If you’re living withmultiple sclerosis (MS), you’ve probably lost several minutes — if not hours — searching your house for misplaced items… only to find your keys or wallet somewhere random, like the kitchen pantry or medicine cabinet.
你不是一个人。COG雾, or MS-related脑雾事实上,女士,影响很多人生活在这s estimated that超过一半与MS为生的人将制定认知问题，如难以解的对话，批判性或回忆回忆。
MS-ers call this symptom “cog fog” — short for cognitive fog. It’s also referred to as brain fog, changes in cognition, or cognitive impairment.
Losing your train of thought mid-sentence, forgetting why you entered a room, or struggling to remember a friend’s name are all possibilities when cog fog strikes.
Krysia Hepatica是一个MS的企业家，描述了她的大脑现在如何不同。“信息在那里。访问它只是需要更长的时间，“她告诉健康线。雷竞技app官网
“For instance, if someone asks me a question about a particular detail from days or weeks before, I can’t always immediately pull it up. It slowly comes back, in chunks. It’s like sifting through an old-school card catalog instead of just Googling it. Analog vs. digital. Both work, one is just slower,” Hepatica explains.
Lucie Linder was diagnosed withrelapsing-remitting MSin 2007 and says cog fog has been a significant issue for her, as well. “The sudden memory loss, disorientation, and mental sluggishness that can strike at any minute are not so fun.”
Linder描述了她无法专注或专注于任务时的时代，因为她的大脑感觉就像它在厚厚的泥浆中浸没。
Fortunately, she’s found that cardio exercise helps her blast through that stuck feeling.
For the most part, cognitive changes will be mild to moderate, and won’t be so severe that you aren’t able to take care of yourself. But it can make what used to be simple tasks — like shopping for groceries — pretty darn frustrating.
MS is a disease of the central nervous system that affects the brain and spinal cord. It also causes areas of inflammation and lesions on the brain.
“As a result, [people with MS] can have cognitive issues that typically involve slowness of processing, trouble multi-tasking, and distractibility,” explains David Mattson, MD, a neurologist at印第安纳大学健康。
Some of the more common areas of life that are affected by cognitive changes include memory, attention and concentration, verbal fluency, and information processing.
Mattson points out that no one MS lesion causes this, but cog fog seems more associated with an increased overall number of MS lesions in the brain.
On top of that,疲劳is also prevalent in people with MS, which can cause forgetfulness, lack of interest, and little energy.
“Those who experience fatigue may find it more difficult to complete tasks later in the day, have a lower ability to withstand certain environments such as extreme heat, and struggle with sleep disorders or depression,” Mattson adds.
奥利维亚Djouadi已经复发延期MS，表示，她的认知问题似乎发生了更多的极端疲劳，这可以阻止她的轨道。作为一个学者，她说大脑雾是可怕的。
“这意味着我忘记了简单的细节，但仍然可以记住复杂的物品，”她解释道。“这是非常令人沮丧的，因为我知道我知道答案，但它不会来找我，”她与健康线相匹配。雷竞技app官网
好消息：减少COG雾，甚至只是让它更加易于易于管理。
Doctors and patients both feel frustration at the lack of treatment options available for the cognitive issues that accompany MS.
临床神经心理学家维多利亚莱佛士博士说，医疗保健提供者对他们的患者提供支持和验证，他们向其认知者经历了认知的患者。ColumbiaDoctors哥伦比亚大学医学中心神经内科神经内科助理教授。
However, in the absence of treatments, Leavitt believes that lifestyle factors can make a difference. “Modifiable factors that are in our control can help change the way a person with MS lives to best protect their brain,” she tells Healthline.
Leavitt says the classic trio of modifiable lifestyle factors that may help with cognitive function include diet, exercise, and intellectual enrichment.
饮食
改变你的diet- 特别是加入健康的脂肪 - 可以帮助COG雾。
肝脏已经发现，吃鳄梨，椰子油和草皮黄油等健康脂肪帮助她的齿轮雾。
Healthy fats, orfoods rich in omega-3s，以其在脑部健康中的作用而闻名。
In addition to avocados and coconut oil, include some of these to your diet:
- seafood like salmon, mackerel,
沙丁鱼和鳕鱼 - 特级初榨橄榄油
- walnuts
- Chia种子和亚麻籽
Exercise
Exercisehas been studied for years as a way to help people with MS deal with the daily struggles of cog fog. In fact, a
But it’s not just the favorable impact that exercise has on the brain that’s important. Engaging in physical activity is also good for the body and your mental health.
一种
另外，一个
Intellectual enrichment
智力浓缩包括你所做的那些让你的大脑受到挑战的事情。
参加日常活动，如句子和数字游戏，或者认为像填字游戏一样的挑战性练习，如填字游戏，和拼图游戏，可以帮助您的大脑清新和订婚。与朋友或家人一起玩这些或其他棋盘游戏也可以引发更多的好处。
To get the biggest brain-boosting benefits, learn a new skill or language, or pick up a new hobby.
短期策略
在为COG FOG实施的长期解决方案的同时，您也可能从一些提供立即救济的提示中受益。
Hepatica says some additional strategies that work for her when she’s experiencing cog fog are taking good notes, writing everything down on her calendar, and multi-tasking as little as possible. “It is preferable for me to start and finish tasks before moving on to start something new,” she says.
Mattson同意这些策略，并表示他的患者在做笔记时尽力而为，避免分心，一次做一件事。他还建议在新鲜和精力充沛，并在此期间做出更加困难的任务时找到时间。
如果您正在努力将这些策略融入您的生活中，Leavitt表示与您的医生或医疗团队讨论。他们可以帮助您提出一个计划使这些事情的工作。
她要强调的一个提示是：开始小并设定非常逼真的目标，直到你感到成功。“你必须做你喜欢他们成为一种习惯的事情，”她说。
Leavitt还在调查角色睡眠，社交网络和与社区的关键角色，以如何处理认知的变化。她相信那些因素以及有氧运动，饮食和智力丰富是保护未来衰落的绝佳方式。
“我认为这是一个真正有希望的研究领域，”她说。“最终，我们需要将我们的证据和调查结果翻译成治疗。”
While living with MS and dealing with cog fog can be a real challenge, Hepatica says she tries not to let it get her down. “I just accept that my brain works in a different way now and I’m thankful to have strategies that help,” she explains.
Sara Lindberg., BS, M.Ed, is a freelance health and fitness writer. She holds a bachelor’s in exercise science and a master’s degree in counseling. She’s spent her life educating people on the importance of health, wellness, mindset, and mental health. She specializes in the mind-body connection, with a focus on how our mental and emotional well-being impact our physical fitness and health.