What Is Brain Fog?
Brain fog is medically known as a “clouding of consciousness.”
It’s a condition where someone feels a sense of mental decline or an inability to think properly — like you feel “foggy” inside your head. Brain fog is so common that there’s only a very small fraction of people who have reported never feeling foggy in the head at some point in their lives.
But don’t be fooled. Just because it’s common, and just because it seems normal, doesn’t mean that it is. In fact, brain fog is NOT normal. It’s actually a sign that something is not running optimally in the brain or there’s a hormonal imbalance in the body. Which leads us to the next section…
Why Does Brain Fog Happen?
There are several different factors that can cause brain fog. Here are a few of them:
Stress: Chronic stress increases cortisol levels in men. When cortisol levels are high, this lowers testosterone levels. As a result, your body is in a state of hormonal imbalance which can cause brain fog. Also, stress causes general mental fatigue because when you’re stressed, your mind is constantly racing and your brain gets exhausted — kind of like it’s running a never-ending marathon. When your brain is exhausted, it becomes harder to think, reason, and focus.
Lack of Sleep: Sleep is your body’s time to reboot itself. It’s when most of your testosterone is produced. When your testosterone levels are healthy, your brain performance will be more dialed-in. Also, when you’re asleep, your cortisol levels lower, which allows you to decompress after a stressful day and recoup for the day ahead.
Missing Ingredients in Diet: Your diet plays a big role in brain fog. If you’re missing foods high in saturated fats and rich in micronutrients, your brain isn’t going to function as optimally as it could otherwise. Plus, there are some ingredients in nature that are proven to supply your brain with everything it needs to perform at a high level that you probably aren’t benefiting from yet. But the good news is, I’ve listed a few of them in this article for you. So check out the list below to find must-have natural ingredients that fix brain fog.
And make sure you read until the end because in the last section of this article, I’ll show you how to get all of these brain-boosting ingredients in just a few seconds each morning.
Natural Ingredients That Fix Brain Fog
Blueberry Anthocyanins:
The hippocampus section of the brain is the part responsible for spatial memory and navigation, and it also plays an important role in consolidating short-term and long-term memory.
A 2002 animal study from Kent State University demonstrated how diets with blueberry supplementation may improve hippocampal plasticity and cognitive behavior. The hippocampal plasticity allows the constant production of new cells; and therefore, the blueberries boost the generation of young and healthy brain cells to keep your mind sharp as ever at any age.
The flavonoids in blueberries have many properties that improve brain health and therefore boost concentration.
For example, a 2009 study showed how brain concentration improves five hours after eating blueberries. The subjects of the study were people between the ages of 18 to 30, and some were given a smoothie containing blueberries, and the others were given a smoothie without the fruit.
All the people who drank the smoothie with blueberries had a brain power increase of 15 to 20%. The researchers believe the reason is because of an increase in oxygen and the antioxidants benefits from the blueberries.
Beet Root Powder:
Your entire body needs optimal blood flow in order to perform at its best. Your brain is no different.
For example, a study from Shiga University of Medical Science found that increasing Nitric Oxide (like you do when you eat beetroot) increases blood flow to your brain. This blood flow transports oxygen and glucose, which your brain uses for energy. And the more energy your brain has, the better it functions.
Even better, it doesn’t matter how old you are in order for beetroot to improve cognitive performance. In one study, researchers from Wake Forest University tested the effects of beetroot juice on elderly subjects before exercise and found they had a greater connectivity in brain regions associated with motor function.
So if you find yourself suffering with “brain fog” in the afternoon, or having a hard time concentrating at work or making decisions, beetroot can be a big help for you.
L-Theanine + Caffeine:
L-Theanine has recently been found to powerfully help brain performance. But what makes it even better is that it improves the effects of caffeine (another brain boosting ingredient), so you don’t have to guzzle several cups of coffee to get caffeine benefits, like improved focus and performance.
Plus, you won’t have to worry about the side-effects of drinking TOO much caffeine — like the jitters or your heart racing or getting an upset stomach. And you won’t risk becoming “caffeine dependent.”
In other words, L-Theanine and caffeine work better together.
Caffeine is great for concentration, improving attention, and focus. The downside, though, is all the possible side effects I mentioned above.
L-Theanine is a relaxant that can reduce heart rate and blood pressure, promote alpha brain waves (associated with relaxation) and provide balance for the brain to avoid jitters. (study, study)
When you pair the two together, you get all the perks and none of the drawbacks of each ingredient.
Bacopa Monnieri:
Bacopa monnieri is a staple plant in traditional Ayurvedic medicine. It’s been used by Ayurvedic medical practitioners for centuries for a variety of purposes — but it’s main benefits have to do with your focus, clarity and overall cognitive performance. (study) (study)
A rat study from Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences found rats that were treated with larger doses of Bacopa Monnieri (40mg/kg and 80mg/kg) had a significant increase in spatial learning performance and memory retention than rats that were given only a 20mg/kg dose — showing the higher the dosage, and the longer one takes Bacopa Monnieri, the better. The same study from above also found that Bacopa Monnieri supplementation increased dendritic length and branching. Dendrites are parts of nerve cells in the brain that are closely linked to learning and memory.
Also, a 12-week study in 46 healthy adults observed that taking 300mg of Bacopa Monnieri every day improved the speed of processing visual information, accelerated learning rate, and boosted memory, when compared to the placebo group.
Another 12-week study, from Khon Kaen University, tested Bacopa Monnieri supplementation on 60 older adults and found that taking either 300 mg or 600 mg of Bacopa Monnieri extract daily improved memory, attention, and the ability to process information, when compared with the placebo group.
Ashwagandha:
Like we’ve covered, one of the most important parts of brain performance for men is hormone balance and testosterone health. And of all the herbs out there, ashwagandha could be the most efficient of them all for boosting testosterone, calming the mind and clearing away brain fog. The reason ashwagandha works so well is because it both boosts T and lowers cortisol levels.
This 8-week study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition tested 57 healthy men between the ages of 18 – 64. The men were given 650 mg of ashwagandha every day for 8 weeks. Researchers found a significant 18.7% increase in testosterone.
In this study, researchers gave healthy men 650 mg of Ashwagandha KSM-66 every day for 90 days. The men in the study experienced an average of a 17% increase in testosterone levels.
In multiple studies ashwagandha has also been proven to lower stress, and not just the feeling of stress or reported stress, but the cortisol levels that arise because of stress, which helps to improve focus and clear away brain fog. (study, study, study)
Now What?
Alright, so I know I just laid a ton of information on you, so let me give you a quick recap.
➤ Brain fog is a common condition that lots of men struggle with, but it is NOT normal just because it’s common. It’s the sign of either hormonal imbalance, too much stress, poor diet, or some function that’s generally declining in the brain.
➤ There are a bunch of natural ingredients you can consume that’ll regulate hormone imbalance if you get enough of them in their proven effective dosages into your diet.
So here’s what to do next. Tracking down all the ingredients I mentioned above and trying to get them into your diet at their proven dosages can cost a lot of time and a lot of money. But that’s why I’ve already done that for you with my Focus Stack.
The Focus Stack is a combination of my delicious and natural testosterone-boosting, stress-reducing greens supplement, Man Greens… paired with my new brain-boosting supplement Man Brain. It contains all the ingredients I mentioned above and more for optimizing testosterone and improving brain health.
I’ve combined these 2 supplements into the Focus Stack (you can check it out HERE) because the combination of ingredients in these two supplements work together to battle against all the causes of brain fog while boosting testosterone and giving you clear, precise and lasting focus and improved mental performance.
I personally take this stack every single morning to keep my mind sharp all day long and I recommend you do the same. It only takes a few seconds of your time to take both of these supplements.
Check out the Focus Stack by clicking here (For a huge $80 discount just because you’re reading this article).
You’ll be glad you did,
Chad
