Severe brain fog can have a tremendous impact on quality of lifeas much as pain or fatigue.
The effects of brain fog can be so significant that it can even be mistaken forADHDordementia.
Symptoms of fibro fog can vary from day to day, and not everyone has all of them.
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These deficits may play a role in many of the cognitive problems associated with these conditions.
Memory Problems
Memory problems are an extremely common issue in fibromyalgia and ME/CFS.
Working memory is the ability to process, manipulate, and use information in your short-term memory.
This involves your brain’s executive function.
So, executive dysfunction could help account for working memory problems, which have been noted in both conditions.
In people with otherchronic painconditions, the problem appeared to come from depression, not the pain.
However, in fibromyalgia, pain intensity appeared to make memory problems worse.
Similar findings were reported in a 2018 study.
Fibromyalgia symptoms like pain and fatigue can keep you from focusing on other things.
This may help explain:
Cognitive Inhibition
The filtering ability that’s involved in attention is called inhibition.
Deficits have been noted in both conditions.
One fibromyalgia study involved a simple mental task followed by a difficult mental task.
People with fibromyalgia were compared to healthy people in a control group.
At least two regionsthehippocampusand caudate nucleusshowed less activation than in the control group.
Researchers believe deficits in executive function are responsible for this inability.
However, their cognitive dysfunction symptoms appear to be somewhat different.
It relies on executive function and cognitive inhibition.
A Link to Learning Disorders?
So far, fibro fog and ME/CFS brain fog are not tied to known learning disorders.
Brain Fog Treatment
If you’re concerned about your mental abilities, talk to your healthcare provider.
you might have cognitive testing to:
Proper testing and treatment could help you function better.
Cognitive testing that shows deficits could help you get reasonable accommodation at work or strengthen a disability benefits claim.
For some people, fibro or ME/CFS brain fog resolves when pain or sleep problems are effectively treated.
These medications don’t help everyone with fibromyalgia and ME/CFS.
Be sure to tell your healthcare provider what treatments do and don’t work for you.
Common supplements for this include:
Talk to your healthcare provider before taking any supplements.
Exercise and Brain Fog
These conditions, especially ME/CFS, have a complex relationship with exercise.
It can both help and harm.
Some people simply didn’t respond to exercise.
Many others couldn’t or wouldn’t complete the program due topost-exertional malaise (PEM).
PEM is a defining symptom of ME/CFS.
It means that even mild exertion can lead to symptom flares that may last for days or weeks.
You should only attempt an exercise program with help from your healthcare provider.
Even then, it must be tailored to your fitness level and ability to tolerate exercise.
Some healthcare providers use cognitive training programs that may include software that you use at home.
Video game companies and websites offer games they claim can improve cognitive function, as well.
Specific games haven’t been evaluated for improving cognitive function.
However, some evidence does suggest that virtual reality games improve memory and critical thinking skills.
Symptoms include forgetfulness, confusion, directional disorientation, and word-recall problems.
Cognitive symptoms may be triggered by numerous physical abnormalities tied to these conditions.
Some of them are neuroinflammation, non-restorative sleep, post-exertional malaise, and comorbid depression.
A Word From Verywell
Cognitive dysfunction can be tough to live with.
Meanwhile, talk to the people in your life about your cognitive dysfunction and how it affects you.
They may be able to help with things that are difficult for you or just offer understanding.
Either of those can be a big help.
Yes, medication can relieve pain and improve focus in people with fibromyalgia brain fog.
More research is needed.
Even so, they may be connected.
Research shows people with fibromyalgia have an increased risk of dementia.
Published 2022 Feb 9. doi:10.1038/s41598-021-04764-w
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