"What allows the Brain to work quickly and efficiently is its energy supply. If this is impaired in any way, then the brain will go slow."
That is the first sentence of an article entitled 'Brain Fog' on the website DoctorMyhill.co.uk. For me it is a direct link to hypothyroidism and if I didn't find that word or the phrase 'underactive thyroid' in the article I would've been undeniably shocked.
Luckily, then, it is mentioned.
According to the article a properly functioning brain needs the following:
- A good blood supply
- Enough blood going to it
- "Sufficient blood pressure"
- "Sufficient oxygen"
- A consistent sugar supply
View the Article (link at the bottom of this page) for more information on each of the above including how to treat a foggy brain.
Now, almost as often as I write a post on this blog or on 'Life With A Headless Metabolism' or even on Dear Thyroid I add in some kind of reference to 'Blur.' Blur, as I name him or her or it, is the irritating blurred vision which comes and goes as it pleases when I am tired but particularly when my thyroid is down - at such a time Blur is a regular visitor. Here comes the advice part:
To rid him or her or it one must shake their head or blink furiously; alternatively, if Blur is being a little more of a twat patience is the only option. Concentration, if you are reading at the time and particularly if you are in a rush or under a timed condition examination, is not to be expected. Likewise, if you are attempting to listen to someone's intelligent or interesting conversation during Blur's distracting visit then again I would highly advise delaying the interesting you-must-remember points with a relatively intelligent-slash-not really needed question. These are lifestyle tips, you'll realise - just ways of dealing with Blur.
Blur can, alongside blurred vision, which is a highly common hypothyroid symptom and is often listed on symptom checklists from website to website, also refer to brain fog where, to put it simply, you're brain is floating somewhere between Saturn and the snowstorm mountains of ski slopes - and yes, it does take millions of lightyears to get between them. Thus:
You cannot process a thing without repeating it a hundred times. Cannot read and respond to a simple sentence on a page without breaking it down bit by bit. You feel pretty dumb and you wonder what the hell everybody else thinks of you too. You can't remember something, not even from that morning, or of who you saw the day before - anyone would think you either weren't listening, weren't paying attention or just have seriously bad short term memory issues. Brain Fog. It's strong. It's irritating. It's a brain of absolutely nothing. You could flick it with your fingernails and all you'd hear would be the hollow sound of dead wood or the echo of a derelict cave.
The list of symptoms of brain fog on the article above contains everything I've just described as well as the following:
- difficulty finding the right word - TRUE!
- thinking one word but saying another - TRUE!
Now let me ask you, how many times when you've been really tired have you stumbled over your words and said to the person in front of you: "oo, I really can't speak today!" Most of us do it randomly anyway. But how much do you do it when you're tired? When you're hypo? If you're not just imagine it for a moment. How many times?
Alot. An awful lot.
That's brain fog.
Now, the article does mention under 'Treatment' that 'hormonal disturbances' i.e. hypothyroidism is one possible cause/treatment for brain fog. What I want to do is get this news out a little more. What I want to do is let people know that their complaints of poor concentration, poor memory and so on - potentially, dyslexia and dispraxia (yes, that is my opinion there) - could be due to hypothyroidism. That the amount of children in schools whose poor grades are finally being attributed to poor memory..and hopefully at some point the fact that the syllabus is far too memory-orientated, may in fact be due to developing hypothyroidism issues. It's the same with growth problems; socialisers who don't keep up with the modern 'law' (again, my strong opinion) on socialising; even obesity. Yes, all the so-called 'problems' we have today may be down to thyroids or to immune-system mistakes causing thyroid problems. Yes we need to ensure that amongst today's non-active busy lifestyle we are fit and healthy and totally not stressed but we also need to consider a little more the importance of certain hormones; of our metabolism in our day to day life.
Let it be known: the thyroid IS Small But Mighty
Read the article referenced here:
http://drmyhill.co.uk/wiki/Brain_fog_-_poor_memory,_difficulty_thinking_clearly_etc
