What is Brain Fog?
Sometimes we can’t put into words what brain fog means but we know exactly how it feels. Feeling groggy and like your brain is not working at optimal efficiency. Brain fog can manifest itself in many ways. Some people may feel as if they are tired all the time and others will feel as if their brain is just working slower. How you experience can be different from one person to the next but there is the common similarity that you might just not feel like “yourself”. Brain fog can also affect your memory and you may feel as if you are not as sharp as you once were before. Being able to think clearly is vital to us living a healthy and active lifestyle. When our brain slows down, we naturally slow down with it. Tasks that may seem like they were once easy can take a lot of effort from you. It is ok to feel like this, the most important thing is it to be able to notice how we feel that way we can figure out why. A lot of patients that come into NorCal Brain Center struggle with brain fog and dealing with it. One therapy to help the brain get back up to how it was is HBOT, hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
How does HBOT help with Brain Fog?
An oxygen chamber can help increase the amount of oxygen that is going to the brain. By doing this, essentially you are giving your brain more nutrients that will help it function better. In a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, the pressure inside is elevated three times higher than atmospheric pressure. This means that oxygen is being delivered at a higher rate to all of our body’s tissues. Oxygen is filled with molecules and nutrients that our body needs to survive and function optimally. Increasing the amount of oxygen can help repair the tissues in our brain that have been missing out on all the oxygen. When the oxygen reaches the tissues, it helps decrease inflammation in those areas. Inflammation could be a potential reason why you are experiencing brain fog and sometimes can be the most common cause.
What Do I Do When I am in a Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber?
A session in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber can vary depending on what your healthcare providers deems is necessary. Typically, one enters the hyperbaric chambers and sits down for a session that can last upwards of 1.5 hours. There are numerous things that one can feel while in the chamber all which are completely normal. When pressure rises, it is normal for our ears to feel plugged like what happens when you go up a mountain and your ears close off. If this happens, swallowing or chewing gum can help alleviate this feeling. After a session feeling lightheaded, fatigued, or having a headache is all completely normal; your body is just recovering from the session. Your healthcare provider will tell you if you qualify for treatments as there are people that are not able to do them. Examples would be people who have just had ear surgery, have a cold, and certain types of lung disease. Please don’t hesitate to call NorCal Brain Center with any questions that you have regarding the hyperbaric oxygen chamber. We encourage you to ask as many questions as you can so we can help you find the best treatment possible for you as to ensure that you can live your best life daily! Please call us at (408)585-5275 if you have any questions!
