worries that can keep people awake, wired, and restless. How does anxiety cause brain fog? The purpose of the following article is to understand brain fog associated with anxiety. �

The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal and nervous health issues or functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We use functional health protocols to treat injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system. To further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 . �

Curated by Dr. Alex Jimenez �

Additional Topic Discussion: Chronic Pain

Sudden pain is a natural response of the nervous system which helps to demonstrate possible injury. By way of instance, pain signals travel from an injured region through the nerves and spinal cord to the brain. Pain is generally less severe as the injury heals, however, chronic pain is different than the average type of pain. With chronic pain, the human body will continue sending pain signals to the brain, regardless if the injury has healed. Chronic pain can last for several weeks to even several years. Chronic pain can tremendously affect a patient’s mobility and it can reduce flexibility, strength, and endurance.

Neural Zoomer Plus for Neurological Disease

Dr. Alex Jimenez utilizes a series of tests to help evaluate neurological diseases. The Neural Zoomer^TM Plus is an array of neurological autoantibodies which offers specific antibody-to-antigen recognition. The Vibrant Neural Zoomer^TM Plus is designed to assess an individual�s reactivity to 48 neurological antigens with connections to a variety of neurologically related diseases. The Vibrant Neural Zoomer^TM Plus aims to reduce neurological conditions by empowering patients and physicians with a vital resource for early risk detection and an enhanced focus on personalized primary prevention. �

Formulas for Methylation Support

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Proudly,�Dr. Alexander Jimenez makes XYMOGEN formulas available only to patients under our care.

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If you are a patient of Injury Medical & Chiropractic�Clinic, you may inquire about XYMOGEN by calling 915-850-0900.

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