BBC随身英语｜如何战胜脑雾，夺回专注力？

Beating brain fog

Do you ever wake up with a fuzzy feeling in your head, you can't concentrate on anything, or find your memory just isn't working as it should? You're not alone. 39% of British people said they suffer brain fog on a regular basis in a FutureYou Cambridge study. But why do we get brain fog, and can we do anything to prevent it?

The technical word for brain fog is cognitive impairment. When you have it, you can't think as clearly as you normally can – just as if your brain was actually full of fog. Dr Brennan, a neuroscientist and author, says "Brain fog is different to these short-term disruptions, because it is persistent, occurs regularly and can interfere with the quality of your life, your relationships, and your work".

The reality is that no-one knows exactly what causes it, though theories include chemical or blood flow changes in the brain, and low-level inflammation. What we do know are factors that make it worse. Fatigue, for example, is a key contributor to brain fog, making it hard to stay focused. This is because sleep deficiency can change activity in some parts of the brain, which means processing and recalling detail becomes harder.

Pain and anxiety can also contribute to it – they interfere with cognitive speed because they are distracting. There are also medical conditions that can make it worse, like long Covid or autoimmune conditions like lupus disease.

So, if you're suffering from brain fog, what can you do to fix it? One thing you can do is avoid ultra-processed foods (UPFs). Dr Megan Rossi, the founder of The Gut Health Doctor, told the BBC that "UPFs are often low in essential nutrients like magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids and iron, all of which are crucial for brain function and mental clarity".

Therefore, we should pack our diets with nutrient-rich foods like whole grains, vegetables and healthy fats. Blueberries are particularly rich in polyphenol and have been shown to improve cognitive function and memory in clinical trials. Hydration is also very important.

So, if you feel a bit foggy, try to get more sleep and consider making some changes to your diet.

词汇表
fuzzy [ˈfʌzi] 模糊的，不清晰的
brain fog [fɒɡ] 脑雾（指头脑昏沉、思维不清晰的状态）
cognitive impairment [ˈkɒɡnətɪv ɪmˈpeəmənt] 认知障碍
neuroscientist [ˌnjʊərəʊˈsaɪəntɪst] 神经科学家
persistent [pəˈsɪstənt] 持续的，持久的
interfere with [ˌɪntəˈfɪə(r)] 干扰，妨碍
blood flow [blʌd fləʊ] 血流，血液流动
inflammation [ˌɪnfləˈmeɪʃ(ə)n] 炎症
fatigue [fəˈtiːɡ] 疲劳，疲倦
contributor [kənˈtrɪbjətə(r)] 促成因素；贡献者
sleep deficiency [dɪˈfɪʃ(ə)nsi] 睡眠不足
recall detail [rɪˈkɔːl] 回忆细节
distracting [dɪˈstræktɪŋ] 分散注意力的，使人分心的
autoimmune [ˌɔːtəʊɪˈmjuːn] 自身免疫的
lupus disease [ˈluːpəs dɪˈziːz] 红斑狼疮（一种自身免疫性疾病）
ultra-processed foods (UPFs) [ˌʌltrə ˈprəʊsest] 超加工食品
magnesium [mæɡˈniːziəm] 镁（一种化学元素）
omega-3 fatty acid [ˈəʊmɪɡə θriː ˈfæti ˈæsɪd] 欧米伽-3脂肪酸（一种不饱和脂肪酸，主要存在于鱼油、亚麻籽油等食物中）
iron [ˈaɪən] 铁元素，铁
mental clarity [ˈmentl ˈklærəti] 思维清晰度，精神清晰度
pack our diets with 在饮食中大量摄入
nutrient-rich [ˈnjuːtriənt rɪtʃ] 营养丰富的
whole grain [ɡreɪn] 全谷物
blueberry [ˈbluːbəri] 蓝莓
polyphenol [ˌpɒliˈfiːnɒl] 多酚（一类植物化合物）
clinical trial [ˈklɪnɪkl ˈtraɪəl] 临床试验
hydration [haɪˈdreɪʃ(ə)n] 补水；水合作用
foggy [ˈfɒɡi] 模糊的，不清楚的，头脑昏沉的

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