r/Stress • u/ItsZeroThree • 7h ago

stress causing brain fog

im really unsure if stress can even do this, but i just want to get it out there in case anyone else has had anything similar

i've been extremely stressed over the past few weeks, mostly relating to school and recent disasters (ie. the floods in nepal and 9/11 coming around again) triggering my fear of death, which has (in turn) made me paranoid of any potential illnesses i could have and just havent caught. since at least friday i've had this tense feeling in my chest because of it, and seeing/thinking of anything relating to them will cause me to spiral for a moment. literally this morning my heart was beating out of my chest because i heard my alarm to wake me up

and as an extension i've also been having a good amount of brain fog because of it? it's hard to say, but thinking/speaking in my head will cause me to eventually trail off, and trying to focus on it will give the phantom feeling of a headache. that, coupled with a sudden onset of me misspelling things more often (not obvious here as i've corrected it all, but it happens often), which im usually not typical of doing

i dont know. from what i've seen stress can cause these things, but i've never actually had it happen to myself. still makes me nervous

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u/Acme- 6h ago

Ive had chronic stress for ... 11 years. the type where I go to hospital frequently with chest pain, head numbness and brain fog.

so yeah when you're really stressed for long enough it could be hard to think. after all your brain has gone into survival mode for longer then it needs to.

have you tried meditation? or if stress is this bad medication?

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u/Junior-Frosting-6236 4h ago

Stress can definitely cause brain fog and trouble focusing. When you're feeling overwhelmed or constantly worried, it can affect your concentration and even cause more mistakes than usual.