4 Cures For Brain Fog

Today multiple messages hit my inbox asking a similar question…how do you cure crippling depression and brain fog?

Now look, I’m not making any promises but if you can’t seem to get out of a massive depressive episode, or you experience mind numbing brain fog, consider optimizing the following…

1. SLEEP

I know, BORING tip! Sleeping on the surface sounds like an obvious solution but most people don’t understand sleeping at all. There’s a reason people who sleep 8 – 10 hours a day are still low energy and lethargic. You might think you’re getting enough sleep but are you getting deep sleep? Are you getting a fully restorative sleep? Do you stare at your phone or watch Netflix until you doze off? Are you having a couple drinks before bed? Are you taking a sedative? Are you drinking coffee too late in the day? All these bad habits prevent you from experiencing QUALITY sleep – and quality is the keyword. Without quality sleep brain chemicals like GABA, Dopamine, and Serotonin are going to be all whacked out.

And when you have whacked out brain chemicals?

Depression….ACTIVATED

Anxiety….ACTIVATED

Brain Fog…ACTIVATED

A hangover can last days because the alcohol interfered with your sleep. One study showed going a day without sleep effects the brain in a similar manner to being drunk. Sleep is absolutely CRUCIAL to a fully functional brain. A brain not stifled by anxiety and worry. A brain fully activated and ready to process and absorb information rapidly.

I often recommend Modafinil for Depression because it has the ability to lift brain fog and boost mood almost instantly. It’s still one of the best Nootropics on those days where you MUST power through…but I have to say I’m taking stimulants less and less because they prevent deep sleep. One drop dead EASY thing you can do to improve sleep is cut out all electronics before bed and get on a regular sleep schedule. Go to bed and wake up at the same time everyday. This will train your body to enter in to its own natural circadian rhythm and you’ll get deep restorative sleep every night. Now during the day you’ll actually feel refreshed and charged.

2. INFLAMMATION

So much CRAP we put into our bodies. Perhaps you’ve heard the gut is the second brain. And it’s true! Science is revealing the gut is responsible for making many of the neurotransmitters in the brain. It’s no wonder one of the main side effects of Serotonin modulating anti depressants is stomach aches. Over 90% of your Serotonin is made in the gut. The problem is the gut is so inflamed and it’s effecting how you feel. Sugar, Bread, Vegetable Oils, Processed Foods, and Alcohol are all extremely inflammatory to the gut. Cut this junk out of your life and experience true mental clarity and brain function.

Seeing the eating habits of myself and the people around me I’ve noticed nothing short of pure addiction. When I walk into the store I see a giant drug factory filled with inflammation producing products. You will notice many of these inflammatory foods are also the most addictive…

The Reeses Pieces (I just watched my Dad go through a whole bag of these during a movie.) The cakes, the breads, the wine, the craft beer, the Snickers bars, the vegetable oils and margarine, the sodas….cut them out they are killing you!!

Cutting out inflammatory foods automatically means you’ll be losing weight simultaneously (if that’s something you want to do.) It’s very hard to gain weight on vegetables and lean meats.

…And I’ve actually noticed I feel better if I don’t eat at all. Digestion takes a massive amount of energy especially if you’re loading up on these inflammatory foods I’m talking about.

Want instant brain fog and depression?

Wake up and eat a whole stack of pancakes with maple syrup. Or how about some Captain Crunch? Pop Tarts? Cut them out!

It’s like the old golden rule that says “If you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say it at all.”

My new rule with food is “If you aren’t going to put anything good into the body eat nothing at all.”

3.) Nootropics

If you can optimize your sleep and inflammation you’re going to notice massive results to brain function and see marked improvements to brain fog and depression. At this point you can bring in Nootropics to feel even better.

Clearly I’m a fan of the following:

• Modafinil – The King of Kings. Wakes you up and keeps you up. Alleviates Depression and brain fog. Keep in mind though this is something that must be used sparingly. It has the potential to interrupt deep sleep and completely drain your mental clarity the next day. One hack I’ve found for getting around this is taking HALF a pill of Modalert 200 or even less. I’ve discovered 200mg is way too high of dose for the average person. Take as early as possible. Never take consecutive days in a row.
• Phenylpiracetam – My favorite racetam next to Piracetam. Learning and engaging with mental tasks becomes effortless. Powerful boosts to mood and feeling good.
• L-Tyrosine – A staple nootropic. You can easily pick this up at your local Walgreens or Vitamin Shoppe. Provides a nice boost in Dopamine, potent mental energizer.
• Coffee – With optimized sleep you will not need coffee or caffeine. Once you cut the caffeine for a period of time and then reintroduce it, you’re going to feel insane levels of energy. Use sparingly.
• L-Theanine – Helps tone down the potential anxiety response from using any of the above. Highly recommended staple and stacks well with nearly all Nootropics. Definitely helps with sleep.

4.) Sleep Stack

The following is my favorite stack for sleep.

• Lemon Balm Tincture – The best herb for sleep. Powerful natural sedative.
• Ashwagandha tincture – Reduces cortisol and sedates the mind. Primes the body for deep sleep.
• Magnesium – Natures calming mineral. Most are deficient.

That is all for now. If you actually read all of this I salute you. Implement these tips into your life and I have no doubt the tides of Depression will ease up significantly.

Until next time.