We all have moments where it feels like our brains glitch a little bit. For instance, we’ve all lost our keys and forgotten an appointment or two. 

However, when this forgetfulness goes from an occasional slip-up to an everyday occurrence, you might need to get serious about fixing it. Read on to learn more about mental clarity and six ways you can improve it.

What Is Mental Clarity?

This might seem a little self-explanatory, but we’d like to make sure we’re all on the same page about what mental clarity is before we start discussing how to fix it. Essentially, mental clarity describes your brain’s ability to make memories, draw connections, create appropriate reactions, and produce thoughts.

When your mental clarity is down in the dumps, it affects your overall cognitive function. You might notice lower energy levels, chronic forgetfulness, slow thoughts, and even slower reaction times. This can be annoying at best, but at its worst, it can affect your professional and social lives.

What Causes Brain Fog?

We’ll get into some of the more common causes of chronic brain fog in a minute. Before we do, we wanted to discuss some of the less common factors that could be contributing to your daily scavenger hunts.

These include the following:

• Brain Health: Some brain health conditions like dementia or strokes can cause a chronic lack of mental clarity.
• Mental Health: Long-term depression, anxiety, and burnout can change the structure of your brain, causing forgetfulness.
• Illness: Being sick, even if it’s just with a cold or some allergies, can lower your energy levels and make you feel fuzzy.
• Medications: Some medications may have brain fog as an unintended side effect.
• Chronic Health Conditions: Chronic health conditions like lupus, irritable bowel syndrome, and diabetes can cause slow thinking.

Because a lack of mental clarity can be a symptom of some serious health conditions, it’s important to consult a healthcare provider to make sure your physical health is up to standard. Your doctor can also give you some medical advice about how to support your brain health and get your mental clarity back.

6 Ways To Support Mental Clarity

So, now that we’re on the same page, let’s dive in. Read on for the top 10 ways you can support clear thinking and a razor-sharp memory.

1. Minimize Stress

This should come as no surprise, but chronic stress can drastically affect your brain’s ability to function. Stress can cause inflammation in the brain, as well as throw the body into a chronic fight-or-flight state. We’d challenge anyone to stay focused on the present moment when their body thinks they’re being chased by a bear!

Because of this, minimizing stress is one of the best things you can do to support both mental clarity and your mental health. If you feel yourself getting overwhelmed, take a moment to practice deep breathing and calm your nervous system. Incorporate relaxing activities like reading, yoga, meditation, and walking into your daily self-care routine.

2. Prioritize High-Quality Sleep

Most of us probably know the feeling of waking up after a bad night’s sleep. It makes you feel groggy, clumsy, and slow. This isn’t just about a lack of sleep in general — it’s about a lack of quality sleep. Even if you get enough sleep, your body and brain could still be exhausted if you wake up a lot or toss and turn.

Experts recommend that adults get at least seven to nine hours of sleep a night. Prioritizing better sleep can both chase away your mental fog and support your immune system, along with other health benefits.

3. Try a Brain-Supporting Supplement

No supplement is a magic pill that will fix your brain fog. However, combining supplements that support brain health with the other lifestyle changes we’ve talked about can be a winning recipe for success.

Some popular brain supplements include the following:

• Vitamin B12
• Omega-3 fatty acids
• Choline
• Ashwagandha
• Magnesium
• CoQ10

If you don’t fancy the idea of swallowing pills every morning, our Mushroom Coffee+ might be what you’re looking for. This blend features three powerful brain-supporting supplements: L-theanine, lion’s mane mushroom, and coffee extract. In fact, our mushroom coffee was born out of our founder’s success in banishing his brain fog.

4. Minimize Screen Time

If your brain has ever felt like mush after a multi-hour scroll session, there’s a pretty good reason for it. Research shows that extensive screen time can slow down brain development, decrease focus, and cause trouble sleeping.

We know how tempting it can be to browse social media while you’re getting ready for bed, but it’s generally recommended to put screens away about an hour before bed. Practicing good sleep hygiene by silencing your notifications and turning off your screens can work wonders for your mental state and overall brain function.

5. Eat a Balanced Diet

Blood sugar fluctuations are one major cause of brain fog — just think about how you feel after eating a carb-heavy meal. Even if you don’t have diabetes, it’s still hard on the body to process all of those carbs at once.

Instead, make sure your plate contains balanced portions of carbs, protein, fiber, and healthy fats. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are especially important because they can increase brain function and overall well-being. 

6. Get Some Exercise

Physical activity does more than slim your figure — it can also boost your brain health by increasing blood flow to your brain cells. Plus, taking a quick jog can be a great way to de-stress and take a break from the demands of your daily life.

Experts recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week. The good news is that if you hate running, there are plenty of other options. You can try taking a pilates, spin, or dance class, or consider activities like hiking, sports, or swimming. Whatever form it takes, regular exercise is one of the keys to beating brain fog.

The Bottom Line

We’ve all had days of sluggishness after a night of poor sleep, but if your forgetfulness is affecting your everyday life, it’s time to make a change. There are a few ways you can support mental clarity, such as minimizing stress, eating a balanced diet, and getting good sleep every night.

That said, we’ve tried everything, and drinking our Mushroom Coffee+ is still our favorite way to support mental clarity. It’s not a coffee replacement — it’s a coffee upgrade. Check out our mushroom blends and try the benefits for yourself today!

Sources:

The Effect of Stress on the Brain and Ways to Manage it | Nuvance Health

How Sleep Works - How Much Sleep Is Enough? | NHLBI, NIH

Insomnia | Harvard Health

Brain health consequences of digital technology use | PMC

Carbohydrates and cognitive function | PubMed

Adult Activity: An Overview | Physical Activity Basics | CDC