Persistent Brain Fog

[shree]

I’ve been struggling with heavy brain fog ever since I took a very high dose of 5-MeO-MALT. While I’m not 100% sure it’s the cause, the issue seemed to start around that time. The fog begins about an hour after waking and fully sets in after two hours, leaving me feeling disconnected from my mind and body, and making it hard to enjoy everyday activities.

My situation:
- Diet: Mostly diverse, organic foods with low sugar
- Caffeine: About three times a week
- Exercise: Weight training three times a week
- Supplements: Taking brain detox supplements for several months, but unsure of their effectiveness
- Work: I work in shifts, which seems to worsen the brain fog

Things that have helped:
- Mindfulness meditation – Provides some relief, though it’s not a complete solution
- Short power naps – Significantly clear the fog, but naps mostly aren’t feasible due to my lifestyle

 

If anyone has had similar experiences with brain fog, psychedelics, or shift work, or any advice on managing this, I’d really appreciate your thoughts.

[Schizophonia]

Hi.

Anxiety and even chronic dysthymia are from far the main factors for brain fog.

Then some food can be strong trigger too like dairy products or some variety of legumes, because they are strongly allergenic and/or pass LPS in the blood.

Also lacking in certain nutrients, lacking in calories…

Edited September 10 by Schizophonia

[shree]

20 minutes ago, Schizophonia said:

Hi.

Anxiety and even chronic dysthymia are from far the main factors for brain fog.

Then some food can be strong trigger too like dairy products or some variety of legumes, because they are strongly allergenic and/or pass LPS in the blood.

Also lacking in certain nutrients, lacking in calories…

Thanks for the insight!

Anxiety and dysthymia definitely seem to be playing a role in my brain fog. I’m aware that I deal with both, but I’ve learned to manage them quite well and function at a high level despite the challenges.

That said, I know they can still amplify things like brain fog and low energy, especially during stressful times. As for the food triggers, I’ll try cutting out dairy and legumes for a week and see if it makes a difference. I already eat plenty and take supplements, so I don’t think it’s a calorie or nutrient issue, but I’ll keep an eye on everything.

 

Appreciate your input!

[Schizophonia]

1 hour ago, shree said:

Thanks for the insight!

Anxiety and dysthymia definitely seem to be playing a role in my brain fog. I’m aware that I deal with both, but I’ve learned to manage them quite well and function at a high level despite the challenges.

Given that this topic it's visibly not the case.

1 hour ago, shree said:

That said, I know they can still amplify things like brain fog and low energy, especially during stressful times. As for the food triggers, I’ll try cutting out dairy and legumes for a week and see if it makes a difference. I already eat plenty and take supplements, so I don’t think it’s a calorie or nutrient issue, but I’ll keep an eye on everything.

Drinking too much milk give me a brain fog, and beans are even worst.

There was a time when I ate a lot of red beans or chickpeas, and it made me really stupid and dissociated, plus gas.

The best diet for my well-being and especially my brain function is mainly meat or seafood, eggs, cheese, nuts, butter/olive and coconut oil, white rice/white pasta, well-cooked vegetables and fruits ; I think vegetable juices would be good too.

Afterwards i also consume ice cream coca cola etc lol, but it's okay.

Just mt 2cts.

1 hour ago, shree said:

Appreciate your input!

My pleasure. 🙂

Edited September 10 by Schizophonia

[Michael569]

@shree I recall you raised similar topic some time ago in relation to keto diet. Has it helped back then? I don't remember exactly the conversation we had but have you ever had any blood work done? 

Brain fog can come and go but if it is always persistent it might be tied to something else other than your diet. 

if it keeps coming back it might be worth speaking to a dietitian or someone with a bit more holistic thinking as there might be more to it than the few elements mentioned above. 

EDIT 

I went back into this post Persistent Fatigue - Health, Fitness, Nutrition, Supplements - Actualized.org Forum and I think back there you mentioned you were exhausted balancing a career, family , 2 kids and all of that. Has that situation improved? 

Do you get enough sleep these days? 

 

Edited September 10 by Michael569

[shree]

5 hours ago, Schizophonia said:

Given that this topic it's visibly not the case.

Nah, I wouldn’t dismiss this so quickly. I’ve had several bad trips recently that indicate there are a lot of underlying issues that need my attention, so it's good that you pointed me in that direction!

 

5 hours ago, Schizophonia said:

Drinking too much milk give me a brain fog, and beans are even worst.

I eat dairy products and legumes almost daily, so I will go one week without them and see if this condition improves.

[shree]

Hi @Michael569

 

I tried a food-induced keto diet, and although I entered ketosis, I felt terrible, likely because I didn’t do it properly.

Later, I did a 5-day water fast and felt great after entering ketosis, but neither provided lasting results.

If you have any recommendations for a dietitian who could address my specific problem, that would be very helpful!

[Schizophonia]

20 minutes ago, shree said:

Nah, I wouldn’t dismiss this so quickly. I’ve had several bad trips recently that indicate there are a lot of underlying issues that need my attention, so it's good that you pointed me in that direction!

You can explain your problems if you want.

21 minutes ago, shree said:

 

I eat dairy products and legumes almost daily, so I will go one week without them and see if this condition improves.

👍

10 minutes ago, shree said:

I tried a food-induced keto diet

Why if you don't mind ?

[Javfly33]

dairy products can definetely create lethargy 

 

 

[Princess Arabia]

Check the supplements you're taking. Check the ingredient list and do a research of the side effects of each. In the US the vitamin industry isn't fully regulated and a lot of the suppliments in pill form are garbage. 

[Ulax]

I'll toss another potential cause into the mix.

Could be a dissociative response to something that came up because of the psychedelics.

I'd be curious to see how doing some somatic meditations, i.e. body scan/ yoga nidra, work for you.

[shree]

14 hours ago, Schizophonia said:

Why if you don't mind ?

I have been captivated by the books of Mark Sisson and his performance in real life.

 

13 hours ago, Javfly33 said:

dairy products can definetely create lethargy 

 

 

Interesting! Thanks for sharing.

 

13 hours ago, Princess Arabia said:

Check the supplements you're taking. Check the ingredient list and do a research of the side effects of each. In the US the vitamin industry isn't fully regulated and a lot of the suppliments in pill form are garbage. 

German supplements are generally high quality due to strict EU regulations. While the US vitamin industry may be less regulated, I guess it's still important to check ingredients and research side effects for any supplement, no matter the country of origin. Thanks for pointing that out!

12 hours ago, Ulax said:

I'll toss another potential cause into the mix.

Could be a dissociative response to something that came up because of the psychedelics.

I'd be curious to see how doing some somatic meditations, i.e. body scan/ yoga nidra, work for you.

I believe it all started the day I plugged 70mg of 5-MeO-MALT. When it didn’t seem to work, I kept increasing the dose until I hit 70mg. I didn’t get the trip I was expecting, but ever since, the brain fog that followed has been unmatched 

 

I may experiment with some of the things you've mentioned and share my experiences here!°

Edited September 11 by shree

[manuel bon]

Lion's mane has made wonders for me. Usually I take that + Reishi

[shree]

20 hours ago, manuel bon said:

Lion's mane has made wonders for me. Usually I take that + Reishi

I take it every day, it doesn't seem to make any diffrence.

[manuel bon]

12 minutes ago, shree said:

I take it every day, it doesn't seem to make any diffrence.

Oh damn I'm sorry... To me it has worked a lot