In partnership with
Why your brain feels so tired lately
Hi friend,
For a long time, I didn't even know there was a name for what I was feeling. I just knew I felt forgetful. My thinking felt foggy, like I was trying to see through a window that hadn't been cleaned in a while. I'd walk into a room and forget why. I'd lose my train of thought mid-sentence. I chalked it up to being busy, being tired, being a mom of three boys.
It wasn't until later that I learned there was actually a term for this: brain fog. And little did I know at the time, it wasn't just affecting my moment-to-moment thinking or my ability to find the right word. Underneath it, there was so much more going on than I ever realized.
What Brain Fog Actually Does to Your Brain
Brain fog isn't a medical diagnosis on its own, but it's a very real experience, and it has real effects. When your brain is foggy, it has to work harder to do the same tasks it used to do without much effort — focusing, recalling a word, following a conversation, making a decision. That extra effort adds up.
This is a big part of why brain fog leaves people feeling so fatigued and overwhelmed. Your brain is one of the most energy-hungry organs in your body, and when it has to work overtime just to keep up with ordinary thinking, that drains your energy reserves fast. It also affects cognition and processing more broadly — slower recall, more difficulty concentrating, and a sense that everything mentally just takes more effort than it should.
Where Brain Fog Actually Comes From
Here's what I wish someone had explained to me back when I was in the thick of it: brain fog is very often a downstream symptom, not the root problem itself. Two of the most common root contributors are an unhealthy gut and a dysregulated nervous system.
Your gut and brain are in constant two-way communication. When your gut is inflamed or imbalanced, inflammatory signals travel to your brain and can directly interfere with clear thinking, mood, and focus. Layer on a dysregulated nervous system — one stuck in a chronic stress state — and your brain has even fewer resources available for calm, clear cognition, because part of it is preoccupied with managing a perceived threat.
The Insulin Resistance Connection
There's another major piece that doesn't get talked about enough: insulin resistance. Your brain cells need a steady supply of glucose for energy — it's their primary fuel source, and your brain is responsible for a disproportionately large share of your body's total energy use.
When your cells become resistant to insulin, glucose has a harder time actually getting into those cells, brain cells included. Even when there's technically enough glucose circulating in your blood, it can't get where it needs to go efficiently. That means your brain cells can end up running on insufficient fuel — and when your brain isn't getting the energy it needs, that directly contributes to both brain fog and anxiety. This is part of why so many people notice mental fog and a jittery, anxious feeling within an hour or two of eating something high in refined sugar — it's often a blood sugar crash playing out in real time in your brain.
The Research Behind This
A 2024 review published in Frontiers in Microbiology examined what researchers are calling the gut-brain-metabolic axis — the interconnected relationship between gut bacteria, insulin resistance, and cognitive function. The review highlights how disruptions in gut microbiota can contribute to both insulin resistance and cognitive decline, reinforcing that these systems are far more connected than they're usually treated.
Tips to Help Decrease Brain Fog
The foundational shift:
Cut out ultra-processed foods. These foods tend to spike blood sugar quickly, feed an imbalanced gut microbiome, and drive the kind of inflammation that contributes directly to brain fog.
Eat whole foods, including foods rich in Omega-3s. Wild-caught salmon, walnuts, almonds, and flaxseed support brain cell membrane health and help calm the inflammatory processes tied to foggy thinking.
A few less common tips worth trying:
Try eating in this order: protein and fiber first, carbohydrates last. Simply changing the sequence of what you eat within a meal — vegetables and protein before your bread or rice — can measurably blunt the blood sugar spike that follows, which means steadier energy to your brain afterward.
Take a 10-minute walk after meals. A short walk after eating helps your muscles pull glucose out of your bloodstream more efficiently, easing the burden on insulin and reducing post-meal fog and crashes.
Don't underestimate sleep quality. Poor sleep has been shown to make your cells noticeably more insulin resistant the very next day, which compounds fog rather than resolving it. Protecting consistent, quality sleep is one of the most underrated fog-relief tools available.
Include magnesium-rich foods. Leafy greens, pumpkin seeds, almonds, and legumes support healthy insulin sensitivity and nervous system regulation.
Support your vagus nerve daily. Since a dysregulated nervous system is one of the root contributors to brain fog, simple daily vagal tone practices — slow exhale breathing, humming, time outdoors — give your brain the calmer internal environment it needs to think clearly.
Faith Corner
When your thinking feels foggy or scattered, it's not a reflection of your worth or your faith. It's often your body asking for support in a very specific, physical way. The beautiful thing is, tending to your gut, your nervous system, and your blood sugar isn't separate from stewarding the sound mind you've been given — it's actually one of the ways we do it.
"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." — 2 Timothy 1:7
If you've ever felt foggy and couldn't quite explain why, I hope this gave you some real answers — and a place to start.
With faith, science, and wellness,
Liz, The Wellness Nurse 🌿
Registered Nurse | Certified Mental Wellness Coach
P.S. Did any of this resonate with you? Hit reply and share- I read every response and want to hear from you.
P.P.S. If you've been reading these newsletters and finding yourself thinking, "This sounds like me, but I'm not sure where to begin," you're not alone.
Restoring balance to your cortisol, nervous system, gut health, and sleep doesn't happen through one supplement, one habit, or one perfect week. It happens through small, consistent steps practiced over time.
That's exactly why I created the 6-Month Foundational Restoration Program—a simple, step-by-step roadmap designed to help you restore your health without overwhelm.
Over six months, we'll walk through:
• The Complete Gut Microbiome Repair Protocol
• The Complete Vagus Nerve Protocol
• The Gut-Stress Connection Protocol
• The Complete Sleep Restoration Protocol
• The 30-Day Mind Renewal Program
• The Nutrition & Anti-Inflammatory Guide
Instead of trying to fix everything at once, you'll learn how to build habits that support your body's natural ability to heal, helping you improve your digestion, stress resilience, sleep, energy, mood, and overall well-being.
If you're tired of piecing together health advice from dozens of different sources and are ready for a clear, practical path forward, I'd be honored to walk alongside you.
Smart starts here.
You don't have to read everything — just the right thing. 1440's daily newsletter distills the day's biggest stories from 100+ sources into one quick, 5-minute read. It's the fastest way to stay sharp, sound informed, and actually understand what's happening in the world. Join 4.5 million readers who start their day the smart way.
⚕️ Medical Disclaimer The content in The Wellness Nurse is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician with questions about persistent brain fog, blood sugar concerns, or before making changes to your diet or supplement routine.