How to get rid of brain fog?

september

How do you get rid of the feeling that your brain is just filled with gauze?

Every time I try and do a preptest, I feel like my brain is fogged up. It goes away eventually, but comes back again irregularly throughout the process. How do I keep my mind completely sharp and clear throughout the test?

JustDoIt

This sounds a little like burnout to me. Usually when I'm burnt out, I get a similar feeling where I just can't figure things out.

How do you fix it? Netflix. Hang out friends and family. Play video games. Exercise. Don't do any LSAT for 2+ days! Not even thinking about it.

Hope this helps!

jknauf

Indulge habits which boost concentration. Meditation, exercise, healthy eating, et cetera.

Abstain from things which are cognitively detrimental. Alcohol, junk food, long periods of isolation, et cetera.

If brain fog hits mid test, stop and take a breather to clear your mind.

Sprinkles

@jknauf said:
Indulge habits which boost concentration. Meditation, exercise, healthy eating, et cetera.

Abstain from things which are cognitively detrimental. Alcohol, junk food, long periods of isolation, et cetera.

If brain fog hits mid test, stop and take a breather to clear your mind.

Add yoga instructor to the list?

Alex

Making sure I get enough sleep, eat well, and exercise.

Jknauf makes a good point about avoiding long periods of isolation. I find that is one thing that makes my brain mushy after a while.

nessa.k13.0

Warming up with a game before usually helps me get in the zone and jolt me out of whatever mental space I was in before. On test day I plan to get to the test site early and do a couple games in my car so I don't warm up on the real deal.

sarahmelton6

Do you have allergies? I take an allergy medication when I feel brain fog and sinus pressure.

september

Thank you for your input, everyone! I will most likely try meditation and warming up!

I don't have allergies and I am probably not going to try drugs.

I also took a break a few days ago, I will think about doing it again.

imharris

@ifty2nd lack of sleep causes severe brain fog for me. recent studies have shown that prolonged periods of less than adequate sleep can cause serious consequences on cognitive abilities.

from a recent 3 year study of doctors and nurses:
"For example, after less than two weeks with only 6 hours time in bed per night, performance levels are equivalent to those observed after 24 hours of acute sleep deprivation, and after one week of only 4 hours in bed per night, performance is equivalent to that following 48 hours without sleep."

http://media.npr.org/assets/news/2016/04/sleep.pdf

so make sure you're getting enough rest! i had to train myself that staying up later to do more studying was actually inhibiting my performance.

september

@imharris

I am having trouble sleeping, not because of staying up late, but just because sleep won't come to me. This could be a contributing factor, thanks for pointing it out!

jknauf

@Sprinkles said:

@jknauf said:
Indulge habits which boost concentration. Meditation, exercise, healthy eating, et cetera.

Abstain from things which are cognitively detrimental. Alcohol, junk food, long periods of isolation, et cetera.

If brain fog hits mid test, stop and take a breather to clear your mind.

Add yoga instructor to the list?

If the punch emoji worked on here, now would be the appropriate time.

imharris

@ifty2nd insomnia has been a lifelong friend of mine. it took me years to develop a routine that keeps it at bay. some typical tricks:
don't eat right before bed, especially junk food.
go to bed even if you're not tired yet and leave the screens out of reach.
i typically read a book till i fall asleep, but i've also found that podcasts are helpful. the trick with the podcasts: they can't be too interesting. baseball analytics work better than ambien for me.

if you wake up in the middle of the night, then do not try to go back to sleep. this might sound counterintuitive, but the stress of trying to fall back asleep will keep you up. instead try staying in bed reading a book or listening to a podcast.

good luck!

kombucha

@imharris said:
@ifty2nd insomnia has been a lifelong friend of mine. it took me years to develop a routine that keeps it at bay. some typical tricks:
don't eat right before bed, especially junk food.
go to bed even if you're not tired yet and leave the screens out of reach.
i typically read a book till i fall asleep, but i've also found that podcasts are helpful. the trick with the podcasts: they can't be too interesting. baseball analytics work better than ambien for me.

if you wake up in the middle of the night, then do not try to go back to sleep. this might sound counterintuitive, but the stress of trying to fall back asleep will keep you up. instead try staying in bed reading a book or listening to a podcast.

good luck!

There is a podcast specifically designed to help you fall asleep - "Sleep with Me | The Podcast That Puts You to Sleep."

I have used it on occasion and so far, it has helped me knock out.