Gluten intake in gluten-sensitive individuals is linked with a variety of mental health issues, ranging from brain fog to anxiety and depression. If you usually avoid gluten but accidentally ingest some, you may experience brain fog right away, or it can show up a few hours or days later. When it strikes, there's no sure-fire way to get it to go away, other than to let the gluten run its course. There are some ways to improve brain fog that might get you through those last few hours at work.
Identify the product you ate that contained gluten so you can stop eating it and avoid worsening your brain fog.
Drink some water. Water is an essential tool in the fight against brain fog, explains the Brain Harmony Center. Dehydration leads to worsening brain fog. A dehydrated body also doesn't remove waste and toxins efficiently, which can worsen mental clarity.
Take a brisk walk or perform a physical activity you enjoy. Exercise increases blood flow to your brain, increases your energy, lowers stress and sends feel-good chemicals into your bloodstream -- all of which aid mental clarity. Exercise also helps you sleep. Getting enough sleep is critical for eliminating brain fog.
Receive an acupuncture treatment. Acupuncturists claim the practice improves mental clarity and relieves brain fog by helping your body to eliminate toxins, creating a sense of relaxation and restoring the body's proper energy balance.
Take a nap. If you force yourself to work through a foggy period, you risk overtaxing your nerve cells, which in turn worsens brain fog, according to Esther Sternberg, M.D., for Consumer Reports. Napping acts like a brain reboot and calms overworked nerves. Take a few minutes to lie down with your eyes closed and relax if you're unable to take a nap.