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Brain fog

LucySW

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,971
Location
Denmark
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
I've been having increasing problems with brain fog and am wondering if others have experience of this. The likely cause is going to be either my insulin or maybe the sat fats I eat to maintain a LCHF diet. I've been on 30g carb/ day for four months, quite happily, on LCHF. I can sustain that, and my weight is steady at about 22 BMI.

I'm stIll in my honeymoon and taking 4u basal (Insulatard / NPH). I've got on well with it so far with pretty even BSs and no unpredictable lows. But I need to raise the dose as my baseline BS still isn't low enough. Thinking of asking to try Levemir instead.

Alternatively I could try substituting the sat fats for two weeks - tho not sure what with - ??? What do you eat fat-wise if you don't eat butter and cream?

I have real problems being productive at work, and in fact getting things done in general. This has happened in the last three months. My mental processes have slowed right down, and often I feel defeated by tasks for a couple of hours before I recover. Can't see a pattern in it yet. It's highly unpleasant.

Anyone else had this and changed their insulin? Or from sat fats maybe?

Lucy
 
There has been people on the forum before who have said that they suffered from brain fog when taking lantus, but not heard anyone mention it with regards to Insulatard.

If you are stressed this can effect your thought process, I know when i was newly diagnosed I felt overwhelmed by everything that was said and all the things I had to do as a type 1 diabetic, wonder if this is the same case for you Lucy........
 
google carb flu
are you drinking 1.5-2lt a day?
this is a simple yes/no test for salt deficiency, which can happen because a LCHF diet flushes salt and when you cut processed carbs, you dropped a lot of salt.
have a tea spoon of salt in a glass of water, if you feel better in a couple of hours..that's the problem, if not, it's something else
 
It could be that less than 30g is too little carbohydrate for you.

I do not want to start an argument with LCHF fans but I understand that unlike the rest of our body cells, brain cells are not so good at getting energy from fatty acids/ketones.

Just something I have read.
 
@pavlosn That's correct, however if you are eating low carb, at 30g per day, you should be getting more than enough for effective brain function. Do you take any other medication as well as insulin?


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Just a thought - are you still having wheat in any form in your diet? Wheat/gluten is renowned for causing brain fog.
 
No, just the Insulatard. I want to start Metformin again, because it wd probably lower my insulin requirements.

You're right Pavlov - it can be low for some people. I think I just have to experiment. For the moment tho Im just v anxious to get my BG down further.

Thanks for the salt test Jack. I did that last night - just before heading out to my office Christmas party! Not the best timing, but worth a try. Ditto with drinking enough. I drink masses of tea but that doesn't count in the total, does it.

I th it's either that I need to try a bit more carb, or the insulin. Exercise helps, but it takes so long. Don't have control of my day at the moment.
 
Indy51 said:
Just a thought - are you still having wheat in any form in your diet? Wheat/gluten is renowned for causing brain fog.
Click to expand...
Thanks Indy, but happily no. No grains have passed my lips since June 13 ( it was a Friday 13th too!). Glad to be shot of that stuff.
 
I get brain fog if I eat soya or whey (so that's most protein shake powder things out).

Not suggesting it is either of those, but it may be something you are eating.

Presumably, you're BG readings are ok? (You were eating Bernstein, weren't you?)
Does it happen at a particular time of day? Situation?
What have you eaten in the preceding hours?
Does it happen at work only? Or weekends too?
 
Lucy, you can also get your fats from variousother sources: oily fish, nuts, seeds (e.g.flax), avocados, olives and olive oil, coconut oil, etc. I try to use a wide variety in my diet.

When I started on a (very) low carb diet I found that I lost my long time brain fog - which had actually started before I was diagnosed. If you're eating enough fat on a low carb diet and are in ketosis, once it gets the hang of it(!) your brain should work quite happily - mine works much better now.

Robbity
 
Vitamin B12 deficiency and hypothyroidism are two very common usually autoimmune conditions that can cause brain fog.
 
Do you live in the UK? This autumn has been particularly bad for those who are affected by low light levels (seasonal affective disorder). We have had so many dark and dreary days this year and this can cause brain fog and lack of motivation. Have a think about this, and if you think it would help, get a light box. Also, take it easy where possible, say no to extra activities - we are all so hung up on being busy!
 
I live in Denmark - even worse!
 
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I suffered brain fog for abit and actually worried I was dropping IQ points as the weeks went by ha. Blamed it on all kind of things diabetes included, eventually it was just stress and anxiety, running on adrenalin and stress hormones the brain gets tired and foggy. I'd spend weeks in my own head, analysing every aspect of my health and well being become hyper focused and inward.

Soon as I started focusing on other things apart from myself and stopped worrying in and checking in on I was feeling every 15 mins, it faded.
 
Even from this distance, I don't get SAD at all.

That (my clearly ignorant comment) aside, I don't have to live with it. I imagine all I'd want to do is curl up, do nothing and wait for it to pass and work within its limits. Not so easy to say if you live with it for months at a time, unlike me. I imagine it must feel like you're trapped inside darkness hours way beyond what we should tolerate? Is that the case?

On the reverse, we get sunrise at 5 a.m in summer and with DS, darkness doesn't descend until 9 pm or later. THAT drives me nuts when I need sleep.

Mike
 
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