Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can have a big impact on your ability to think clearly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact, ADHD can sometimes make you feel as though a fog has seeped into your brain. Your reaction time slows. It can be harder to recall information, process your thoughts, and find the right words to say what you want to say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This article explains the relationship between ADHD and the condition known as brain fog. It describes which thinking abilities can be affected by ADHD and it discusses treatments that may help clear the fog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBrain fog\u201d isn\u2019t a scientific or medical term. Researchers sometimes refer to the experience as sluggish cognitive tempo \u2014 a temporary slowdown in your thinking abilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you\u2019re dealing with brain fog, you may have symptoms like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While fog in the natural environment can seem pleasant and relaxing, cognitive fog can be just the opposite. It can cause your productivity at school or work to drop. It can cause communication problems in your relationships. And it can quickly lead to frustration and anxiety \u2014 feelings some people with ADHD know very well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brain fog can happen for lots of reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Research has shown that aging, traumatic brain injuries, central nervous system injuries \u2014 even dehydration and standing up for too long \u2014 can bring it on. Health conditions such as lupus, celiac disease<\/a>, chronic fatigue syndrome, and COVID-19<\/a> can all cause temporary mental sluggishness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n People with ADHD sometimes experience brain fog, too. Here\u2019s what the research says about the connection between ADHD and that foggy feeling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ADHD is a difference in the way the brain develops during childhood. The condition sometimes lasts into adulthood, though the symptoms can differ as you get older.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Health experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)<\/a> say there are three main types of ADHD:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many of the symptoms of inattentive ADHD are the same as those you experience when you have brain fog. Forgetfulness, trouble concentrating, and difficulty following instructions are some examples of these shared symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n About 25 to 55 percent<\/a> of children with ADHD have sleep disturbances, and 43 percent<\/a> of adults with ADHD have trouble sleeping, too. ADHD can keep you from falling asleep quickly and also cause you to wake up throughout the night, affecting both the quality and quantity of your sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When your sleep is disrupted, you can\u2019t think as clearly as you can when you\u2019re rested. Studies<\/a> show that people with ADHD and sleep problems experience more:<\/p>\n\n\n\n ADHD and sleep disturbances have a complex relationship. ADHD makes it harder to get enough good sleep. And when you don\u2019t get enough rest, your ADHD symptoms can get worse. This pattern creates a cycle, so it\u2019s important to treat both conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some of the drugs used to treat ADHD symptoms can cause side effects<\/a> that feel like brain fog. These side effects can include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some ADHD medications can also lead to sleep problems. You may not sleep as long as you once did. And it may take longer for you to wake up fully in the morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re having side effects like these, you can talk with a healthcare professional about changing your dose or type of medication. They\u2019ll be able to work with you to find the right medication balance that works for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s important to talk with your doctor before you change your treatment because stopping some medications too quickly can have harmful effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Health experts<\/a> think that the term brain fog captures many of the symptoms people have when there is inflammation in the brain or nervous system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Inflammation also plays a role in the development of ADHD. For example, early exposure <\/a>to pollutants like cigarette smoke that cause inflammation can increase the risk of ADHD in young children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s also known that people with ADHD have an increased risk of having other inflammatory health conditions like asthma and eczema.<\/p>\n\n\n\n People with ADHD often have higher levels of cytokines<\/a> in their bodies. These proteins are part of the natural immune response, and a high cytokine count is a sign of inflammation. Researchers<\/a> have found that a jump in cytokines can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n More research needs to be done to understand exactly how ADHD, brain fog, and inflammation influence each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While there isn\u2019t a cure for ADHD itself, treatment can help clear up that foggy feeling. Here are some options to discuss with a healthcare professional:<\/p>\n\n\n\n For many children and adults, cognitive symptoms respond well to treatment. The first-line medication treatments for ADHD include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dehydration can worsen brain fog symptoms. In studies<\/a>, dehydration affected memory, attention span, fatigue, the ability to do \u201cmental\u201d work, and reaction time. When study participants drank plenty of water, these skills rebounded quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ll want to drink up during the morning and afternoon, though, so you don\u2019t have to wake up during the night to use the bathroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n People with ADHD need to take extra care to be sure they\u2019re well rested. Treating both ADHD and sleep problems<\/a> can give you better results than treating ADHD alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In one study<\/a> involving 244 children with ADHD, those who learned about good sleep habits had fewer ADHD symptoms and better daytime functioning than those who were treated for ADHD without addressing sleep problems. The benefits were still present a year later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can create better sleeping conditions<\/a> by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you think you may have a sleep disorder, talk with a healthcare professional about whether a sleep study<\/a> would help your condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Regular exercise improves thinking abilities in people with ADHD, studies<\/a> show. Activity boosts executive function, which is the set of skills that allow you to remember, plan, focus, and follow instructions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All forms of exercise are beneficial. Cardio exercise<\/a>, such as running, biking, or swimming, can help dispel ADHD brain fog in the short term, and it can have longer lasting cognitive effects. Exercise may be more effective for children than adults, according to some studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Brain fog is a popular term that refers to a sense of mental fatigue and a slowdown in your thinking abilities. People with brain fog have trouble remembering and processing information. They can also have slower reaction times and lapses of attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ADHD is one of several health conditions that can cause brain fog. Many ADHD symptoms mirror brain fog symptoms. Brain inflammation may be behind some of them. ADHD can also cause sleep disturbances that make brain fog worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Treatment with medication may improve some brain fog symptoms \u2014 but some medications may actually worsen mental fatigue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Talk with a healthcare professional about which medications might best treat your symptoms. Getting plenty of water, rest, and exercise can also help clear away mental fog.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can have a big impact on your ability to think clearly. In fact, ADHD can sometimes make you feel as though a fog has seeped […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7462,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,59,107,169,252,862,365],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7085","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adhd","category-brain-fog","category-cytokine-storm-covid-19","category-fatigure","category-inflammation","category-malaise-fatigue","category-neurologic-effects"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cov19longhaulfoundation.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7085","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cov19longhaulfoundation.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cov19longhaulfoundation.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cov19longhaulfoundation.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cov19longhaulfoundation.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7085"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cov19longhaulfoundation.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7085\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cov19longhaulfoundation.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7462"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cov19longhaulfoundation.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cov19longhaulfoundation.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cov19longhaulfoundation.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Overlapping symptoms<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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ADHD-related sleep problems<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Can ADHD medications cause brain fog?<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Neuroinflammation and brain fog<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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What to do about ADHD and brain fog<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Takeaway<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n