How to decrease the effects of Fibrofog and memory problems in Fibromyalgia

How to decrease the effects of fibrofog and memory loss in Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia may be more of a pain disorder than anything else, but that doesn't mean there are not other symptoms that can be just as debilitating. Take “fibrofog” for instance. Fibrofog is a cognitive symptom that makes it hard to read, write and verbally communicate. Besides the obvious fogginess, fibrofog also includes problems with word search and memory loss, among others.

When a bout of fibrofog hits, it makes it difficult not only to communicate, but also to remember simple words and objects that were second nature to you before the fogginess hit. There are things you can do to decrease the fogginess of Fibromyalgia and help with memory loss and even word search problems. The following are some of the ways that I ward off the fogginess, word search problems and memory loss:

Get enough sleep:

Not getting enough sleep when you have Fibromyalgia not only makes the pain worse, but it decreases your cognitive level. Your brain becomes fatigues with lack of sleep causing flair-ups, memory problems and fibro-fog. A good 8-10 hours of sleep is needed to rejuvenate your body and brain when you are inflicted with a chronic condition like fibro.

Use Lumosity and other cognitive help sites:

There are internet sites that “work” or “train” your brain and help increase your cognitive level. You can train your brain to hold memories better and to fight word search problems. Lumosity is one such site.

I try to get on Lumosity at least 2 times a week. I spend about 2 hours on it, "training" my brain, so that it works better. I have noticed a slight improvement in my "word search" difficulties and I have been doing this for 7 weeks now. This is something that I will definitely continue to do.

Practice:

If you don't use it, you lose it...remember that saying? Well, it's true with your mental clarity also. Some that have mental decline due to fibrofog end up giving up and just not talking all that much (This is something I did). This will just make your mental status worse. One thing that I do is practice with my husband...yes, practice talking with your significant other or best friend and a lot of the words you are losing will come back to you.

Write it down:

When you know that you are going to have to talk more than usual or you have to talk in front of others...write it out. Think about the things you may want or need to talk about and then write the words down and actually practice these words or the speech before you have to use it. Before I go out and “mingle” with others, I write down all the words that I can think of that I might use in the situation. Then, I practice these words out loud. I do this over and over, until I have a good grasp on remembering these words. This gives me more confidence to go out in public and speak.

Exercise:

Exercise helps get the blood that is enriched with oxygen circulating throughout your body, including your brain. Without enough oxygen, your brain will start dying. That means you lose important “brain functions” like memory or other cognitive abilities. I know that it's difficult to exercise when your in so much pain, but any kind of exercise at all, even a little, will boost the oxygen going to your brain. The more oxygen you have going to your brain, the better chance you have of maintaining and improving cognitive abilities.

Ease stress:

We all know that when you are stressed, your mental capabilities can hit rock bottom. The only way to fix this, is get the stress down to a level where you can actually think better. The lower you stress is, the better your mental abilities will be. Avoid stressful situations and boot those people who have to have and share stress, out of your life (or at least tell them to leave their stress at home).

Think before you speak:

Before you talk, think about what you are going to say. Say it in your head. Say it over and over if you have to to remember what words you want to use. You will feel more confidant if you know in your head the words you want to use when you speak. This is something I use a lot and it usually works, unless it's a really bad day and I can't think hardly at all.

Fibro-fog, word search problems and memory loss are all symptoms that people with Fibromyalgia have to deal with. There are many ways to improve your mental clarity through exercise and even internet games. Not everything is going to work for every person inflicted with fibrofog, decreased mental clarity and memory loss, but if you keep trying different treatment methods, you are bound to find a treatment that works well for you.

What do you use to help overcome your fibrofog? Please leave comments below.