Brain fog and IQ

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I've been suffering from brain fog for a while. I used to be quite visual, logical and good at science and math, but now I'm bad at that stuff. I also have a slower processing speed now . I used to also never get lost, now I get lost as much as the average person. When the fog lifts I notice that I process information better and I feel happier, but my math skills don't improve that much. Hopefully my brain fog hasn't done any permanent damage.
Apperently my IQ used to be above average, now it's just average.

You need to do things to keep your mind active.

Do you know what's causing the fog?

I suspect it's Lyme's disease, but I haven't been diagnosed. Even the best doctors in my area know nothing about Lyme's. I think it's also related to my mood a bit.

Oh, lyme sucks. It's hard to diagnose and it seems a lot of professionals are ignorant about it.

There used to be a forum here with a lot of information about this sort of thing: http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/

I think they have a facebook community now. Here: https://www.facebook.com/bydls

My experiences with brain fog, and what I've heard from many many others is that what you say is essentially true - it does limit cognitive ability, and it's really frustrating. I am not sure that it is permanent damage, although I think unused skills tend to weaken over time.

I hope you can find someone who understand your problems and can work with you to improve them. This is why I wish the BYDLS forum was still around - it was so much easier to find people who could point you to a specialist in your area who could help, and possibly you might find someone who can help in the Facebook group, at least. If that's what you need.

Yes I can relate! I have a lot of brain fog and still tested above average, but my memory was impaired due to it. I actually usually have a great memory.

Many people who are sensitive to gluten or casein report brain fog as a symptom. Have you ever tried an elimination diet to see if you're reacting to something you're eating?

Diet can affect brain fog and brain function. Also are you sleeping well because any kind of sleep deprivation will contribute.

I have a horrible brain fog which I believe developed thanks to chronic depression, stress and anxiety. My memory is significantly impaired thanks to that as well. It used to be quite above average, but nowadays I find it hard to function properly at all (I mean compared to the level I need, or were kind of able to).

Sport and meditation help. When I'm not too depressed to do those

I have noticed over the years that my memory is not as sharp as it used to be since I started full time work. I don't know if this is brain fog though-it doesn't sound as extreme as some of the cases here.

I know what the Apocrypha are:

But, during an IQ test conducted about 15 years ago, I was asked what the Apocrypha are--and, through "brain fog," forgot the answer. I probably lost 10 IQ points that way.

I have suffered from brain fog for the last two years. I had some really difficult things happen in that time. I think depression and anxiety were definitely factors.

But, I also think that fear of brain fog can worsen brain fog. I had almost exactly the same worries that you describe in your post. I like to learn and do math. The brain fog made it feel like I couldn't think clearly.

However, I eventually realized that I could solve problems pretty much just as well with brain fog as without brain fog. I just didn't get the feeling of excitement from "ah-ha!" moments that I would get without the brain fog. And, it felt like I had to wade through mental sludge to do them. But, when I have brain fog, it feels like I have to wade through mental sludge to do absolutely anything.

So, I figured, if I am having brain fog, I might as well do something that normally gives me some satisfaction. Even if I don't feel the same moment-to-moment reward from what I am doing with brain fog, there is still a different kind of reward present from knowing that I am doing something that is important to me. I have found that this really works, because once the brain fog lifts a little, I feel a lot of satisfaction for having done something that I value and find rewarding, despite the brain fog.

I still have some brain fog, but it has gotten a lot better.

Hope this helps!

Interesting that this topic came up now (yes, I know it's an old thread). Several weeks ago I got back to my healthy eating regimen: basically following a moderately low-carb diet, with leaner proteins, plenty of vegetables, fruit, etc. My main objective is controlling my diabetes, but it also has the added benefit of weight loss.

On top of those benefits of eating healthier, I've noticed for the past 2 weeks that my clarity of thought has drastically increased. My attention span is better, I'm less klutzy and confused when I get up for work in the morning and I just seem to have a lot more mental and physical energy. While I've lost a few pounds, I don't think these changes are primarily attributable to the slightly reduced weight.

I'm convinced that the brain fog I'd been under for months was mainly the result of eating an excess of processed carbohydrates and sweets, high fructose corn syrup and the like. So you may want to consider re-evaluating the kinds of foods you eat. If your diet consists of fast food, potato chips, pizza, ice cream and candy that may well be the underlying cause. Also, try Googling for "brain food" - adding things like fish oil supplements and lots of berries can positively impact brain function.

I'm not sure your REAL IQ actually suffers, but it sure feels that way and you may be cognitively impaired due to the fog, but the underlying you is still there. At least that's how I feel, and I suffer from this BADLY. I think for a living so this is debilitating.

Several things going on for me:
1. healthy lifestyle - the healthier I live, the less fog I have. But depression makes it difficult to the keep to the healthy lifestyle
2. depression and anxiety
3. Anti-depressants can make this worse!
4. hypothryoidism

If you're suffering from brain fog, lifestyle changes can be helpful, but push your doc to do some endocrine screening, too.

I have a very uneven IQ. My verbal intelligence is high-average, but my processing speed is in the severely impaired range. Strange, huh?

Not strange at all - in fact, I think it's fairly typical of people on the spectrum from what I've read. In my case, I rank in the 99th percentile for verbal skills but my processing / spatial reasoning (I forget the exact terminology) is average at best. That creates its own set of problems for people like us, as NTs are likely to overestimate our competence in other areas based upon an assumption that being "word smart" translates into overall intelligence. Basically, we come off as sounding much smarter than we are - at least in a general sense.