Strategies to Reduce Brain Fog and Improve Clear Thinking • Hacker News Board

Re: Strategies to Reduce Brain Fog and Improve Clear Thinking

#41

Post by m463 » Sat, Feb 13, 2021, 11:10 PM UTC

franchommee wrote: post #29

TheAceOfHearts wrote: post #22

If you have persistent brain fog go get your full bloodwork done and check your hormone levels. If anything is off, discuss it with your doctor and get it to an appropriate level.

For me, it was gluten. Switched to a gluten-free diet and the mental dog went away

Now it could actually be gluten, but fewer simple processed carbs like bread (and pasta) helps.

With the pandemic I've had lots more dietary control and was more likely to notice what caused a certain effect.

I've given up sugar and it helps tremendously. It takes a while. Also getting enough good sleep.

Re: Strategies to Reduce Brain Fog and Improve Clear Thinking

#42

Post by tbalsam » Sat, Feb 13, 2021, 11:10 PM UTC

curation wrote: post #32

Brain fog is caused by passive acceptance of our interregnum.

How do we as a community feel about some of the tinfoil hatting going on in HN lately? I understand this is a watering hole for folks of all ideals and walks of life, but a comment on a fluff piece about physical symptoms being somehow linked to the more conspiratorial edge of the news cycle is much lower than I think we have been as a community.

I could be wrong, though, I'm absolutely open to hearing different thoughts and opinions across the spectrum (minus some of the the strange conspiracy stuff as of late -- I'd assert that it's always been a dull roar but definitely has popped up in more strength recently).

Re: Strategies to Reduce Brain Fog and Improve Clear Thinking

#43

Post by ourcat » Sat, Feb 13, 2021, 11:11 PM UTC

fao_ wrote: post #28

awiesenhofer wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why the paracetamol?

It could be due to inflammation

You should take Ibuprofen for inflammation. Paracetamol is 'just' an analgesic.

Re: Strategies to Reduce Brain Fog and Improve Clear Thinking

#44

Post by chiefalchemist » Sat, Feb 13, 2021, 11:12 PM UTC

Also add:

- Get enough quality sleep. The brain needs that down time.

- Exercise to the point you break a sweat as many days per week as possible.

- Mind your diet. Too much sugar and carbs do more harm than good.

Re: Strategies to Reduce Brain Fog and Improve Clear Thinking

#45

Post by felipemnoa » Sat, Feb 13, 2021, 11:14 PM UTC

ma2rten wrote: post #20

underwater wrote: post #12

Mental fog, for me, is a physical symptom of stress and exhaustion. It has nothing to do with having a clean workspace. This article reads like self-help fluff. The solutions I've found are get to enough sleep, try not to fill my day with mentally taxing work or meeting and, in a pinch, drink coffee or take paracetamol.

Mental fog, for me, is a physical symptom of stress and exhaustion. It has nothing to do with having a clean workspace. The first sentence of the article is "mess creates stress". I don't see a contradiction. It could be that article is wrong, but I have heard many people express that sentiment. If you have evidence that it's not true, I would like to see it.

>>"mess creates stress"

Everybody is different. Some people enjoy working in a messy room. I guess everybody is crazy in a different way.

Re: Strategies to Reduce Brain Fog and Improve Clear Thinking

#46

Post by ourcat » Sat, Feb 13, 2021, 11:14 PM UTC

tbalsam wrote: post #39

feanaro wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Paracetamol doesn't have a significant anti-inflammatory action.

This is literally the purpose of paracetamol. What do you feel it is for, if not as an anti-inflammatory aid? EDIT: Interesting discussion in child comments, certainly news to me!

True. An analgesic drug will help cope with the pain caused by inflammation, but an anti-inflammatory like Ibuprofen will reduce the cause of the pain.

Re: Strategies to Reduce Brain Fog and Improve Clear Thinking

#47

Post by tbalsam » Sat, Feb 13, 2021, 11:15 PM UTC

m463 wrote: post #41

franchommee wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For me, it was gluten. Switched to a gluten-free diet and the mental dog went away

Now it could actually be gluten, but fewer simple processed carbs like bread (and pasta) helps. With the pandemic I've had lots more dietary control and was more likely to notice what caused a certain effect. I've given up sugar and it helps tremendously. It takes a while. Also getting enough good sleep.

Gluten, dairy, and corn for me. Turned out to be MCAS. Supposedly more common than people would expect (and yes, it's an actual ICD-10 disorder), but a total bear to diagnose as it's a diagnosis of exclusion and that's very expensive and a lot of time.

I think a lot of people end up falling into the Candida/Naturopathic woo along the way due to the seemingly higher presence of provider empathy. Not that dysbiosis or supplements don't have a lot to do with helping some of the day to day, but it seems to be a downright strange obsession for some folks to the exclusion of actually treating the root of the symptoms (were it even possible, in some cases).

I think your smack dab on the sugar and refined carbs stuff too. That seems like it'd be good for everybody. I know I might be in a slim and tiny minority here, but I'm definitely in favor of a sugar tax on foods with added sugars/raw sugar/sugary substitutes that are sugar under a different name (fructose, dextrose, etc...) by itself...

Re: Strategies to Reduce Brain Fog and Improve Clear Thinking

#48

Post by tbalsam » Sat, Feb 13, 2021, 11:16 PM UTC

vga805 wrote: post #31

pyrophane wrote: post #27

Thrive Global is Ariana Huffington's vehicle to repackage the last several years of self-care fads and sell them to corporations under the guise of improving employee productivity. It doesn't have anything of value to add to the conversation, as this article makes clear.

Would you like to actually engage with the content of the article? Edit: my snark was unwarranted, as commenters helped me realize. Apologies.

He is.

Re: Strategies to Reduce Brain Fog and Improve Clear Thinking

#49

Post by chiefalchemist » Sat, Feb 13, 2021, 11:16 PM UTC

pyrophane wrote: post #27

Thrive Global is Ariana Huffington's vehicle to repackage the last several years of self-care fads and sell them to corporations under the guise of improving employee productivity. It doesn't have anything of value to add to the conversation, as this article makes clear.

Yes and no.

While it's true there's not much new, for better or worse she has "juice" with her C Level peers. Would I prefer someone else? Probably. But all in all Thrive - for now - is better than nothing at all.

Re: Strategies to Reduce Brain Fog and Improve Clear Thinking

#50

Post by redis_mlc » Sat, Feb 13, 2021, 11:17 PM UTC

tbalsam wrote: post #42

curation wrote: post #32

Brain fog is caused by passive acceptance of our interregnum.

How do we as a community feel about some of the tinfoil hatting going on in HN lately? I understand this is a watering hole for folks of all ideals and walks of life, but a comment on a fluff piece about physical symptoms being somehow linked to the more conspiratorial edge of the news cycle is much lower than I think we have been as a community. I could be wrong, though, I'm absolutely open to hearing different thou…

Society is a conpiracy, by definition, regardless of century.

The rest of the world is laughing at the US 2020 election results.

They see a sitting President who can draw 500,000 supporters per rally, and in comparison a senile candidate hiding in his basement who can't draw 15 to a rally, and just laugh.

And well they should.