Brain fog help

[Sybilla14]

As a thread was stated by Helvella earlier about a survey related to ‘foggy brain’, understood to refer to ‘brain fog’ it prompted me to make this post.

I’ve had amazing improvements to my brain fog and memory issues since implementing intermittent fasting. There are lots of videos on YouTube by knowledgable doctors like J Fung or M Pelz, who explain the mechanics of regular fasting. Think one of the main benefits is the reduction of insulin levels and the brain switching to using ketones instead of glucose. I’d recommend trying to incorporate fasting into your everyday life as it seems to be doing wonders for clearing my fog.

[Lalatoot]

Readers must also be aware that we need calories to convert T4 into T3.

[Sybilla14 in reply to Lalatoot]

Yes intermittent fasting is not a ‘diet’ just a shorter window of when you eat.

[fuchsia-pink in reply to Sybilla14]

I've been doing IF for a couple of years - I like it and won't change - but it has zero impact on brain fog for me ... as per my reply to helvella on brain fog , mine is directly and strongly correlated to free T3. I know this for sure because I was taken off lio for a miserable 2 weeks early this year - and back came the fog; once back on lio I felt normal again ...

[Sybilla14 in reply to fuchsia-pink]

Guess brain fog may have different causes, sometimes more than one in the same person? I agree on t3, adding lio was the only thing that improved my slow brain albeit some residual fog remains...

PS I’m also enjoying IF a lot, 16:8 is very natural and without much effort for me. It also helps with the bloating symptoms, I’ve noticed.

[helvella Administrator]

It is helpful when people tell us what helped them. Thank you.

[SlowDragon Ambassador in reply to helvella]

Going strictly gluten free ....wasn’t an immediate benefit...but slow improvements over 6-12 months ....ongoing ever since

[Sybilla14 in reply to SlowDragon]

I’ve been strictly gf for about 6 years and it didn’t do much for the fog😕Guess we are all different!

[greygoose]

I don't call it intermittant fasting, it's just the way I live - and have lived since I retired ten years ago. And, it has done absolutely zero, nada, zilch for my well-being. I haven't lost any weight, my brainfog is only there when FT3 is low (know that for a fact due to a recent incident!). Same goes for all my other symptoms. So, I don't know... Perhaps because I didn't expect it to do anything, it just suits my way of life.

[jamjar67]

I am just starting a trial of T3 so am praying it improves my brain fog 🤞

I have been gf since Oct 18 and feel no real benefit but don’t want to change anything as I’m trying to see what makes a difference.

I tried intermittent fasting when my HbA1c came back a little high - I do feel there is a sugar connection to well-being and have cut down drastically, I now naturally have a 16hr break between last and 1st meal several times a week however it certainly hasn’t resolved my brain fog

If T3 fixes the unsteady boat like feeling in my head and my brain fog I will consider it a miracle at this stage 🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞

[Murphysmum]

I swear by IF, I did it several times before my thyroid issues.

However, I tried it fir the first time again about three weeks ago and my thyroid levels plummeted. One week, two fasting days and a huge reduction in levels.

I’m gutted I can’t implement this anymore as it worked really well for me and I believe the all round health benefits of it, but it seems it’s a no-no for me now.

A warning to others to be careful too

[fuchsia-pink in reply to Murphysmum]

HI there

Fasting 2 ways a week isn't the same as IF - with IF you eat all your calories (every day) in a time-restricted window, in my case between midday and 7pm. So it's pretty easy to get used to if it suits you and doesn't have that big drop in calories that the FAST thing does which doesn't necessarily suit us hypos.

I'm aware that lots of people have lost weight on IF: I haven't but weight is stable, which is half the battle x

[Murphysmum in reply to fuchsia-pink]

Well yes, sorry I guess I should’ve made that clear.

I’m now going to try 16:8 but my awaiting bloods as something isn’t quite right. Hopefully just not back up to optimal after the dip.

Still gutted I can’t 5:2, I loved it it was so effective and sustainable. No fair!

[Sybilla14 in reply to Murphysmum]

Is it possible that you may be hypoglycaemic? You’d probably need to balance you sugar levels first to prevent these sugar spikes during IF.

[Murphysmum in reply to Sybilla14]

I don’t think so and the reason I say that is I find the fasting easy. I don’t get headaches or shaky as you might expect with low blood sugar.

I’ve always kept a bit of an eye on these things as my dad was type 1 diabetic (so I thank him for my autoimmune status 🙄!)

I have definitely become more inclined to turn to sugary snacks since my thyroid issues but it’s something I can turn off again very quickly with either fasting or sheer bloody will power when I try 😂

[endomad]

I have a friend who fasts alternate days 24 hours and then a 15 day water fast every 3 months, I'm in awe, I would eat my own leg by day 2. I do 16:8 but just because iv always eaten that way, I get stuck into work early and by 12-2pm I feel really hungry, however if I don't eat by then I get a weird hyper feeling, really wired then I can't face eating so have a smoothie, it is not a nice feeling, I get anxious and affects my sleep.

[asidist]

Hi Sybilla14, I think IF also just allows for a state in which the body’s energy is not going towards digestion and is more available for intellectual tasks, at least that’s how I’ve always thought of it - maybe that’s the same as what you’ve described? I know that’s something that is definitely widely experienced based.

Glad you feel such a profound impact! For me, I feel a little sharper before I eat in the mornings (I do IF inadvertently all the time!) but nothing near the level of sharpness I had prior to thyroid-related cognitive difficulties. I personally don’t know yet if I feel overall better with regular fasting or not - I feel like if I can get regular sleep that has much more of an impact, though that is more difficult to control. Ultimately though I’m hoping that proper T3 levels will get my brain closer to its potential, including allowing for motives sleep. Ive come across a number of research articles which suggest that low T3 levels are a root cause of cognitive difficulties in people with Hashi’s/hypothyroidism.

Could you please link the thread started by Helvella about brain fog? Not on here as regularly as I’d like to be and must have missed it. Thanks so much