60% of women 33 to 65 report frequent difficulties with concentration, recalling words and numbers, losing household items, and forgetting appointments. It isn’t a clinical condition, but doctors know what you mean when you say you have brain fog. “It’s one of the most common complaints I hear,” says Felicia Goldstein, Ph.D., professor in the neurology department at Emory University Brain Health Center in Atlanta. Brain fog feels like forgetfulness, slow thinking, those “it’s on the tip of my tongue” moments, and difficulty concentrating. “It happens to all of us,” Goldstein says. It’s usually not reason for concern and is commonly caused by stress and lack of sleep. But chronic lapses in clarity could signal something beyond ordinary absentmindedness, such as a thyroid disorder, stroke, anemia, diabetes, depression, or Alzheimer’s…
