![\"The](\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2026\/03\/29\/21\/107505617-15688919-The_financial_adviser_managed_to_beat_the_issue_by_changing_her_-m-5_1774816770140.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
The financial adviser managed to beat the issue by changing her diet, getting more sleep and exercising every day<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
A recent landmark medical study of British adults found that about a third now regularly suffer from brain fog. Crucially, many of them have no underlying health problems that could be the cause of the cognitive issues.<\/p>\n
Now experts believe they know what is causing it as well as the steps patients can take to banish the problem in less than a month.<\/p>\n
The first step is to rule out any undiagnosed medical problems that could be causing the symptoms, says Dr Oliver Bernath, a consultant neurologist at Guy\u2019s and St Thomas\u2019 Hospital and the Reborne Longevity clinic.<\/p>\n
\u2018When GPs refer brain fog patients to my clinic, we always make sure diabetes and thyroid problems have been ruled out first,\u2019 he says.<\/p>\n
\u2018These are conditions that can be diagnosed with blood tests and treated with medication.\u2019<\/p>\n
Another condition that is strongly linked to brain fog is the menopause. Studies show that two-thirds of women suffering from the mid-life hormone changes will experience it.<\/p>\n
The good news is that prescription hormone replacement therapy, also known as HRT, can usually reduce brain fog.<\/p>\n
Long Covid can also trigger brain fog. Experts say this, in part, explains the rise in sufferers in the UK in recent years.<\/p>\n
There is no cure for the long-term after-effects of the virus, but evidence shows that gentle exercise may improve symptoms.<\/p>\n
However, there are also millions of UK patients who suffer from brain fog but have none of these underlying issues.<\/p>\n
According to a 2024 study of about 25,000 UK patients, those with no clear cause of brain fog tend to share the same characteristics: they are more likely to be women aged over 35 and less likely to sleep well or regularly exercise. But experts say the primary cause of brain fog is the amount of time we spend on our digital devices.<\/p>\n
\u2018We\u2019re all multi-tasking all the time \u2013 our brains were never designed for this,\u2019 says Dr Bernath. \u2018We are on our phones constantly, often while we\u2019re doing other tasks, like watching TV, shopping or working.<\/p>\n
\u2018Each time we turn our attention to something new, we get a dopamine rush [a feel-good chemical]. But, over time, this can tire out the brain.<\/p>\n
\u2018That\u2019s why I see so many women in their 40s with brain fog. They often have successful careers and a happy family, but as they get older all this multi-tasking begins to wear them out and they start to get cognitive issues.\u2019<\/p>\n
Avoiding screens before bedtime and going to bed and waking up at roughly the same time improves sleep quality and combats brain fog, says Dr Bernath.<\/p>\n
Regular exercise has the same effect, as well as taking up hobbies such as playing an instrument or learning a language, he adds.<\/p>\n
\u2018These are tasks that you have to give your full attention to,\u2019 he says. However, the most important factor in reducing brain fog is an active social life. \u2018All the research shows that people who regularly socialise have healthier brains.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u2018You don\u2019t need to do anything special. Simply sharing a meal with someone once a day can be enough,\u2019 Dr Bernath adds.<\/p>\n
For Sharan Kuar, from Wolverhampton, the answer was a combination of improved sleep, more exercise and better diet.<\/p>\n
\u2018One day I realised I needed to improve my lifestyle,\u2019 she says. \u2018Not just because of the brain fog, but also because of my overall health. I realised I wasn\u2019t taking good care of my body.<\/p>\n
\u2018My diet and sleep were terrible, and I barely exercised. So, last year, I changed my bedtime from 11pm to 9pm, cut down on unhealthy foods like sugary tea and cheese on toast, and began doing 15-minute home workouts five times a week before the kids were awake.<\/p>\n
\u2018Within a few weeks, I began to notice a real difference. I realised I was remembering dates and details from the books I was reading better. I didn\u2019t need to take a shopping list to the supermarket.<\/p>\n
\u2018When I had the brain fog, I felt unproductive and lethargic. Now I feel so much better \u2013 it\u2019s like I have the brain of a 20-year-old.\u2019<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sharan Kuar realised that her brain fog had become an inescapable problem when she began to forget what day of the week it was. A former high-flying banker, the mother-of-two previously felt as though she had boundless energy, allowing her to effortlessly juggle her career and home life. However, in 2020, during the first Covid<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7196,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[520],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-7195","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-hot"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7195","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7195"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7195\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7195"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7195"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"A](\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2026\/03\/29\/21\/107505615-15688919-A_former_high_flying_banker_Sharan_Kuar_first_began_to_notice_br-m-4_1774816754964.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n