This feeling of being spaced out, unclear, unfocused and mentally confused can make you question your sanity.
But don't feel alone.
This feeling of detachment and being stuck in your own head is a far too common occurrence among entrepreneurs.
I've been there. Sitting at my computer screen starring. Not reading, not listening, just starring. I was a product of my environment and debilitated by my own actions.
Brain fog is a understudied problem that will limit how you run your business. If a leaders brain can't function, how is the organization's brain supposed to? You are the thinking tank and the health of your brain is incredibly important.
Lets get deeper into what brain fog is and then come out with the best ways to avoid it.
What is brain fog?
Your brain takes up 20% of your energy [Tweet This]. Yes, that small, well in my case the large thing in between our ears takes up almost a quarter of your energy.
20%! Can you believe it?
What allows the brain to work properly is the amount of energy it receives. If this is blocked or impaired in any way, your brain will begin to slow down.
Think of a car that has a blocked gas line. The car will function for the first minute or so as it eats its energy supply (excess gas in tank). Once the energy is used up the car will begin to stall and break down.
Your brain isn't much different.
When your brain is blocked from its essential energy sources you begin to feel confused and have a lack of mental clarity.
Causes of brain fog
The causes of brain fog are too great to list here. I know that is disheartening but there's a universal standard when it comes to its causes. The most common causes of brain fog are nutritional and biochemical imbalances.
By understanding your habits you can best determine where to start and what to eliminate.
- Metal toxicity - Metal toxicity is prevalent in today's modern environment. From all the junk put in our drinking supply and the products used to grow our foods, metal toxicity is unavoidable without a nutritional rebalancing regiment. Things to look out for are plastic containers, conventional fruit, tap water, aluminum, cosmetics, and large farmed fish.
- Bowel toxicity - Poorly digested food rots in your bowels and creates a number of issues, brain fog being one of them. As the food ferments in your intestines it generates powerful toxins such as indols, skatols, and cadaverine. Once these are introduced into your system they poison your liver, cutting off energy supply to your brain.
- Gluten - This little monster has been a news superstar lately and for good reason. Gluten has the ability to change your cellular makeup of the small bowel, increasing permeability. This further leads to nutritional deficiencies in every organ of your body.
The entrepreneurs cure for brain fog
Almost every case of brain fog can be diagnosed and cured through nutritional and environmental changes.
Take notice of your surroundings. If the water you drink tastes weird, or the water bottle you drink out of has harmful chemicals change what you're doing. Be aware of your environment and you'll be able to stop the absorption of certain metals through small changes in your life.
Another cure for brain fog is by limiting the consumption of fruit and sugar. If you eat dinner (or any meal) and then fruit shortly after it'll sit on top of your dinner and begin to ferment. This leads to heartburn, IBS and brain fog. Limit your consumption of fruit until you self diagnose where your brain fog is coming from.
Dive into a gluten-free diet. For most people this is the best cure for brain fog. Even a small amount of gluten could be effecting your gut and enteric nervous system. Eliminate gluten, see how you feel, and continue to biohack yourself.
But there's one cure for brain fog that you most start today.
Consume Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT)
You need to start consuming more Medium Chain Triglycerides. MCTs supply the brain with a clean source of energy and is effective in treating and preventing neurodegenerative diseases. It is one of the best fuels for healthy brain function. MCTs are not processed in the body like long chain triglycerides. Normal fat is reliant on your gall bladders bile salts being released and broken down in the digestive system. The MCTs skip bile metabolism and are transported directly into your liver where they are converted into ketones. Your liver then shoots these ketones into your bloodstream where they end up in your brain as energy.
To get your fair dose of MCT oil start by consuming coconut oil. I'm sure you've heard this in the news lately but it's not just hype. People are beginning to understand the benefit of MCTs and how it's been neglected out of our modern diet. If you want to take it to the next level, consume straight MCT oil. This oil is extracted from palm and coconut oil and is 6 times stronger than coconut oil alone.
To give your brain a boost, consume a few servings of MCTs and gradually increase.
Brain fog is a disturbing debilitation of your mind. Why must we subject ourselves to poor thinking when we can make a few minor tweaks and become a superhuman entrepreneur?
Begin by recognizing what you consume during the day. Notice it and cut any traces of toxic metals, bowel toxicity and gluten. By eliminating these 3 things your brain fog should disappear. If not, further biohacking may be required.
It's your mind so take control.