Mental clarity is an important part of keeping your life in balance and maintaining focus. All too often, though, brain fog can creep in and cause you to feel overtaxed, distracted, and forgetful.
Fortunately, you don’t have to settle for this foggy feeling. There are steps you can take to help restore focus and keep your mind clear.
Keep reading for ways to improve your mental clarity and to maintain alertness throughout the day.
Mental Clarity Versus Brain Fog
When you feel groggy, listless, unfocused, and disorganized, chances are you’re experiencing brain fog. This mental state is your brain’s way of signaling to your body that there’s an imbalance in your life that you need to address.
Mental clarity, on the other hand, is a clear, focused, energetic feeling that helps you avoid distractions, recall facts and important information more easily, and make better decisions. When you experience this state of mind, your body is in balance and operates more efficiently.
Many things can affect your mental clarity, including:
- Stress
- Diet
- Lack of sleep
- Medications
- Medical conditions
When these parts of your life are out of balance, you’re more likely to experience brain fog.
By taking steps to bring these parts of your life back into balance, such as taking one of our herbal supplements for cognitive support, you can help maintain your mental clarity.* Here’s how.
How to Maintain Mental Clarity
1) Try Herbal Supplements
One of the easiest ways to help maintain mental clarity is to take an herbal supplement.* Herbs such as Saffron, Lemon Balm, Spearmint, Bacopa, Turmeric, Ginkgo, and Lion’s Mane have been traditionally used to help maintain focus, memory, and concentration.*
And while you might benefit from taking a single herb by itself, most Ayurvedic practitioners agree that you can experience even more benefits with a synergistic combination of herbs.* 1
That’s why our Ginkgo Supreme, for example, contains a blend of herbs traditionally used to support a clear and sharp mind, including:*
- Ginkgo
- Gotu Kola
- Eleuthero
- Peppermint
- Rosemary
Ginkgo Supreme is a favorite of busy professionals, college students, and anyone trying to keep their brain fit for the long-term.*
Discover the full line of Gaia Herbs supplements for brain and cognitive support.
2) Reduce Sugar Intake
Your brain uses the sugar glucose found naturally in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains as fuel. If your brain doesn’t have enough sugar, you may experience a foggy, distracted feeling that can make your daily activities difficult.
However, if you consume too much sugar in your diet — particularly, processed carbohydrates like refined sugar and high fructose corn syrup — you can lose mental clarity just as easily as if you don’t get enough sugar.
This is because processed carbohydrates provide a burst of glucose and then disappear quickly, leaving your brain with too little.2
After eating high levels of processed carbs, you might feel fine for an hour or so, but soon, you’ll lose mental clarity and begin to suffer from brain fog.
To avoid this hazy feeling, reduce your processed sugar intake, and include healthy alternatives such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in your diet.
3) Eat Healthy Fats
As we discussed in the previous section, your brain uses sugar (glucose) as an energy source to stay active. But it also uses fat to keep things running at 100%.
In fact, fat is a sort of super fuel that makes it possible for your brain to create the essential chemicals and other raw materials it needs to function at its best. That’s why it’s important to consume plenty of healthy fat as part of your balanced diet.
Foods such as nuts, avocados, coconut oil, olive oil, and wild salmon are high in healthy fats that can fight off brain fog and help you maintain your mental clarity between meals.3
4) Examine Your Diet for Nutritional Deficiencies
Even if you’re eating a low-sugar diet that includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, and lean protein, you still may not be getting all of the vitamins and minerals your brain and body need to maintain mental clarity.
Take time to examine your diet for nutritional deficiencies and then fill in the gaps where necessary.
Make sure you’re getting enough of the following vitamins and minerals from the foods you eat:
- Vitamin B12
- Vitamin D
- Omega-3 fatty acids
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin A
- Iron
- Zinc
- Lycopene
If you find deficiencies in your diet, add foods that contain the nutrients you need or take a supplement (e.g., a gummy vitamin) that contains the vitamins and minerals you’re lacking.
5) Get Plenty of Sleep
If you are struggling with mental clarity and regularly suffer from brain fog, you may not be getting enough sleep at night.
A healthy sleep routine — which includes going to bed and getting up at the same time each day and getting at least seven hours of sleep per night — can improve your focus and help you fight off brain fog.
Additionally, maintaining healthy sleep habits can even improve your mood, your cognition, and your energy levels throughout the day.4
If you’re not getting enough quality sleep, try these helpful suggestions:
- Reduce caffeine intake
- Don’t snack before bed
- Don’t drink a lot of fluids right before bed
- Make your room as dark as possible
- Lower the temperature in your bedroom
- Wear earplugs or run a white noise machine
After a good night’s sleep, you’ll feel more energized and will be able to maintain your mental clarity for much longer.
6) Reduce Stress
Too much chronic stress in your life can lead to several mental clarity issues, including:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Poor decision-making
- Memory loss
- Low energy levels
If you feel like you have too much stress in your life, take steps to reduce the impacts it has on your brain and body. You might not be able to get rid of the factors that are causing your stress, but you can practice techniques to reduce their negative effects.
Meditation and yoga are both effective ways to relax, improve mental clarity, and let go of stress after a hard day.*5
You might also try:
Whatever you choose, be sure to practice regularly and give it time to make a difference in your life.
7) Exercise Regularly
Physical activity benefits your brain in addition to your body and is a major contributor to mental clarity.
Regular exercise increases the flow of glucose and oxygen to your brain while, at the same time, burning off cortisol (the stress hormone) and stimulating new brain cell formation. Without physical activity, you’re more likely to suffer from brain fog during the day.3
If you feel a sense of fogginess coming on, take a brisk walk around the block. Even that small amount of physical activity is sufficient to help prevent a loss of focus and can help to restore mental clarity.
Of course, more prolonged exercise (30-60 minutes per day) is even better at helping you maintain a healthy mind and body. If you need ideas, try one of these:
- Go for a hike in the woods
- Lift weights
- Take a yoga class
- Play your favorite sport
These are all great ways to support balance in your body and mind, stave off brain fog, and maintain mental clarity.
Nourish Your Mind with Traditional Herbs*
A big part of maintaining mental clarity is giving your brain the nutrients it needs to function correctly from one day to the next. This is where traditional herbs may be able to help.*
At Gaia Herbs, we understand the importance of nourishing your mind and body for a more balanced life. That’s why we offer products for both mental and physical health.*
Nootropic Focus
Our Nootropic Focus™ herbal supplement supports healthy concentration.* It’s made with a revitalizing blend of Saffron, Lemon Balm, and Spearmint that is formulated to help you keep up with the competing demands of a fast-paced life.*
Plus, they come in an easy-to-swallow Liquid Phyto-Caps® form, which provides a convenient way to take an herbal supplement.
Agile Mind
You might also like our Agile Mind herbal supplement. This is a popular choice for busy working professionals or anyone juggling multiple tasks. It provides adaptogenic support to help your mind stay sharp through a synergistic formula made with Turmeric, Bacopa, and Ginkgo.*
Other Gaia Herbs supplements that help support mental clarity in adults include:
GaiaKids® Focus
Even children can benefit from our herbal products.* If you have a child who just can’t seem to concentrate in school or otherwise — a common problem that affects many children — they might benefit from Gaia Herbs GaiaKids® Focus.*
Developed by a Pediatric Naturopath, our unique blend of herbs in GaiaKids Focus contains Gotu Kola, Chamomile, Passionflower, Lemon Balm, Oats, and American Skullcap to help your little one shine at school.*
And you can rest easy that your child is getting the best because GaiaKids Focus is purity-tested, dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free, and contains no artificial sweeteners, corn syrup, colors, or flavors.
By following our tips above for maintaining focus and with the right herbal supplements from Gaia Herbs, you and your family can experience continued mental clarity day after day.*
REFERENCES:
1 7 Questions Everyone Has About Ashwagandha (& What It Really Does For Your Mood).
https://www.cleanplates.com/know/nutrition/7-questions-ashwagandha-mood/
2 10 Ways to Improve Gut Health.
https://medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325293
3 8 Ways To Eliminate Your Brain Fog Once And For All.
https://synergyhealthassociates.com/blog/eliminate-brain-fog/
4 Feeling Foggy? Our Top Four Tips for Clearing Brain Fog.
https://braintap.com/feeling-foggy-our-top-four-tips-for-clearing-brain-fog/
5 5 Reasons Why Mental Clarity Is So Important.
https://theblissfulmind.com/mental-clarity/