How I overcame Brain Fog, poor concentration, and memory with Fibromyalgia🙂

How I overcame Brain Fog, poor concentration, and memory in Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue

At school I would write every detail down so when an exam was coming, I could go over it about 3 times to let it sink in. Some of my classmates could remember things without any revision. I wondered why it was so different for me.

Concentrating on things for a long time stretched my endurance. If there was too much to think about all at once, I got stressed easily.

I would avoid situations where I had to remember people’s names. Faces and people’s stories were no problem. It was embarrassing if I had to introduce one person to another. I just had to let them introduce themselves.

Thinking clearly took a lot of concentration. I had to take things step by step. I needed clear instructions. Because of that, I would always give very detailed instructions, some people loved this and others found it frustrating and got confused with all the detail. If I could not understand one part of someone’s instruction, I got fixated on that and couldn’t move forward I understood what they meant. So, I found myself asking questions in the middle of people talking to me which annoyed them but if I didn’t, I could not take in anything more they said.

Making big decisions quickly, forget it. I am a lot better with this now, it used to take me days to decide and then never make a decision but I recognize I do need to stop, calm any stress reaction and sometimes take some time to make the decision.

It all started after hitting my head, causing whiplash as a child. Apparently, this happened a few times. Then as a teenager falling off horses made it worse.

These days because I do things that are in my Aches Away & Energize Health Program daily that help keep me out of stress mode and ensure I get enough oxygen into my brain, I function so much better, with no symptoms. I can keep gently pushing the boundaries to do new things without getting stressed out.

That makes everyone around me happier as well as myself.

I found out a few reasons why whiplash had such an effect on me:

1. Neck or posture problems

When your neck muscles are too tight or the vertebrae are not sitting quite right, they let less blood (carrying nutrients and oxygen that your brain cells need) up your neck into your brain. It also decreases blood and lymph flow out of your head causing pressure headaches, some ear and balance problems, and brain fog.

2. Stress

When you are stressed, you breathe shallowly. This means less oxygen gets into your blood that goes to your brain. If you have long-term stress, you have prolonged decreased oxygen intake.

3. Compromised Circle of Willis

One theory I agree with: Put one or both of those things with a compromised Circle of Willis (blood vessels that take the blood from the front of the brain to the back) you get less oxygen into the back of the brain so can get Brain Fog, poor concentration, and poor memory (along with the kind of other symptoms found in Fibromyalgia and some fatigue).

When I improved the oxygen to my brain these things greatly improved and pretty much disappeared.  I have no symptoms now. 

Here's what you can do:

1. Keep oxygen flowing to the brain.

Deep breathing, get up from sitting, go outside in nature, open windows. I do a breathing and gentle movement technique that pumps blood up to my brain and lymph and blood out.  I teach others this in the Program.

2. Keep your neck straight

Keep good posture, don’t keep prodding at it if it is tight or sore, this can cause inflammation. Don’t look down for long periods, eg cellphone, laptop, or up at TV on wall. Use a cream without rubbing hard. I also learned a technique to release my neck muscles gently using nerve reflex and it lasts for a long time.  I help others do this online, in the Program.

3. Keep stress levels down.

Try to be organized and make sure things are in place to avoid getting stress out. Prepare well in advance for things instead of leaving them to the last minute. Leaving things to the last minute can run the risk of flipping you into what feels like a mind block.

The self help breathing (not just deep breathing) and gentle movement technique I teach in the Program can help keep your stress levels down, keeping you in a relaxed state.

If you are out and about you could try 3 deep breaths when you are stressed which can help switch you temporarily from stress mode to a more relaxed state. Trying to take stressful situations out of your life. Being organized, writing lists, schedules. Meditate, journaling.

I hope this helps. 

I’m off to mow the lawns in the orchard on the tractor on our Lifestyle block (also known as a Life Sentence Block). Hope you get to go out in nature today and breathe deep!

Join my Aches Away & Energize facebook group for Fibromyalgia and fatigue for lots more free tips and information so you can reduce your pain and wake up feeling energized so you can enjoy your life again.

We would love to have you join us: https://www.facebook.com/groups/suzannechappell