I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome now for 15 years, my advice is seek medical advice and get everything checked out.
Brain fog or any cognitive issues are a sign that something is not right.
Can someone please explain what does the expression “brain fog” even mean ?
Is that an inability to concentrate on basic tasks ?
In a bit of a zombie state is my experience:
- memory problems
- lack of mental clarity
- poor concentration
- inability to focus
- feeling “off”
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Thanks for all the replies! Lots of points to address so sorry if I miss anything.
@eric1a2krueger I like the “training hangover” analogy - it fits in that I am fine immediately after training, it’s only later on (and sometimes the next day) that the fogginess sets in.
Hydration is not an issue, I am drinking (an peeing) lots of water throughout the day.
As I said, sleep is not perfect but is about as good as it can realistically be. I wasn;t having the same issues a few months abck when I was ‘exercising’ rather than ‘training’ and sleep was about the same then so I think it’s unliekly ot be the underlying cause.
@Nate_Pearson Thanks, I am beginning to suspect that carb intake might be responsible. I also currently consume most of my intake later on in the day, so will try and move more to the morning and see if this makes a difference.
I am somehwat conscious of my weight (recently 3-7 kg heavier than I was when I was racing my best) so eating more (and eating more carbs in particular) seems counterintuitive given the use of carbohydrate periodisation strategies by seemingly everyone.
@stevemz My Vit D was also borderline low and I have started taking a supplement as well since. A much lower dose than @wiscokid though! I think I was ~70 nmol/L but I guess your numbers are in ng/ml and I ahven;t looked how this corresponds.
Commute is ~1 hour AM and ~1.5 PM, but I still have issues if I haven’t ridden in that day.
From all your suggestions I am going to 1. track food intake for a few typical days to see if my carb intake is enouhg to support the volume of training and 2. Rearrange my eating habbits to consume more carbs earlier on in the day
I’ll try and remember to report back a progress update in a few weeks time.
70nmol/L is about 28ng/ml. You can always google the conversion you want for the various compound and there are a bunch of calculators like this site: Medical Unit Converters Calculators -- EndMemo
I was around 30ng/ml and I’m taking 3000IU of D3 daily. The doctor recommended at least 1000IU but the supposed safe upper bound is 5000IU daily, which is why you probably see several people taking that.
Truthfully though, there is mixed evidence that Vitamin D supplementation actually increases serum levels, but given that the hard risk is minimal at low doses, most doctors are ok with small amounts of supplementation in the event that it is helpful.
I’ll report back around April after I find out if supplementation increases serum levels of vitamin D.
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Thank you! I probably won’t have another test for a while so I’m def curious to see what others are experiencing.
That’s a lot of time on the bike besides doing TR intervals and weekend rides. Are you logging 15+ hours a week?
Here’s an experiment: eat a lot more before you leave. When you get to the office have gel or a maple syrup shot just to see if it perks you up.
I usually try and stay away from sugar myself but I’ve found that a bit of sugar gives me a greater mental clarity boost than a shot of espresso.
If that’s the case, that’s pretty much me after a hard workout in the morning. During those days, I am completely done by about 11am.
I commute 4 days a week, use these to do my intervals and then typically 1 longer ride at the weekend. So ends up as 10-15 hours per week. There are other folk on this thread who train more - I’ve no idea how people manage to fit it in around a full time job!
I’m interested that you suggest simple sugars rather than carbs in general. Does anybody know any more about the role of low GI vs high GI carbs in my situation?
High GI foods burn like a flash. Low GI power you for a longer period of time.
Have you ever calorie counted to see if you are eating enough? I find it to be a very good exercise even if you only do it for a month or so. You are riding 2.5 hours every day which burns about 1000 calories. The average male needs about 2500 calories so you probably need 3500 at minimum.
Okay reporting back with some results - the combination of eating more carbohydrate and eating earlier in the day does seem to have helped, though it’s still a bit of a work in progress. I’ve however visibly put on bodyfat from doing this. It seems like it should be very possible to do some rides slighlty underfueled (or at least in a lower carbohydrate state) and still be a functional uhman being e.g. as reocmmended by James Morton of team sky fame
So a question - is it a case of contuing to fiddle with my eating until I find something that works, or will eating to only maintain (or lose) weight mean a return to regular brain fog?
I’d think if you eat enough to visibly put on body fat, you shouldn’t have any underfuelling signs like brain fog.
Are you actually putting on fat, or was it a one off measurement that could be due to eg hydration?
And if you still get brain fog, something else is going on. Maybe you’re stressed in some way, that can also result in concentration problems and putting on weight.
When you fill up your muscles with glycogen, the glycogen is bound with water molecules which will make you heavier.
Also, to carb up, eat complex carbohydrates rather than sugars. Sugar/fructose can lead to weight gain.
“Sugar/fructose can lead to weight gain.”
In caloric surplus, sure.
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Hi there - first time poster, mostly posting because this thread is pretty high up in Google search results.
I’ve had very similar symptoms for many years. Only recently have I found a cause and a treatment (n=1, of course, but this actually works for me). The cause: inflammation. The treatment: acupuncture. My advice: find a qualified acupuncturist in your area, explain your symptoms and suggest they treat you for this inflammation. If they suggest a different course of treatment, give it a try - but if you don’t see immediate benefits (i.e., if the brain fog does not go away), insist that they treat you for general inflammation. Points that are most beneficial (I’ll leave the research to you): ST-36, LI-3, LI-4, LV-3, LV-4, GB-34 (and many others).
Give it a try! I hope it works for you.