Brain Fog: Causes, Diagnosis, Symptoms, and Ways to Relieve It

Q: Does Anxiety Cause Brain Fog?

Anxiety and depression often co-occur with brain fog because an overactive limbic system perpetuates cycles of rumination and hyperarousal, even when external stressors are no longer present.

Q: Is Brain Fog a Symptom of Depression?

Depression is an unfortunately common condition, affecting over 9% of the American population alone[4]. Brain fog is something that many people encounter when dealing with depression, and these two conditions can feed off one another and create a vicious cycle of maladaptive cognitive function. Depression can make it difficult to sleep or eat well, and both of these things can worsen brain fog.

Q: What is COVID brain fog?

Many people who experience long-haul COVID report brain fog as one of their primary symptoms, along with fatigue and flu-like symptoms. This is not dissimilar to what many people have experienced with other types of Post Viral Infection Syndromes and even Lyme disease.

Q: How long does COVID brain fog last?

The length of COVID-related brain fog will vary from person to person and depends highly on a person’s lifestyle and treatment regimen. Those who rest and engage in some form of a neuroplasticity program such as re-origin, have reported overcoming covid brain fog in as little as a few weeks. For others, the symptoms can last for 6 months or more.

Written by Shannon

Published on Dec 06, 2023

Updated on Feb 11, 2026

Overcome brain fog: Brain fog, a symptom of reduced mental clarity, can significantly impact daily functioning. It often stems from an overactive limbic system, which affects both focus and emotional regulation. In this article, we explore its causes, emotional and cognitive effects, and ways to retrain your brain using neuroplasticity to restore clarity.

What is Brain Fog?

Brain fog manifests as cognitive and emotional disruption, including difficulty concentrating and rumination. It often signals deeper systemic or neurological stress, not just temporary mental sluggishness.

Often, brain fog is linked to a hyperactive limbic system, which keeps the brain in a state of prolonged alert. This can intensify cognitive and emotional symptoms, making it difficult to recognize or address the underlying cause.

Symptoms of Brain Fog

Common symptoms of brain fog include difficulty focusing, memory lapses, mental fatigue, and rumination. Some individuals may also experience headaches or generalized malaise.

It can also feel like anxiety or depression and mascarade as a mental health issue. And while mental health may play a role, the known causes of brain fog seem to be more neurophysiological than psychological.

Some people might experience all these symptoms to varying degrees, while some may only experience one or two of them. You can see how these symptoms tied to brain fog can worsen the larger concerns that are at play, which is exactly why it’s so vital to get to the source of the problem.

Causes and Risk Factors of Brain Fog

When it comes to brain fog, a number of different things can provoke or intensify it.

Causes or risk factors include abrupt lifestyle changes, hormonal fluctuations, chronic infections, chemical sensitivities, sleep disruptions, nutrient deficiencies, chronic stress and inflammation, autoimmune dysfunction, and neurological or traumatic events.

A person’s environment also plays an important role. This study shows that people in urban environments may be subject to higher cognitive loads than those who have regular access to nature and natural environments.

Although certainly not the only cause and more research needs to be conducted in order to understand the mechanisms of causation, brain fog often accompanies neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis.

Brain Fog & Limbic System Dysfunction

Brain fog often stems from limbic system hyperactivation, where the brain remains on high alert after stressful events. This persistent state can contribute to rumination, mental fatigue, and cognitive impairment.

Learn more: Overcoming Limbic System Dysfunction Through Neuroplasticity

How to Get Rid of Brain Fog

Taking the steps to finally gain some relief from the brain fog you’re experiencing can feel daunting, but it is important that you know that it’s entirely possible to overcome this condition and gain back the feeling of mental clarity and control. Since we know that brain fog is a symptom of something larger at play, the most effective way to bring brain fog to an end is to work on the core problem, and not mask it with other methods. Most of the ailments that are associated with brain fog can be linked back to an overworked limbic system, and fortunately this can be repaired through applying neuroplasticity.

Neuroplasticity allows the brain to form new neural pathways, helping to reduce limbic system overactivity. Programs like re-origin® focus on retraining these pathways to improve focus, reduce rumination, and restore cognitive clarity.

Overcome Brain Fog with Brain Retraining

If you have never dealt with brain fog yourself, it is easy to see how it can affect an individual’s life and serve as a catalyst for other issues in the body. Fixing brain fog at the source is the most effective way to experience long-term results, and we’re firm believers that brain fog can many times be traced back to an overworked limbic system. The neuroplasticity training that we offer at re-origin® can be used to calm the limbic system, resulting in a nervous system that is not constantly in fight-or-flight mode.

Along with the brain training guidance and services you’ll find at re-origin®, we also provide an abundance of other resources to our members, such as group coaching calls, Q&A sessions, and community discussions to help you stay on track and get your health back to an optimal place. Everyone deserves to feel their absolute best all the time, and we hope to help as many people as possible achieve this very possible goal.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Does Anxiety Cause Brain Fog?

Anxiety and depression often co-occur with brain fog because an overactive limbic system perpetuates cycles of rumination and hyperarousal, even when external stressors are no longer present.

Is Brain Fog a Symptom of Depression?

Depression is an unfortunately common condition, affecting over 9% of the American population alone^[4]. Brain fog is something that many people encounter when dealing with depression, and these two conditions can feed off one another and create a vicious cycle of maladaptive cognitive function. Depression can make it difficult to sleep or eat well, and both of these things can worsen brain fog.

Is Brain Fog a Symptom of COVID?

COVID-19 has affected millions of people around the world over the last couple of years, and we’re still finding out the different ways it might impact people after they’ve recovered from the virus itself. Brain fog has certainly been a predominant side effect of covid, with an estimated 20 to 30 percent of people having experienced some form of brain fog after having it^[2]. A recent study showed that a fair amount of people that had covid experienced brain fog afterward, especially when it came to retaining new information and recalling memories^[3]. While brain fog does happen to onset after covid in many cases, it is really a common symptom of any post-viral fatigue that occurs.

What Does Brain Fog Feel Like?

With any symptom or condition, each person affected might have a different experience or encounter varying degrees of severity. In general, though, brain fog tends to create an overall sense of feeling “out of it”, sluggishness, and confusion.

What is COVID brain fog?

Many people who experience long-haul COVID report brain fog as one of their primary symptoms, along with fatigue and flu-like symptoms. This is not dissimilar to what many people have experienced with other types of Post Viral Infection Syndromes and even Lyme disease.

How long does COVID brain fog last?

The length of COVID-related brain fog will vary from person to person and depends highly on a person’s lifestyle and treatment regimen. Those who rest and engage in some form of a neuroplasticity program such as re-origin, have reported overcoming covid brain fog in as little as a few weeks. For others, the symptoms can last for 6 months or more.

What are the long-term effects of COVID brain fog?

While there is not enough data to make conclusions about the long term effects of COVID brain fog, by likening it to the same type of brain fog that often accompanies other forms of post-viral fatigue, and considering that the brain can be retrained through self-directed neuroplasticity, there is much reason to believe that the effects of brain fog related to Long-COVID can eventually be reversed.

Chronic Illness Recovery