Can anxiety cause brain fog?

Anxiety disorders are mental health conditions characterized by persistent worry or fear about one or more situations. They may affect the way you feel, think, and act.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, text revision (DSM-5-TR) lists four anxiety disorders, but the most common is generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). 

Symptoms of generalized anxiety may be a combination of physical, emotional, and cognitive factors. These may include:

• intense preoccupation
• the feeling of impending doom
• restlessness or feeling on edge
• heart palpitations and shortness of breath
• fatigue and low energy despite feeling wired
• having your mind go blank at times or during anxiety episodes
• difficulty concentrating
• irritability
• muscular tension
• sleep disturbances

Brain fog is not a formal medical term, but it often refers to cognitive difficulties like forgetfulness, communication challenges, and decreased mental productivity and creativity. These are all possible when you experience anxiety.

Can anxiety cause brain fog?

Mental health conditions like anxiety may trigger episodes of brain fog because of their association with biochemical changes in your brain. These changes may affect how your brain processes information. This may lead you to experience brain fog-like symptoms.

In fact, anxiety is often associated with mild memory loss.

Brain fog may be mild and temporary or persistent and prolonged.

Research suggests that the phrase “brain fog” may describe symptoms like:

• trouble concentrating or focusing on a task or behavior
• feeling disassociated (when you feel disconnected from your memories, thoughts, feelings, or identity)
• finding that mental tasks take more effort and energy than usual
• difficulty expressing ideas or remembering words
• general mental fuzziness
• mental overwhelmed
• fatigue (low energy)
• difficulty learning or understanding new information

Anxiety may lead to symptoms similar to brain fog for several reasons:

• Stress response: Anxiety is an overactive fight or flight response. When stress hormones (such as cortisol) are released, research indicates that these can affect your ability to think clearly, gather, retain new information, and remember things.  
• Sleep disturbances: Anxiety may disrupt sleep patterns. Not getting at least 7 hours of quality sleep every day may lead to mental fuzziness and trouble focusing. Living with a sleep disorder may worsen these difficulties, leading to persistent brain fog.
• Overthinking and worrying: The persistent worrying at the core of anxiety may make it difficult to concentrate on other things, and you may feel mentally fatigued and overwhelmed.
• Changes in the brain: Studies in animals and humans suggest that chronic stress and anxiety may cause changes in the brain chemistry, which in turn affects your ability to focus and think clearly.

What does anxiety brain fog feel like?

Anxiety brain fog may feel like brain fog by other causes. This includes:

• finding it difficult to concentrate and focus on things and tasks
• having your mind go blank and experiencing difficulty remembering things
• getting mentally overwhelmed and fatigued

Brain fog triggered by both anxiety and sleep difficulties may lead to mental fuzziness, disassociation, and trouble communicating.

Several medical conditions may lead to brain fog symptoms. If you are unsure what is causing your brain fog, speaking with a healthcare professional may help.

If you need help covering the cost of medications, Optum Perks free Discount Card could help you save up to 80% on prescription drugs. Follow the links on drug names for savings on that medication, or search for a specific drug here.

Anxiety treatment

If brain fog is caused by anxiety, treating this underlying cause may relieve your cognitive symptoms.

Talk therapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) may be the first line of treatment for anxiety.  

If your symptoms are severe or do not improve with psychotherapy, your healthcare team may suggest medications. Common options include:

• serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), such as venlafaxine (Effexor), duloxetine (Cymbalta), and desvenlafaxine ER
• tricyclic antidepressants, such as imipramine (Tofranil)
• benzodiazepines, such as alprazolam (Xanax), lorazepam (Ativan), and diazepam (Valium)
• selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as sertraline (Zoloft) and fluoxetine (Prozac).

Brain fog treatment

Brain fog is treated by managing the underlying cause. For example, if a sleep disturbance is triggering brain fog, your healthcare professional may focus on addressing the disorder.

In the case of anxiety-related brain fog, anxiety treatment is key to improving your symptoms. Everyday anxiety relief techniques as well as natural anxiety remedies may also help.

Lifestyle measures may also help to manage and prevent brain fog. These changes are likely to help you manage other anxiety symptoms as well.

Lifestyle habits that may help with brain food include:

• relaxation techniques like deep breathing exercises and meditation
• optimal sleep hygiene with at least 7 hours of sleep per day
• healthy and balanced diets  
• regular physical activity
• limiting alcohol and caffeine intake, if applicable

Download the free Optum Perks Discount Card to save up to 80% on some prescription medications.

Summary

Chronic anxiety and stress may lead you to experience brain fog. This is a term commonly associated with forgetfulness, difficulty concentrating, communication challenges, and mental fatigue.

Anxiety brain fog may be treated by addressing its cause. Psychotherapy and medications may be part of the anxiety treatment.